Régis ARNOUX

Régis Arnoux: a globe- traveling entrepreneur

Régis Arnoux, born in Marseille in 1938, has been passionate about adventurous lands since he was a child. His education at a Jesuit school, followed by his studies in international law and the insights they provided, only served to reinforce what he himself calls “his thirst to discover other worlds.” This need could have made him nothing more than a well-traveled globetrotter, but from the very beginning of his professional career, it brought out and nurtured his entrepreneurial talents.

Early in his career, after being recruited by a Marseille-based group to join a credit company’s debt collection department, he found the work uninspiring—though socially engaging—but too sedentary. So, when he discovered that his group was also involved in the international hotel and restaurant industry, he walked into the executive offices to apply for a position. It was a bold move that paid off, because at just 27 years old, on Christmas Eve, Régis Arnoux found himself at the helm of a subsidiary in French Guiana—a remote, inhospitable territory known for its penal colony, which France intended to develop by beginning construction of what would become the Kourou Space Center.

A few years spent with his wife and two very young daughters on this land that needed to be cleared demonstrated his ability to lead this subsidiary, which had a workforce of 400 local employees and expatriate management, and whose main activities centered on managing a remote site in an extreme environment.

This remote site complex housed several thousand residents of all nationalities, for whom he was responsible for providing housekeeping and catering services, as well as operating a mini-market reserved for expatriate employees living on-site with their families.

Attentive to his staff, possessing excellent organizational skills, and a good manager, the young Régis Arnoux fully accomplished his mission to the great satisfaction of his superiors. He was then entrusted with managing a major bid for a very large industrial nickel processing project in New Caledonia. Once the bid was won, Régis Arnoux was tasked with establishing a subsidiary of the group and leading it. After six years on this remote Pacific island, he successfully met this new challenge, particularly in terms of the subsidiary’s high profitability, significant cash flow improvements, and growth. The Group’s senior management then recalled Régis Arnoux to its headquarters in Marseille and entrusted him with the management of all the Group’s international subsidiaries. He was passionate about these new responsibilities, which took him to numerous countries, including Australia, Argentina, Brazil, New Zealand, Tahiti, Indonesia, Algeria, and many others.

Nevertheless, the young Régis Arnoux felt another need growing within him: the need for independence. From there, it was only a short step to striking out on his own.

This began with the founding, at age 38, of CIR in partnership with a major construction and public works group—a company he would later sell, while it was still in full growth, to Pierre Bellon, founder of Sodexo; then fully realized in 1992 with the founding of Catering International & Services at age 54.

CIS marked a milestone that embodied a strong determination to build a family business and to draw on experience gained around the world to forge a new approach to catering—specifically, catering, hospitality, and technical maintenance services for thousands of residents in the most remote and challenging locations.

For 34 years, Régis Arnoux has continuously innovated to expand the range of services and innovative logistical tools offered, making his group a globally recognized leader that contributes to Marseille’s international reputation.