Denis Hennequin was educated at the Lycée Henri IV and the Lycée Montaigne in Paris, France. His higher education was completed at the University Panthéon-Assas in Paris, where he gained a BA degree in Economics and, in 1984, a Master’s degree in Business and Tax Law.
Career
After graduating from law school, Denis Hennequin began his corporate career with the McDonalds hamburger chain, becoming the Assistant Director of one of their restaurants in Paris. He gained promotion several times before being appointed President and Managing Director of McDonalds (France) in 1996. In 2005 he was appointed President of McDonalds (Europe) Limited and was given responsibility for 6,600 restaurants in 40 countries. He was the first non-American to hold the position of President of McDonalds (Europe) Limited.
After 25 years with McDonalds, Hennequin left in May 2009 to take up a new position as Independent Director of the French hotel group Accor. He was appointed Accor Group CEO in September 2011, but resigned in April 2013 after disagreements over strategy with the Board of Directors. However he has remained within the Accor Group, by becoming the new CEO and Chairman of Pullman Hotels and Resorts.
Anecdotes
Denis Hennequin was born June 8, 1958 in Paris. Outside of his work responsibilities, his main hobbies include motorcycles and rock music. He is an accomplished guitar player and performs in a family band with his wife and three children. He also created the first fan club in France for Bruce Springsteen, called ‘Ashbury Sound’.
