Our history

Since 33 years, the CIS Group remains a family-run, human-sized organization. But more than ever, it operates on a global scale, due to its exclusive focus on managing life bases located in remote areas made strategic by the extraction of underground natural resources.

CIS has also strengthened its position in the offshore sector — notably since 2020, when CIS Brazil finalized the acquisition of two companies, Alternativa and Béta. This made the Group a key player in a market that has become a pillar of its growth.

“I was able to achieve this journey thanks to my family. But also thanks to my teams, both in Marseille and in the countries where we operate, who embody the values of CIS and invest themselves in its future. At this milestone of the Group’s 30th anniversary, I must take a moment to thank them.” said Régis Arnoux, Founder and current Chairman.

Today, the CIS Group has a new governance structure, which began in 2019. That year, Régis Arnoux, determined to secure the Group’s long-term future, appointed Yannick Morillon as Deputy CEO.

In January 2023, Yannick Morillon, with a distinguished career in the services sector and international experience at Vinci, Veolia Environmental Services, and then Geocoton, was appointed CEO. This appointment marks an evolution in the Group’s governance — a turning point that in no way undermines the dominant family shareholding of the Marseille-based group, nor its values or its commitment to independence.

Looking ahead, the CIS Group surpassed, for the first time in 2024, the milestone of €400 million in revenue. This step, within the framework of a new development plan, will lead the Group to explore new markets. North America is thus a prime target, reinforcing CIS’s ambition to solidify its position as a global leader — now more legitimate than ever.

Also in 2024, CIS France achieved ISO 27001 certification. This ISO 27001 standard helps companies manage IT risks and identify and address vulnerabilities. Its purpose is to ensure information system security at the organizational level, protect against cyberattacks, detect emerging threats, and preserve data integrity, confidentiality, and availability.

Over the past 10 years, the CIS Group has accelerated its development. It has expanded into new countries, such as Mongolia in the Gobi Desert, and strengthened its presence in Algeria in Hassi Messaoud, following the 2006 acquisition of the catering company CIEPTAL. The workforce has grown to nearly 11,000 employees, giving the CIS Group both international scale and recognition.

“It is thanks to the work of the men and women of CIS that the company has reached this level. It is a collective success,” often reminds Régis Arnoux.

At CIS, the human factor is a fundamental pillar of the entrepreneurial vision of its founder. There is a strong attachment to the spirit of enterprise within the Group. Most employees work in the field, dedicated to the proper execution of contracts in each host country. But many of them are also committed to supporting local communities. Being both global and local is already a reality.

In Marseille, in 2008, under the initiative of Régis Arnoux, the CIS Corporate Foundation was created. It supports young adults in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region who have professional projects but are limited by insufficient financial resources.

Since 2004, CIS headquarters in Marseille has been ISO 9001 certified — a quality standard based on customer satisfaction. Most of our sites are also ISO 22000 certified, the most appropriate standard in terms of food safety and hygiene.

Some subsidiaries are also ISO 14001 certified for environmental management and OHSAS 18001 certified for occupational health and safety. Training programs are regularly provided to our employees.

At the origin of the remarkable CIS journey stands a bold entrepreneur — a man who, as a child, dreamed of freedom, adventure, and travel. As an adult, he became passionate about an extraordinary profession: catering. It was in 1992 that the CIS Group, specializing in the management of life bases in extreme environments, was founded.

“A profession whose core is catering and hospitality, but not only that — as contracts evolved, additional services were added, such as maintenance, waste and water treatment, and even fuel supply. All of this is what makes a life base,” explains Régis Arnoux, Chairman and Founder of the CIS Group.

In just a few years, CIS built a name for itself in the catering world, working alongside global leaders in the energy, mining, and construction sectors. This success is due to its expertise in its core business — hospitality and catering — as well as in associated services. CIS’s primary mission is to provide the best possible living conditions to people working in remote areas lacking standard amenities.

The life bases — whether developed near the Arctic Circle, in Eurasia, Africa, or as far as Brazil — resemble small towns in the middle of nowhere. Growing steadily, and building on its expanding expertise and logistical know-how acquired from the earliest years, CIS was listed on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1998.

Its success was crowned in 2002, when Régis Arnoux received the Audacity in Enterprise Award from French President Jacques Chirac, who expressed surprise that a French — and moreover Marseille-based — company generated 100% of its revenue internationally.

“You are, dear Régis Arnoux, a shining example of the spirit of enterprise that drives so many French entrepreneurs. Your company generates, in fact, 100% of its revenue abroad. It’s almost unbelievable. You chose an unusual sector, defining yourself as an ‘extreme hotelier’ by providing accommodation and catering for the staff of companies working in some of the most remote places on the planet. And in just 10 years, you’ve created more than 1,500 jobs. I hope that CIS continues to grow and strengthen its position.” commented French President Jacques Chirac.