Press release – Monday, 8th of July 2024
Babilou Family strengthens its group governance
Babilou Family, one of the world leaders in early childhood education and care, has strengthened its governance and management with two appointments: Xavier Ouvrard takes up a new position as Vice-Chairman in charge of Education of the Supervisory Board, and Christophe Fond succeeds him as Chairman and CEO of the group.
This strengthened governance will enable Babilou Family to consolidate its status as a “société à mission”, and to pursue its growth and innovation to better serve young children and their families.
Christophe Fond will take up his position as Chairman and CEO in July 2024. Previously Chairman and CEO of the audiology subsidiary of the Swiss group Sonova, Christophe has extensive experience in the services sector and strong expertise in the management of international companies. His vision, dynamism, sense of innovation and seasoned international experience will be a considerable asset for Babilou Family.
Rodolphe and Edouard Carle, co-founders and co-chairmen of Babilou Family's Supervisory Board, said: "We would like to thank Xavier Ouvrard for his great contribution to Babilou Family over the past eight years. We look forward to continuing to count on his valuable expertise on the Supervisory Board, where he will deal with all matters relating to education. We are delighted that Christophe Fond is joining us. We are convinced that, under his leadership and with his fresh eye, Babilou Family will pursue its development strategy, while remaining loyal to its values and commitments to its teams, young children and families."
Xavier Ouvrard added: "After eight rewarding years as a part of the Babilou Family management team, and the last three years as Chairman and CEO of Babilou Family, the time has come for me to hand over the reins to Christophe Fond and write a new chapter in our company's growth.. I'm delighted to be joining the Supervisory Board, where I'll continue to be deeply involved in Education topics that mean so much to me.
Christophe Fond commented: "I'm delighted to be joining Babilou Family, whose founders and managers have made it a global benchmark in the early childhood sector. Babilou Family has remarkable teams and a unique culture. My ambition is to bring my international management experience in order to pursue Babilou Family's development, to foster operational excellence and to innovate for children, families and partners."
Christophe Fond
After successful international experiences with global groups (including 9 years with Fnac), Christophe created and became Managing Director of the group now known as Grandvision in Latin America in 2008. When he left in 2016, this represented over 1,200 optical centers, 6,000 people and covered a geographical area of 8 different countries in Latin America. In 2017, Christophe joined the Sonova Group for which he became Executive President in charge of the audiology division. Christophe oversaw a fast-growing scope, now comprising nearly 4,000 centers, 9,000 people and operating in some 20 countries.
Xavier Ouvrard
A graduate of IEP Paris and HEC, Xavier Ouvrard founded MILONGA in 2001, which he managed until 2011. At the time, the company was France's leading distributor of musical instruments and number 1 in teaching. He then joined the SODEXO group (2012 - 2016), where he was successively in charge of international development for the Personal & Home Services division (2013), then Managing Director of the Childcare area and the Crèche Attitude company. In December 2016, he joined Babilou Family as Managing Director Middle-East, before being appointed Managing Director of Babilou Family in November 2017, then Chairman and CEO in January 2021.
Babilou Family
Founded in 2003, Babilou Family is one of the world leaders in early childhood education and care. The leader in its field in the European Union, Babilou Family is present in 10 countries (notably in the Middle East, South America, the United States and Singapore). With nearly 1,200 structures and 13,500 committed professionals, Babilou Family welcomes more than 70,000 families to its structures every year and is committed to offering their children the highest level of education thanks to its unique worldwide expertise.
To find out more: http://www.babilou-family.com
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