Sodexo has appointed Thierry Delaporte as its new group CEO, effective from 10 November 2025, as part of a strategic governance restructure.
This governance shift is positioned as a response to what Sodexo describes as "a new phase of development" following Sophie Bellon's four-year tenure as CEO. The French foodservice company has separated the role of chairwoman of the board of directors from that of CEO.
Bellon will transition to the role of non-executive chairwoman during her mandate, facilitating the handover to Delaporte.
Bellon stated: “In preparation for this next phase, we engaged a while ago into a governance reflection and started working on a succession process for the CEO role. I, together with the board and my family, have full confidence in Thierry Delaporte’s leadership. He will be fully empowered to drive the next stage of Sodexo’s development.”
Gilles Pélisson will take over as lead independent director, succeeding Luc Messier, also effective from 10 November.
Delaporte, who has worked across Europe, the US, South America and the Asia-Pacific region, most recently served as CEO of Indian IT giant Wipro.
Delaporte began his professional journey at Arthur Andersen before joining Capgemini in 1995, where he held several chief financial officer positions across a number of regions.
From 2009 onwards, he took on operational roles at Capgemini in the US, including CEO of the global outsourcing division and CEO of the financial services global business unit.
In 2016, he became part of the Capgemini leadership team and served as global chief operating officer and deputy CEO from 2018 to 2020.
Delaporte stated: “I am delighted to become the next CEO of Sodexo, a global leader in food and services which is a model of entrepreneurial success, that I have always admired.
“I am grateful to the board of directors, the Bellon family and Sophie Bellon for their trust. I approach this new opportunity with a high level of enthusiasm and energy and I am eager to meet the Sodexo teams, clients and partners.”
