Our history

How did a small start-up based in Marseille become a world leader in services? Here’s how we grew our ambition and our activities, while always focusing on our original values and mission.

Sodexo, bringing us together for 60 years

Meet the 60 stakeholders who make Sodexo the company it is today. Discover the portraits and stories which reflect the diversity of our business, partners, clients and their communities. These people – well-known or not, partners, employees, clients, and stakeholders – fuel Sodexo’s growth and will continue to shape our business for the next 60 years.

Read Sodexo’s 60th anniversary book
Sodexo 60th anniversary book cover

  • We landed our first major contract with the CEA, the French Research Institute for Atomic Energy in 1966. 

    50 years later, we are happy to say that we are still delivering food services for the CEA in Pierrelatte.

  • After getting started with companies and government services, we successfully entered the education and healthcare markets, serving our first school and patient meals.

Rapid international growth

In 1967, we landed our first contract in the multiservice market with the CNES in French Guiana, entering the remote site management business. 

In the 1970s, we began to conquer other international markets: we launched service vouchers in Belgium, we won our first contracts in Italy and Spain between 1971 and 1978, while developing in Africa and the Middle East.  

  • Sodexo was first listed on the Paris Stock Exchange. Today, we are a member of the Euronext CAC 40 ESG Index.

  • Our first Olympics

    In 1988, we provided food services for the athletes, staff and journalists and the Calgary Olympics.

    It was the beginning of a historic relationship as we went on to also work for the Barcelona, London, Tokyo and Paris Olympics.

1987

Eager to seize new opportunities, we were also inspired to launch into new operations. We acquired the Bateaux Parisiens to get started in the Hospitality segment which is still thriving today as Sodexo Live!

Learn more about Sodexo Live!
  • We became the world’s biggest food company after acquiring Gardner Merchant and Partena.
  • We became the leader in corporate services in the United States after merging with Marriott International.

1996

Committed to eradicate hunger and thanks to the dedication of our people, we launched Stop Hunger, our unique philanthropic cause.

Today, 52 billion people have benefited from this program in the past 6 years and we have teamed up with the European Food Banks Federation (FEBA) in 2022.

Learn more about Stop Hunger
  • We become the World’s #1 in remote sites.
  • We join the New York Stock Exchange, a major step in our international development.

  • Pierre Bellon handed over the role of CEO to Michel Landel, while remaining chairman of the board of directors.  

    We supported the Inco Group in New Caledonia with services for the construction site for Goro Nickel’s mine, hiring 95% of employees locally.

  • We became the #1 provider of services to the German healthcare market, after having doubled our size in the country and concluded the acquisition of VR, the Brazilian leader of vouchers and card services, securing first place in this sector in this country.

    In order to give the group a more international scope, and to support its transformation to a global services group, Sodexho becomes Sodexo.

  •  We acquired Lenôtre, one of the greatest names in French cuisine, strengthening our luxury gastronomic expertise in Paris and worldwide. 
  • We acquired Roth Bros in the United States, MacLellan in India and Atkins in the UK, while also deploying a global technical expertise platform. 

  • Our founder, Pierre Bellon, passed away at 92. His sense of purpose, however, still lives on thanks to the executive team. His daughter, Sophie Bellon, became Chairwoman and Chief Executive Officer.

    We strengthened our competitiveness and accelerated our transformation with strategic acquisitions and investments such as Frontline Food Services, Fooditude, Nourish and the Good Eating Company.

    Our first ever Cook for Change! sustainable chef challenge took place, bringing together our talented chefs from around the world to showcase the power of innovative plant-based dishes in driving a more sustainable future. This competition now takes place every 18 months and is just one of the ways we ensure sustainability and innovation are embedded into our menus all over the world.

  • Sodexo and Pluxee (previously our Benefits and Rewards Services activity) became independent companies whilst maintaining the same main shareholder. This spin-off created two pure players in large and fast-growing markets, giving both companies the opportunity to realize their full potential.

    Over 6,000 employees were involved in operating the world’s largest restaurant during the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

  • Thierry Delaporte became CEO succeeding Sophie Bellon following her four-year tenure. Sophie Bellon continues to act as Chairwoman for the duration of her mandate under a dissociated governance structure. 

  • Thierry Delaporte expands his responsibilities to include direct leadership of North America and launches Shift and Grow 2030, our growth acceleration plan focused on ensuring performance, competitiveness and long-term relevance.

“Constant progress is our only means of differentiating ourselves from the competition… this alone will enable us to show our clients and customers that our services evolve to match their changing needs and that we are constantly improving our offering”.
Pierre BellonFounder of Sodexo

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