ANNUAL REPORT 2006-2007

08
> THE QUALITY OF LIFE ARCHITECT EXPERIENCING AND SHARING QUALITY OF LIFE
> Interview with the CEO
“A key asset:
our 342,000 employees
throughout the world.”
“Ambition 2015:
to double our revenue.”
INTERVIEW WITH
MICHEL LANDEL
It has been two years since you were appointed CEO. What is your assessment
of the great challenges facing the Group?
Several major trends have marked the start of the new century. While the population
in the Western world is declining and aging, emerging market countries are catching
up with the standard of living in developed countries and their increasingly urbanized
populations are adopting Western modes of consumption. There is growing concern
about the resulting impact on the world’s environment. The fi ght against global warming
and, more broadly, the need to demonstrate corporate citizenship are becoming
priorities everywhere. The need to secure energy resources is back on the world agenda.
“New” technologies are now an integral part of business as well as daily life.
Finally, innovation and economic power are starting to shift toward the East. All these
global challenges offer Sodexo, in reality, considerable opportunities for growth
as well as an increased responsibility as one of the world’s largest corporate citizens.
Is Sodexo prepared to seize these opportunities?
From the very beginning, Sodexo’s development as a company has been closely linked
to societal changes. Our Group has succeeded in consistently anticipating the needs
of our clients and customers. With its mission to improve the Quality of Daily Life –
a profound aspiration – Sodexo has become the global leader in Foodservices
in Education, Health Care and Seniors. For years, we have been committed to supporting
our clients’ development by contributing to the sustainable development of local
economies. We continue to invest in employee training and improved quality standards,
particularly in countries with emerging markets. With Service Vouchers and Cards,
we offer companies and public authorities innovative solutions to manage their programs
more effi ciently. All these examples demonstrate our ability to anticipate major changes
in society with a key asset: our 342,000 employees who represent the diversity
of our clients and customers throughout the world.
What is Sodexo’s ambition in coming years?
In order “to become the premier global outsourcing expert in Quality of Life services,”
Ambition 2015 was launched two years ago. We aim to double our revenue in ten years,
with an average annual organic growth rate of seven percent. We have clearly defi ned
a strategy to achieve this goal: reinforce our leadership in Foodservices, accelerate
our development in Facilities Management services and become the global leader
in Service Vouchers and Cards.