Welcome to Sodexo as a new member of Positive AI!
As a global leader in food services and facilities management, Sodexo serves over 80 million consumers daily across 30,000 sites worldwide. Innovation, data, and digital transformation are at the heart of its strategy, always guided by strong commitments to responsibility, sustainability, and human-centric values. By joining Positive AI, Sodexo reinforces its ambition to develop and deploy technologies that are safe, transparent, and aligned with long-term impact.
Interview with Nicolas Marchand, VP Digital & AI Engineering – CTO
Sodexo has just joined Positive AI. What motivated this decision, and how does it fit into your broader innovation strategy?
At Sodexo, technology, data, digital, and innovation (TDDI) are fully embedded in our responsible growth strategy. We are committed to building and using technologies in a safe, transparent, and ethical way, with strong governance standards. For example, the adoption of Generative AI is framed internally by a multidisciplinary governance model (technical, legal, and business) ensuring that risks and opportunities are considered at every level of the company, from the Executive Committee to our client sites.
Joining Positive AI is a strong and responsible commitment for us, alongside actors who share our ethical values, our ambition for growth, and our vision of progress. We were also attracted by the pragmatic positioning of the association, focused on concrete and operational issues rather than theoretical discussions.
“We integrate AI into our sustainable growth strategy, placing people and responsibility at the heart of digital transformation.”
How do AI and data serve as strategic levers to enhance your services in food, facilities management, or maintenance?
Sodexo serves 80 million consumers every day on nearly 30,000 sites worldwide : schools, offices, hospitals, retirement homes, airports, stadiums, and more. Providing a meal or managing a facility is a complex process that goes far beyond operations in the kitchen or on-site: anticipating staffing needs, understanding consumer preferences, reducing waiting times, ensuring fair pricing and proper supply, giving consumers reliable information on nutrition and allergens, and supporting clients with actionable insights.
AI helps us adapt to all these aspects of our business, while creating new opportunities for operational efficiency and growth. From menu management and purchasing strategies to real-time staffing, maintenance, or energy optimization, AI is now embedded at every level of our operations. Importantly, it enables measurable reductions in food waste and water use, while supporting our clients in their sustainability transitions.
“AI allows us to deliver operational excellence, improve client and consumer experience, and drive measurable sustainability impact.”
How do you foster a culture of innovation inside Sodexo, and what role do your teams and partners play in this transformation?
We believe people are our greatest strength, and they are at the center of our digital transformation. Beyond our tech and digital teams, employees across Sodexo are engaged in developing new skills through tailored programs in AI, data, and digital transformation. This helps us build a strong culture of innovation and digital excellence across the company.
We also collaborate with leading start-ups, universities, and technology partners, such as the Royal College of Art in the UK, to co-create, innovate, and attract talent. Regular AI hackathons mixing business and technical profiles are another way we encourage hands-on experimentation and foster a dynamic, responsible innovation culture.
“We are convinced that people are our first driving force: employees, partners, and start-ups together nurture a continuous culture of innovation.”
