Adecco Group appoints former Sodexo boss Denis Machuel as chief executive officer

The Adecco Group, the world’s leading talent advisory and solutions company, today announced that it has named Denis Machuel as its new chief executive officer (CEO), to succeed Alain Dehaze on July 1, 2022. 

The transition will take place following a month-long handover period during June.

Machuel (58) is a highly experienced and proven international CEO, with a leadership background in global business services as well as in technology and engineering consulting. 

He was most recently group CEO of Sodexo, a people focussed business with more than 400,000 employees in 56 countries. 

Under his leadership, Sodexo turned around underperforming segments (including in the US, the Company’s largest market), drove a digital and data transformation of the legacy core businesses and strengthened execution, leading to improved growth. Before becoming group CEO, Machuel held several global leadership positions at Sodexo, including CEO of two of the company’s business units, as well as group chief digital officer. 

“It is a privilege to become the next CEO of the Adecco Group, a global leader with impressive businesses and talented, dedicated employees. I am energised by the purpose of the group, and the opportunity to drive market leadership and growth by delivering incomparable value for our clients and associates. I look forward to working closely with the board, leadership team, and in collaboration with colleagues across the organisation to realise the group’s full potential as the world’s leading talent partner - and to create sustained stakeholder value together,” said Machuel.

Prior to Sodexo, Machuel spent 16 years with Altran Group. He was CEO of Altran technologies and later assumed executive leadership of Group offshore strategy and operations. Machuel was appointed to the Board of Directors of Kyndryl in 2021. He will be based in Zurich.

“After a robust search and a thorough selection process, the board is convinced that Denis is the right CEO for the Group’s next chapter. Denis is both a values-oriented and highly execution-driven leader. He knows how to nurture a culture of performance excellence, has a strong track record of growth and value creation, and brings relevant industry experience. The Board is committed to strategic continuity through the existing Future@Work strategy cycle, with a clear Management mandate of exceptional execution and growth acceleration,” said Jean-Christophe Deslarzes, chair of the Adecco Group.

Thanking Dehaze for his leadership during his almost-seven years as CEO, Deslarzes  said, “Alain put purpose at the heart of the company and has positioned the group as a globally leading talent partner. The development of the Future@Work strategy, establishment of the three-Global Business Unit structure, his oversight of key acquisitions and divestitures to strengthen the portfolio, and digital transformation work, have laid the strong foundations for a very bright future. I have personally sincerely appreciated our excellent collaboration during my time as chair and thank Alain very much on behalf of the company’s 38,000 employees for his strong commitment to the Adecco Group.” 

“It has been an honour and joy to lead the Adecco Group as CEO, and I am proud of what we have accomplished together over the years. I have been especially gratified to lead an organisation that is truly purpose-driven, with making the future work for everyone at the heart of everything we do. I would like to thank my esteemed executive colleagues and the board of directors for their outstanding collaboration, and express my heartfelt appreciation to every one of our 38,000 colleagues around the world for their passion, partnership, and commitment during my almost 13 years with the Group,” said Dehaze.