The Conversation: SOPHIE BELLON, CHAIRWOMAN & CEO, SODEXO GROUP

SODEXO IS STRONGLY ASSOCIATED WITH FOOD COUPONS OFFERED WITH MONTHLY SALARY. THE HUMBLE PAPER COUPON, THOUGH, HAS SINCE EVOLVED INTO AN APP. BESIDES OFFERING DISCOUNT COUPONS AT RESTAURANTS AND SUPERMARKETS, OR HELPING AVAIL A HOST OF SERVICES SUCH AS HEALTH & WELLNESS AND UPSKILLING SODEXO IS ALSO AMONG THE LARGEST FOOD SERVICES PROVIDERS AT OFFICES, HOSPITALS AND SCHOOLS ACROSS 53 COUNTRIES. SOPHIE BELLON, CHAIRWOMAN AND CEO, DELVES INTO HOW THE SERVICES INDUSTRY IN GENERAL AND HER €18.1 BILLION COMPANY IN PARTICULAR HAVE TRANSFORMED SINCE THE PANDEMIC. 

- AJITA SHASHIDHAR

THE NEW WORKPLACE

Workplaces, schools and other institutions are back in action in a hybrid way. How has the services industry evolved to cater to the new reality?

Two years ago, it seemed businesses would disappear. It seemed unlikely that people would come back to offices. However, in reality, our business is recovering fast. The transformation we had anticipated before the pandemic is happening faster - factors such as personalisation, digitalisation, importance of the consumer, and importance of health through the way one eats, preference for vegan recipes etc have taken over. In the word crisis, there is danger as well as an opportunity. We have all felt the danger, now is the time for the opportunity. In many countries, clients' lives have become complex due to inflation and labour shortage post-pandemic, and we see them relying on services companies such as ours to come up with employee retention tools - more vibrant workspaces and superior food experiences.

The crisis has been tough, but it has also opened up a huge opportunity. Outsourcing is growing faster. Our revenue is back almost to the 2019 levels; our client retention rate has been the best since 2005.

Globally, in the services business, sub-services were not seen as important. Now they are important because without our team, hospitals couldn't have been ready. When schools reopened in some countries, our team was there to help reopen the schools. In fact, the French President said kids have to go back to school, because if some kids don't eat lunch at school, they don't eat a proper meal. It meant a lot since it reinforced what we do when we feed kids at schools is important.

How has the workplace evolved?