We Are Pasan
Since 1978, Established in 1983
Pasan's founder, Pierre René Beljean, built the first simulator in 1978, at the emergence of the photovoltaic industry. He founded Belval in 1983, which later became Pasan in 2008, to focus solely on photovoltaic measurement.
Pierre René Beljean
Founder of Pasan
Management Team
Damien Etienne
CEO
Founder of Avalon ST
Damien started his career at Pasan in 2007. He then setup Pasan's service in China before joining TUV Rheinland in 2011. In 2018, he founded Avalon with Gavin Dong, focusing on emerging LED Simulators. Avalon Acquired Pasan in 2025, merging the two leaders in their respective field.
Gavin Dong
President
Founder of Avalon ST
Gavin joined 3S in 2009 which then got acquired by Meyer Burger. Gavin quickly became the sales N°1 for solar simulators in China, thanks to his extensive network and deep technical knowledge, before founding Avalon ST in 2018.
Gilles Arnoux - PhD
CTO
Gilles obtained his PhD at the EPFL in 2006 in Plasma Physics. He then worked at CEA in nuclear fusion and at CCFE at the Joint European Torus Experiment (JET). He joined Pasan in 2015 where he brought important contribution for terrestrial and spatial measurements.
Markus Hoeffgen
General Manager
Strong of more than 25 years experience in manufacturing, Markus played key roles in managing operation in big and small companies, with 12 years as Plant Manager in Siemens, as well as small startup. Markus brings his skill and experience to scale up operation and sales.
Christian Dreier
Head of Products
Christian graduated from the EPFL in 2002, he then joined TUV Rheinland Japan where he setup one of the first photovoltaic lab. He then joined TUV Rheinland Shanghai where he became General Manager of PV Module subline. He joined Pasan in 2025 as a strategic move.
Vincent Jacot-Parel
CFO
Vincent joined Pasan in 2020 after more than 20 years of experience in financial operation, with 10 years at Médecins Sans Frontière, and 8 years at Depuy.
The Swiss Solar Valley
Pasan is located in Neuchâtel, a beautiful Swiss city, right beside the lake. It is besides the EPFL Campus and the CSEM, and previously Meyer Burger Research, a hotspot in photovoltaic research where many technologies used today were developed.