Gilles Cojan, Chairman of the Board, said: "The Board is delighted to welcome Philippe Guillemot. His managerial skills, in-depth experience and undisputed leadership qualities put him in excellent stead to pursue the Group's international expansion drive and continue the transformation process we have already begun with the aim of delivering ever-more services and value added for our clients and guests, speeding up the introduction of digital solutions and sharpening the Group's competitive edge."
Philippe Guillemot, the new Chief Executive Officer, said: "Going forward, I intend to fully play my part in achieving Elior Group’s ambition of combining best-in-class performance with an entrepreneurial approach in order to make the Group an even stronger and esteemed champion in its catering and services businesses."
Philippe Guillemot brings with him more than twenty years’ experience in overseeing, developing and leading change in large French and international corporations. He has worked in a variety of different business sectors where innovation and technology form the very essence of strategic developments.
Between 2013 and 2016, Philippe Guillemot was Chief Operating Officer at Alcatel-Lucent, a global company with significant exposure to the US market and at the heart of the digital revolution. He was brought into the company to draw up a business recovery and transformation plan and subsequently oversaw Alcatel-Lucent's integration into Nokia.
From 2010 through 2012, he was CEO and a Board member of Europcar, where he modernized the company’s brand image and offerings to make them more appealing and more suited to customer expectations. During his time with Europcar he also launched a large-scale plan to improve operating efficiency in very challenging market conditions.
From 2004 through 2010, Philippe Guillemot served as Chairman and CEO of Areva Transmission and Distribution (T&D), which subsequently became a division of Alstom, and was a member of Areva’s Executive Committee. In this role he successfully implemented two strategic plans to turn around the business and significantly boost its profitability. During the six years he was with Areva T&D, the entity extensively enlarged its international footprint, doubled its revenue and increased its value fourfold.
Before joining Areva T&D, Philippe Guillemot was a member of the Executive Committees at the automotive suppliers Faurecia (2001-2003) and Valeo (1998-2000). At both of these companies he oversaw the global expansion of divisions with revenue of several billion euros. Prior to that he held executive posts at Michelin (1993-1998 and 1983-1989), where he was appointed to his first Executive Committee position at the age of thirty-six. Alongside Edouard Michelin he was the architect behind the product line-based organization structure that enabled Michelin to pursue a profitable growth trajectory and whose fundamentals are still in place today.
Aged 58, Philippe Guillemot holds an MBA from Harvard University and is a graduate of the French engineering school, École des Mines de Nancy. He is also a knight of the French National Order of Merit.
Philippe Guillemot is a director of two companies listed on the New York stock exchange (Constellium and Sonoco).