Sébastien Bazin was born in Boulogne-Billancourt, France, on the 9th November, 1961. He has been with Accor since 2005 and became Chairman and CEO in 2013.
Training
Bazin obtained an Economics Degree in 1984 and then a Master’s Degree in Management (with finance specialisation) from Pantheon-Sorbonne University in 1985.
Career
After serving his military service in the Paris Fire Service, Bazin started his financial career in the United States. He spent five years in the U.S. and in London working with financial groups including Clore and Painewebber. In 1990, he returned to France as Director of Investment Banking at Banque Hottinguer. He remained in that role for two years before becoming Managing Director of Immobilière Hôtelière where he stayed for five years. IN 1997, he moved to global real estate investment company, Colony Capital, where he held the positions of CEO, principal, and Managing Director for Europe.
In 2006, through Colony Capital, he became a shareholder of Paris Saint Germain and then became the 14th President of the club in 2009. He ceased to be a majority shareholder after the club was bought by a Qatari investment fund in July of 2011.
He also served on the boards of directors of Hottinguer Rivaud Finances and also Edenred (201-2013).
In August of 2013, he resigned from all positions at Colony Capital and on the 27th of that month, he was appointed as Chairman and CEO of the Accor Hotel Group.
In addition to his responsibilities with Accor, Bazin is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Théâtre du Châtelet, a position he has held since 2015. He is also Vice-Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Gustave Roussy Foundation and sits on the GE Board of Directors.
Anecdotes
On the day Bazin presented his plan for digitally transforming Accor, he felt he could not do the presentation in a suit and tie so instead put on jeans and a t-shirt and was also barefoot.
