Why Accor's New Chief People Officer Will Focus on Talent

Accor has announced it is appointing Laurent Choain as its new Global Chief People and Culture Officer, effective as of 1 April 2026. 

The company says he will play a key role in shaping its talent strategy in this role, with a focus on developing growth opportunities for employees and evolving the company culture.

Sébastien Bazin, Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Accor, says of the appointment: “We are thrilled to welcome Laurent to Accor. His proven track record in nurturing talent and shaping strong corporate cultures aligns perfectly with our vision for the future. 

“We are confident his leadership will be instrumental as we continue to cultivate an en2vironment of excellence and innovation.”

Recruiting high performing talent

Laurent brings more than three decades of senior leadership experience to Accor – most recently from Forvia Mazars, where he held roles as Chief Culture and Partnership Officer, Chief HR Officer and Chief Leadership, Education and Culture Officer across the business. 

During his tenure, he led efforts to recruit and retain innovative, high performing employees – which centred on building a strategy that looks at a blend of talent, cultural fit and commitment to continuous learning when hiring. 

Prior to that, he took on leadership positions at BPCE and Kempinski Hotels, and has been a member of EFMD’s Board as Vice President of Corporate Relations and DEI since 2011. 

Accor’s ‘heartist’ approach to people strategy

As the largest hospitality company in Europe, Accor has more than 360,000 employees in over 110 countries. 

To ensure this wide-reaching group is satisfied in their roles and is in a position to deliver high quality guest experiences, Accor has developed its ‘Heartist’ ethos – a combination of heart and artist, designed to signify passionate and authentic hospitality. 

It has embedded this approach to customer service within its people strategy by providing on the job continuous learning to foster professional development and developing an inclusive culture that encourages employees to bring their individual personality and culture to work. 

According to Accor, this encourages employees to create more personalised and memorable interactions with guests, rather than following scripts. 

Sebastian says of the company’s approach to people strategy: “At Accor, we are explorers by nature, we are masters of hospitality, we are responsible actors who connect cultures and above all we are Heartists.”

A growth-led people strategy

Laurent joins Accor as the luxury hotel chain looks to expand its global footprint – with plans to open around 350 new hotels across 2026 across its key growth markets in Asia, the Middle East and Europe. 

As the company scales, Laurent will play a key role in attracting new talent and supporting global employee development while evolving Accor’s culture to better encourage high performance and growth from the workforce. 

He will also serve on the Premium, Midscale and Economy Executive Committee – which focuses on accelerating brand development and industrialising its operating model – to better position the company’s people strategy alongside its operational growth. 

According to Accor, this appointment will help the company strengthen its global leadership in human resources and better develop a “culture of excellence”, within the company.