Sodexo Names Agnès Park CHRO as Delaporte Rebuilds

Sodexo has welcomed a new leader to steer its people strategy. From 1 July, Agnès Park steps in as Group Chief Human Resources Officer, joining the Global Executive Team and reporting directly to the chief executive.

With 423,000 employees in 45 countries and $27.62bn in annual revenue, Agnès steps in to shape Sodexo’s workforce strategy at a pivotal moment of transformation.

Thierry Delaporte, Sodexo's Chief Executive, frames the hire around growth. "Her expertise aligns strongly with Sodexo's current priorities," he says, casting Agnès as central to "advancing talent development and reinforcing a high-performance culture".

A people leader at the heart of transformation

Timing is everything. Since stepping in last November, Thierry has lowered Sodexo’s full-year outlook because operational obstacles in the US cloud the company's view of Fiscal 2026 as an important year of change.

Last year, Sodexo achieved 80% employee engagement and recorded its safest year yet, even as profits felt the squeeze.

In this climate, Agnès takes on a culture challenge, not a cushy assignment. Her mission is woven into Thierry's Shift & Grow programme, which aims to spark commercial energy and raise service quality, described as the company’s secret weapon.

Who Agnès Park is

Agnès brings 27 years of human resources expertise, developed in industries focused on engineering and scale. At Valeo, the global automotive supplier, she served as CHRO leading cultural and organisational transformation for over 100,000 employees across 32 countries.

Before joining Valeo, she held senior HR roles in pharmaceuticals and technology life sciences, guiding executive teams through complex global transformations.

Her experience aligns with Sodexo’s current needs: reshaping organisations for growth, cultivating future leaders and anchoring workforce planning in positive labour relations. A native French speaker fluent in English and Korean, she lives in France.

Thierry's new C-suite

Since joining from Wipro, where he was chief executive, and Capgemini before that, Thierry has handpicked a new Global Executive Team and created a streamlined leadership structure to enable faster decision-making and encourage growth.

The commercial ambition is already causing a stir. Sodexo recently clinched a high-profile catering contract at Newcastle United's St James' Park, positioning the stadium as a global flagship account. It is exactly the kind of headline-grabbing victory Delaporte seeks to replicate.

Sophie Bellon, Sodexo's Chairwoman, has cast the Delaporte era as a "new chapter" with "commercial acceleration and rigorous execution" as the priorities.

Agnès now carries the responsibility of building a team to match that ambition. In a company this size, the real test will be whether the culture can keep pace with the bold strategy and ultimately determine the turnaround's success.