Jeannette talks to the incredible Maud Bailly, the CEO of Sofitel, MGallery, and Emblems, about her remarkable non-linear career journey from the public sector to leading iconic luxury hospitality brands.

Maud shares her insights on the importance of energy, passion, and alignment in leadership, as well as her commitment to building diverse and high-performing teams. They discuss the challenges of maintaining a legacy brand while keeping it fresh and relevant, the significance of culture in luxury experiences, and the necessity of making tough commercial decisions

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Embracing a non-linear career trajectory can lead to unique opportunities and growth. Diverse experiences across different sectors, such as public service and hospitality, can enrich leadership skills and perspectives.
• Achieving alignment with personal values and professional goals is crucial for maintaining energy and passion in one’s work. When individuals are aligned with their purpose, they can harness a natural source of motivation, even amidst challenges.
• Building diverse teams enhances creativity and problem-solving. By combining talents from various backgrounds, organisations can create a more dynamic and effective workforce, leading to greater collective success.
• In the hospitality industry, luxury is not just about high-end products but also about the experiences and emotions evoked in guests. Seamless service and personalised touches are essential for creating memorable moments.

BEST MOMENTS

"Sometimes it's good to have a non-linear career path, although sometimes people don't really get it." 

"The minute you are aligned with something you do with your values, it's as if alignment was the greatest natural source of energy." 

"A powerful, curated, diverse team is a secret power. This is my superpower." 

"Luxury is about simplicity, seamlessness, and culture." 

"Life is not about avoiding storms. It's about learning to dance under the rain."

This is the perfect time to get focused on what YOU want to really achieve in your business, career, and life. It’s never too late to be BRAVE and BOLD and unlock your inner BRILLIANT. Visit our new website https://brave-bold-brilliant.com/ - there you'll find a library of FREE resources and downloadable guides and e-books to help you along your journey.

If you’d like to jump on a free mentoring session just DM Jeannette at info@brave-bold-brilliant.com.

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Brave Bold Brilliant - https://brave-bold-brilliant.com/

Brave, Bold, Brilliant podcast series - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brave-bold-brilliant-podcast/id1524278970   

Maud Bailly - https://group.accor.com/en/Directory/Maud-Bailly

ABOUT THE GUEST

Maud Bailly began her studies in modern literature at the Ecole Normale Supérieure, before continuing with a Master's degree in Public Administration at the Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris. Graduated from the Ecole Nationale d'Administration, she began her career in 2007 at the General Inspectorate of Finance, where she carried out several strategic and financial audit assignments in France and abroad, most notably for the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. 

In 2011, she joined the SNCF where she was appointed Director of Paris Montparnasse station and Deputy Director of TGV product coordination for the Paris Rive Gauche area. In 2014, she became Director of Trains. 

In May 2015, she joined French Prime Minister Manuel Vall’s office as Head of the economic & digital department responsible for economic, budget, fiscal, industrial and digital affairs. She worked on various issues such as withholding tax, Brexit and the Digital Republic Act on data protection and accessibility. She left in December 2016, returning to the General Inspectorate of Finance. 

In April 2017, Maud joined Accor as Chief Digital Officer, member of the Executive Committee, in charge of Digital, Data, Information Systems, Distribution, Sales and Customer and becomes member of the Executive Committee at that time. 

In May 2018, Maud joined the French Digital Council, (CNNum), a 30-people-circle nominated by the French Minister of Digital to work on the challenges of the digital transition in France and its economic and societal impacts. She contributed to the report "Travailler à l’ère des plateformes ; mise à jour requise" (Working in the age of platforms; update required). 

In October 2020, Maud Bailly was appointed Chief Executive Officer for Southern Europe, with the mission to operate and develop the Group's business in France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Malta and Israel. 

In January 2023, Maud was appointed CEO Sofitel, MGallery & Emblems and member of Accor’s Luxury & Lifestyle Executive Committee. 

Additionally, Maud is very committed to coaching and teaching, she gives regular trainings on performance, digital & CSR transformation stakes and organizations. 

ABOUT THE HOST

Jeannette Linfoot is a highly regarded senior executive, property investor, board advisor, and business mentor with over 30 years of global professional business experience across the travel, leisure, hospitality, and property sectors. Having bought, ran, and sold businesses all over the world, Jeannette now has a portfolio of her own businesses and also advises and mentors other business leaders to drive forward their strategies as well as their own personal development.

Jeannette is a down-to-earth leader, a passionate champion for diversity & inclusion, and a huge advocate of nurturing talent so every person can unleash their full potential and live their dreams.

CONTACT THE HOST

Jeannette’s linktree - https://linktr.ee/JLinfoot

https://www.jeannettelinfootassociates.com/

YOUTUBE - https://www.youtube.com/@braveboldbrilliant

LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeannettelinfoot

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jeannette.linfoot/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jeannette.linfoot/

Tiktok - https://www.tiktok.com/@jeannette.linfoot

Podcast Description

Jeannette Linfoot talks to incredible people about their experiences of being Brave, Bold & Brilliant, which have allowed them to unleash their full potential in business, their careers, and life in general. From the boardroom tables of ‘big’ international businesses to the dining room tables of entrepreneurial start-ups, how to overcome challenges, embrace opportunities and take risks, whilst staying ‘true’ to yourself is the order of the day.