Club Med: Stéphane Maquaire appointed Chairman and CEO

Former executive director of Carrefour Brazil, Stéphane Maquaire was appointed CEO of Club Med "with immediate effect" on Monday, July 21, succeeding Henri Giscard d'Estaing, who left after twenty-two years as president, according to a press release from the group . At 51, he "will take over the management of the group from Paris, with the mission of continuing its development while preserving the brand's French identity and values," the company said.

Xu Xiaoliang, Co-CEO of Fosun International, Chairman of Fosun Tourism Group and Chairman of Club Med Holding, highlighted "a leader with solid experience in the consumer sectors and a remarkable international career. He is ideally positioned to accelerate Club Med's momentum and write the next chapter of this extraordinary adventure."

Trained at the Ponts et Chaussées engineering school, Stéphane Maquaire left his position as executive director of Carrefour Brazil at the beginning of July, after almost four years in this position and six years spent in Latin America, where he was previously president of Carrefour Argentina.

He began his career at the consulting firm Arthur Andersen, then joined the real estate giant Unibail-Rodamco, before branching out to Monoprix. He then briefly headed the French clothing retailer Vivarte, and in 2017 became CEO of the department store chain Manor in Switzerland.

"I deeply believe in Club Med's French roots and, of course, in its values," the new CEO said in the press release, adding that he was "honored to have the opportunity to lead this unique company into its next chapter, continuing the remarkable legacy of Henri Giscard d'Estaing."

After several months of tensions with Fosun, Henri Giscard d'Estaing, 68, president of Club Med since December 2002, announced on Wednesday that he had been "effectively dismissed," ending his twenty-two-year presidency. Two new members are also joining the group's board of directors: Philippe Heim, former senior executive of Société Générale and then head of La Banque Postale, and Takuya Yamada, president of Idera Capital, the company that manages two Club Meds in Japan.