CEO of Sofitel, MGallery and Emblems, he brings his ingenuity to the luxury hotel industry.
Wake up time?
7 o’clock on weekdays. 8:30 on weekends because I like to sleep in.
The height of your position.
Redesigning, harmonizing well-known brand codes to bring it to tomorrow’s hotel industry. Recruit and recruit talent by visualizing how they interact to create a strong collective. I am half “constitutional council” of purity of identity, half conductor.
Any numbers?
In nine years, Accor has grown from 13 to 42 brands with luxury and lifestyle acquisitions. My mission concerns Sofitel (120 hotels worldwide), Sofitel Legends (6 hotels, opening in Panama at the end of March), MGallery (120 hotels) and the creation of Emblems and its first establishments in 2024 and 2025. in 2022 group turnover increased by 4% compared to the pre-pandemic level (2019).
If we go back to the roots.
A childhood in Enghien-les-Bains, Val d’Oise, a mother who was a literature teacher who made me grow up surrounded by books and taught me happiness as a discipline.
Financial inspection taught me curiosity, effort, rigor, openness to the world
Maude Bailey
In the video, behind the scenes of the “Business with Attitude 2023” awards ceremony.
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The school that started it all.
Not really. After ENS (with letters), Sciences Po and HEC, I didn’t necessarily have an idea of what I wanted to do.
Accelerator.
Financial inspection taught me curiosity, effort, rigor, openness to the world. In four years, I knew the audit of the customs center in Strasbourg, public finance in Choisy-les-Roi, as well as Burkina Faso to work on the transformation of local finances, and in Haiti after the earthquake in a French humanitarian organization. a delegation that was working to restore the country. This is the opportunity provided by the public course.
Obstacles.
Send back to the fact of not being from Seraglio. When I left the inspectorate to join the SNCF, I was on duty. When I started, at Matignon, which ran the Manuel Valls Economic Center, I was a station manager who hadn’t spent ten years in the treasury, and at Accor I hadn’t spent forty years in the hotel industry. This trial in hidden inefficiency forces us to deliver more.
Who trusted you?
Sebastien Bazin, CEO of Accor. I took over digital and tech. Three years later I was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Southern Europe, the largest centre, which was a good way to show that I knew how to operate in the private sector. I have a global scope since January.
A woman in a man’s world…
We all have biases, including wondering if a woman would make it. I’m sorry to admit it, but women don’t always make each other feel good.
Digital addiction?
I try to fight against it. I strongly believe in disconnection as a pillar of prosperity in the hotel industry.
The trainer, like the dentist, isn’t necessarily fun, but you’ll have a better smile when you leave.
Maude Bailey
Disconnect for a moment?
Family weekend. It’s healthy to show that you set your own boundaries. I find it normal that some people put “I don’t read emails on the weekend” in their signature. At dinner with my daughters and husband, everyone lists their three favorite moments of the day.
Defining your influence.
A natural capacity for persuasion, the opposite of restraint.
The friendly hand that helps you.
Every time you assume a position, a coach. Just like at the dentist, it’s not necessarily pleasant, but you’ll have a better smile when you get out. It helps reconcile who we think we are and the perception we send back.
Escape?
Eating donuts, walking in a raincoat without makeup in Brittany.
Source: Le Figaro
