Team size: +200

What are the most significant cases, projects and/or transactions that you and/or your legal team have recently been involved in?

The successful spin-off of Pluxee marks a significant milestone and the beginning of a new chapter for Sodexo.

By granting it autonomy, we have enabled Pluxee to follow its own growth trajectory with greater agility and focus.

The journey from concept to completion spanned three years, including two years of intense preparation. What began with a small, dedicated team of merely four or five individuals evolved into a collective endeavour involving over one hundred people in the final months. This illustrates not only the complexity of the project but also the depth of commitment and collaboration across teams.

From the outset, we ensured continuity and stability by replicating Sodexo’s shareholder structure. This deliberate decision was made to preserve trust and transparency with our stakeholders.

This represents far more than a corporate restructuring; it was a collective effort to build a federated, people-centred organisation in which every individual feels supported, valued, and empowered.

How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crisis to ensure the organization’s resilience?
In times of instability or crisis, the legal function must serve as a driver of confidence and adaptability. Our mindset is straightforward: for every challenge, the response must always be, ‘Yes, can do.’

In-house lawyers are far more than legal practitioners; they are engineers of change and catalysts for transformation, constantly seeking ways to support sustainable growth – even under pressure. Their role is to enable the organisation to advance while ensuring full compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

Ensuring resilience also demands long-term investment. This involves continuously strengthening team capabilities across all regions through professional training in legal expertise, mentoring, and active participation in professional practice groups – corporate law, compliance, data protection, procurement, IT, and others. It also requires regularly challenging our organisation and tools, and integrating new technologies, such as contract lifecycle management (CLM); embedding legal checkpoints into procurement and sales processes, which are being reshaped by AI; and developing internal centres of expertise in neighbouring countries to scale and diversify legal teams.

In essence, legal leadership in times of crisis is about enabling action, safeguarding integrity, and laying the foundations for lasting resilience.

What strategies do you employ to ensure the successful digital transformation of a legal department while maintaining compliance with your country’s data protection laws?

At Sodexo, digitalisation has been identified as one of our strategic pillars. As part of this global initiative, the legal department has embarked upon its own transformation journey, designed to align with the Group’s broader corporate objectives while adhering to national data protection laws, particularly the GDPR in France.

As data protection and compliance are integral functions of Sodexo’s legal department, these considerations have been embedded at the very core of the transformation strategy. A key milestone in this journey was the development of Sodexo’s Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs), which were approved by the 27 European data protection authorities in 2024. These rules provide a robust framework to ensure that personal data transferred across Sodexo’s operations in 45 countries is protected to the highest standards.

Innovation and the responsible use of new technologies lie at the heart of Sodexo’s mission to enhance everyday experiences for employees and clients. However, with the increasing volume and complexity of personal data being processed globally, the legal department plays a critical role in ensuring that digital tools and systems are implemented in full compliance with applicable legislation.

Advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, are introduced with caution and under strict governance. Any AI solution must undergo Sodexo’s GenAI Governance Process prior to deployment, ensuring that ethical, legal, and data protection standards are fully met. This process is jointly managed by the legal department – particularly the data protection unit – and the IT department, fostering a collaborative approach to risk management and compliance.

How does your team contribute to the overall business strategy of the company? Can you share an example of a recent legal-led initiative that had a significant impact?
The Sofinsod loop originated from the dismantling of cross-shareholdings between Sodexo and Carlson Wagonlit, following the decision to abandon their planned merger in 1991. As a result, Sodexo, through its subsidiary Sofinsod, came to hold shares in its own parent company, Bellon S.A.

While this structure served its purpose at the time, it gradually became increasingly complex and less aligned with our current strategic priorities. The recent operation enabled us to simplify our shareholder structure substantially and monetise an illiquid asset.

What is particularly noteworthy is that both the negotiation and the unwinding were completed within the same financial year. The transaction was announced on 23 July 2024 and successfully closed just one month later, on 23 August.

This achievement reflects our commitment to transparency, efficiency, and long-term value creation, as well as our collaborative, team-focused way of working. Ultimately, the operation brings greater clarity to our shareholder structure, simplifying what had become an intricate arrangement over time.