PRESS RELEASE
Governance
Maisons du Monde evolves its governance
Françoise Gri appointed as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors
NANTES – 31 May 2023, 07:00 CET – Maisons du Monde (Euronext Paris: MDM; ISIN: FR0013153541) announces changes within its Board of Directors, which will be subject to shareholder vote at the upcoming Combined General Meeting on 29 June.
The Board of Directors, meeting on 30 May, has decided, upon the recommendation of the Nomination and Compensation Committee, to co-opt Françoise Gri as an independent director succeeding Thierry Falque-Pierrotin following his resignation as director and Chairman of the Board.
The Company will propose to the shareholders to approve this co-optation at the General Meeting on 29 June and to vote for a new mandate until the General Meeting called to approve the financial statements as of 31 December 2026.
Additionally, the Board of Directors also proposed the appointment of three other members to complete the governance of Maisons du Monde:
- François-Melchior de Polignac, Chief Executive Officer of Maisons du Monde.
- Adam Epstein, as non-independent director. Teleios Capital Partners, reference shareholder, has appointed Sylvie Colin as new permanent representative to replace Adam Epstein.
- Majorelle Investments, also reference shareholder, which has appointed Anouck Duranteau-Loeper as its permanent representative.
Lastly, the renewal of the terms of office of two directors, Laure Hauseux and Victor Herrero, whose terms expire at the General Meeting on 29 June 2023, will also be submitted to shareholder vote.
The new Board of Directors will respect gender equality with a majority of independent directors.
In this context of changes in governance, the agreements signed in May 2022 with the two reference shareholders have been adjusted accordingly. A summary of these amendments has been published on the Maisons du Monde website and on the AMF website, in accordance with regulations.
Considering these developments, the Board of Directors reiterated its full support for the Company's strategy and management.
Thierry Falque-Pierrotin commented: "Last March, I presented my resignation for personal reasons, effective at the latest before the Annual General Meeting, while continuing to support the new Chief Executive Officer and allowing the Board to smoothly prepare for my succession. This has been done and I would like to express my grateful thanks to the directors for their strong commitment by my side under my tenure as chairman, during which I provided assistance to the Management and all the teams at Maisons du Monde in a complex macroeconomic environment. I wish Françoise Gri great success in her role as Chairwoman of the Board of Directors.”
Françoise Gri declared, "Subject to the approval of its shareholders, I am delighted to join the Board of Directors of Maisons du Monde and to take over as Chairwoman. I would like to thank the Board members for their confidence. I am fully motivated by the opportunity to contribute to writing a new chapter in supporting the strategy and development of this wonderful company, by ensuring high-quality governance fueled by the diversity of profiles and expertise within the Board."
Biographies
Françoise Gri
Françoise Gri began her career with the IBM Group, becoming President and CEO of IBM France in 2001. In 2007, she was appointed President and CEO of Manpower's French subsidiary, before moving to Manpower Group in 2011 as Executive Vice President, Southern Europe. She joined Pierre & Vacances - Center Parcs Group as CEO from 2013 to 2015. She has specific expertise in IT and digital, as well as in business and consumer services. Since 2015, she has been fully involved in her mandates as an independent director, including that of Credit Agricole SA, where she is Chairwoman of the Risk Committee until May 2023. She is currently a member of the Boards of Directors of Française des Jeux, WNS Services, Edenred and Berger-Levrault. Deeply committed to corporate governance subjects, she has been a member of the Medef ethics committee and the Haut Comité de Gouvernement d'Entreprise (HCGE). She has published two books: Women Power, Femme et Patron, 2012; Plaidoyer pour un emploi responsable, 2010. Françoise Gri is a graduate of the École nationale supérieure d'informatique et de mathématiques appliquées de Grenoble (ENSIMAG).
François-Melchior de Polignac
François-Melchior de Polignac started his career with L’Oréal in the Financial Control team of Lancôme Italy in 1995. After three years, he joined The Boston Consulting Group in Paris. In 2000, he joined the Carrefour Group as a member of the merger & acquisition team and held several operational and functional positions in France before moving to Poland where he was notably in charge of the supermarket business unit. In 2009, he moved back to Paris leading a group organizational transformation program, driving more than €2bn efficiencies. In 2011, he was appointed CEO of Romania and then, CEO of Belgium late 2013. In 2018, he was appointed Executive Director Group merchandise, and joined the Executive Committee of the group. Since 2020, he has been the Executive Director and Zone CEO, in charge of Belgium, Romania, and Poland. He graduated from HEC in 1994 and holds a master’s degree in international relations from The University of Cambridge.
Adam Epstein
Adam Epstein is co-founder of Teleios Capital, an investment fund manager with offices in Zug, Switzerland, and London, that seeks to acquire significant ownership positions in European public companies and maximise their long-term potential by working collaboratively with all stakeholders. Adam previously served as investment director at IPGL Limited, and prior to that was a partner at Audley Capital, having begun his career in investment banking with Merrill Lynch. Adam holds an MA in politics, philosophy and economics from Trinity College, University of Oxford.
Teleios Capital Partners
Teleios Capital, founded in 2013, is an independent investment firm that manages assets on behalf of
institutional clients comprising endowment funds, foundations and pension funds, as well as family offices. Teleios Capital invests in medium-sized European listed companies through the acquisition of
substantial minority stakes over the long term.
Represented by Sylvie Colin
Sylvie Colin has played a significant role in supporting the growth of several fashion brands, primarily in the retail sector, through different positions. She began her career with the Etam group, where she worked in Collection Management positions for 10 years. She then moved on to the Chantelle group, assuming a role in Product and Communication. She subsequently served as CEO of the Caroll brands from 2007 to 2014, Maje from 2014 to 2017, following the acquisition of the SMCP group by KKR, and Kenzo from 2017 to 2021 within the LVMH group. In addition to her executive roles, Sylvie Colin was a member of the Supervisory Board of Carré Blanc for 5 years. She is also an independent director and Chairwoman of the Remuneration Committee of Spartoo, a European player in online shoe retail since its IPO in July 2021.
Sylvie Colin is a graduate of the Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Tours and holds a Bachelor's degree from the Université Paris-Sorbonne.
Majorelle Investments
Majorelle Investments is a flexible, long-term investment company founded by Gabriel Naouri and co-controlled by him and Apollo Hybrid Value. Its mission is to take stakes, in France or abroad, in brands with a strong DNA and recognized for the relevance and potential of their omnichannel positioning.
Represented by Anouck Duranteau-Loeper
Anouck Duranteau-Loeper is the Chief Executive Officer of Isabel Marant, a French company specializing in the creation, production, and distribution of luxury ready-to-wear clothing and accessories. Anouck is also the President of the Chambre Syndicale de la Mode Féminine (Chamber of the French Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion). She began her career in Paris at McKinsey & Company as a consultant and later joined the LVMH group, where she worked in the group's strategy department and then in the fashion division for 5 years. Within the LVMH group, she joined Maison Celine in 2009 as Director of Leather Goods and Accessories under the artistic direction of Phoebe Philo, a period during which Celine regained growth and profitability. In 2014, she became the CEO of Paco Rabanne Fashion, a position she held for three years before taking over as the CEO of Isabel Marant in 2016. She graduated from the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP EAP) with a major in marketing. She also received training at the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA).
The new draft resolutions and their presentation will be available on the Maisons du Monde website.
Financial calendar
29 June 2023 Annual General Meeting
27 July 2023 Q2 and H1 2023 financial results
26 October 2023 Q3 and 9M 2023 sales
Disclaimer: Forward Looking Statement
This press release contains certain statements that constitute "forward-looking statements," including but not limited to statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans or objectives, based on certain assumptions or which do not directly relate to historical or current facts. Such forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the future results expressed, forecasted or implied by such forward- looking statements. Accordingly, no representation is made that any of these statements or forecasts will come to pass or that any forecast results will be achieved. Any forward-looking statements included in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and will not give rise to updates or revision. For a more complete list and description of such risks and uncertainties, refer to Maisons du Monde’s filings with the French Autorité des marchés financiers.
About Maisons du Monde
Maisons du Monde, a uniquely positioned and beloved brand across Europe, stands as the European leader in inspirational and affordable home & living. It offers a wide and constantly renewed range of furniture and home accessories across multiple styles. Creativity, inspiration and engagement are the brand’s core pillars. Leveraging its distinctive direct-to-consumer omnichannel model, the company generates over 50% of its sales digitally, through its online platform and in-store digital sales and operates 352 stores across 9 European countries. At the end of 2020, the Group launched a curated marketplace to complement its offering and become the reference one-stop shop in inspirational and affordable home and living. In November 2021, Maisons du Monde unveiled its company purpose: “Inspiring everyone to open up to the world, to create together unique, warm and sustainable places to live.”
Contacts
| Investor Relations | Press Relations |
| Carole Alexandre Tel: (+33) 6 30 85 12 78 | Pierre Barbe Tel: (+33) 6 23 23 08 51 |
| calexandre@maisonsdumonde.com | pbarbe@maisonsdumonde.com |
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