Sodexo founder Pierre Bellon dies aged 92

Pierre Bellon, founder and chairman emeritus of French foodservice and facilities management company Sodexo, died yesterday in Paris at the age of 92.

 

Born in 1930, he graduated from French business school HEC and started work in his father's maritime supply company in his hometown of Marseilles. He foresaw the sector's decline and decided to take charge of transforming the family business according to his vision “to create a convivial experience around the lunch table that enhances quality of life”.

 

In 1962, he launched Repas Service, a small meal delivery business for the Marseilles area. He was able to win its first contract for the CEA in 1964 for a project to set up a self-service restaurant with 2,000 seats, even though the call for tenders was closed and he had no experience or commercial references. In 1966 he launched Sodexo.

 

In the 1970s, his strategy was guided by diversification. Convinced of the potential of new markets such as restaurant vouchers and sectors such as education, Bellon was guided by a client-centric approach which saw him spend entire afternoons in a suburban Parisian school to understand school catering for toddlers.

 

Just eight years after its international debut, Sodexo was operating in 35 countries, generating 55% of its revenues and employing 8,000 people outside France, more than half of the company’s total workforce of 15,000.

 

Bellon was national president of the Centre des Jeunes Dirigeants (Center for Young Business Leaders) from 1968 to 1970. He joined the executive council of the French National Employers’ Council (Conseil national du patronat français (CNPF)) and then the MEDEF (Movement of the Enterprises of France) from 1976 to 2013, of which he was also vice-president from 1980 to 2005.

 

He was also a member of the Economic and Social Council (Conseil économique et social (CES)) and then the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (Conseil économique, social et environnemental (CESE)) from 1969 to 1979, and president of the National Union of Hotel and Restaurant Chains from 1972 to 1975.

 

He embraced the challenge of international development and early on chose to diversify towards high-potential opportunities, for example by purchasing the French meal coupon companies Ticket Repas and Chèque Restaurant in the early 1980s. Sodexo experienced rapid, solid growth and was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1983.

 

Bellon expanded beyond the foodservice market, venturing into commercial catering with Oh Poivrier! In 1987, a leisure department was created with the acquisition of Bateaux Parisiens; new foodservice concepts emerged under the name Sodexho Prestige; and the Batobus was created in partnership with the Port Autonome de Paris. In 1987, he also founded the Association Progrès du Management (APM), which supports the development of business leaders.

 

Global expansion remained a priority in the 1990s: between 1990 and 1994, the business entered 25 new countries and Sodexo became a partner in the Tour de France and the Olympic Games and developed partnerships with top chefs.

 

The size of the company doubled with the acquisition of British company Gardner Merchant in 1994. Following this merger and the alliance with Partena in Sweden, the company set its sights on North America and led to an alliance with Marriott Management Services in 1997. The early 2000s saw the acquisition of Sogeres in France and the American company Wood Dining Services.

 

After a 12-day stay in China, Bellon returned convinced of the country’s potential and the opening of an American school was viewed as an entry point for the business – satisfying the students to convince their parents to hire Sodexo to provide food services at their own companies. This strategy paid off: two years later, Sodexo was present throughout the eastern part of the country.

 

The group was listed on the CAC 40 in 1998, its founder was elected Executive of the Year in 1997 and received the Chaptal de l’Industrie the following year.

 

Bellon decided to split the roles of chairman and chief executive and in 2005, he retired from executive functions and chose Michel Landel to succeed him as chief executive. He retained the position of chairman of the board of directors until 2016, when his eldest daughter Sophie took the mantle, and he became chairman emeritus. Today the company has a presence in 56 countries and 412,000 employees caring for 100 million people every day.

 

In 2011, he created the Pierre Bellon Foundation for Human Development. He was also a Commander of the Legion of Honor, the National Order of Merit and the Order of Rio Branco, and a Knight of the Order of Agricultural Merit.

 

Bellon leaves behind his wife Nani; children Sophie, Nathalie, François-Xavier and Astrid; and 13 grandchildren.

 

Sophie Bellon, chairwoman of Sodexo’s board of directors and interim chief executive, said: “Our father was a builder, a pioneer, a free spirit who was never afraid of taking risks. He raised us, my sisters Nathalie and Astrid, my brother François-Xavier and myself, to believe that nothing is impossible. He taught us humility, curiosity, respect and courage.

 

"He was obsessed with the long term, but he was also very hands-on. Nothing made him happier than spending time with our teams on site. The mission and values of service spirit, team spirit and spirit of progress which he gave Sodexo are part of our fundamental principles and will continue to guide the group.”