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Under the leadership of Gilles Pelisson, Accor has undergone a radical transformation in the last five years. The demerger of the services and hotels business has been successfully completed and the company is back on track for growth, with sharply improved results.
Accor is now moving into a new phase in its development, during which the definition of priorities and their execution will be key factors in its success.
On the occasion of the Board of Directors meeting on November 2, 2010, the Board and Gilles Pelisson, Chairman & CEO of Accor, recognized the strategic divergences between them, leading them to organize the departure of Gilles Pelisson as of 15 January 2011. The Board of Directors has therefore terminated Gilles Pelisson’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer and appointed Denis Hennequin as Executive Director with effect on December 1, 2010. Denis Hennequin has been a director of Accor since 2009 and Chairman & CEO of McDonald’s Europe since 2005. Yann Caillere will retain his position as Deputy CEO.
To ensure a smooth handover, Gilles Pelisson will continue to act as Chairman of the Board of Directors, in a non-executive capacity, until January 15, 2011, on which date Denis Hennequin will assume the position of Chairman & CEO of Accor.
Philippe Citerne, Vice-Chairman of Accor’s Board of Directors, said: “The Board is unanimous in thanking Gilles Pelisson for his crucial contribution to Accor’s development. Over the last five years at the head of the Group, Gilles has successfully led every stage in the Group’s transformation, and in this way has made an enormous contribution to strengthening Accor’s position as a world leader and improving the Group’s financial performance against a backdrop of economic recovery”.
Gilles Pelisson said: “I am proud that Accor, now refocused and in the best of health, can take full advantage of the economic recovery. I have every confidence in the successful development of Accor and Edenred. I would like to thank most sincerely the women and men all over the world who worked with me on this vital transformation that has given the Group a strong base on which to build its future.”
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
