French betting giant PMU appoints new director general and president

Emmanuelle Malecaze-Doublet has been confirmed as the Pari Mutuel Urbain's new director general.

On Friday the PMU's general assembly approved her nomination and that of a new president, the former Bouygues Telecom boss Richard Viel.

The pair take over from Philippe Augier, who was originally named PMU president in June 2020 but took on the interim dual role of executive president in October 2021 after the sacking of director general Cyril Linette.

Malecaze-Doublet has risen quickly through the managerial ranks of the former monopoly betting operator after being recruited from McKinsey as director of finance in 2018.

She took over responsibility for marketing client relations – with special focus on the technological development of PMU's multi-channel offer – in September 2019 and was named as deputy to Augier in the emergency reshuffle last October.

Malecaze-Doublet said: “After four years of contributing to the transformation of PMU, the development of its market, its brand and the modernisation of its businesses, I'm very proud to be taking over the general management of the company today.

"I would like to thank the Chairmen of the parent companies, Jean-Pierre Barjon and Edouard de Rothschild, for their confidence and all PMU's teams for their commitment at my side.

"A new stage in our business plan is now beginning. Along with Richard Viel, I want to build a strategy that promotes the growth, social commitment and authenticity that make up the PMU's DNA."

The PMU has made a strong start to 2022, with betting turnover running four per cent ahead of 2019 through the first five months of the yearCredit: Pari-Mutuel Urbain

The PMU rebounded strongly in the second half of 2021 after the closure of one in four high-street premises due to Covid-19 restrictions during the first five months of the year, returning €740 million of the budgeted €805m to France Galop's coffers.

The latest France Galop administrative council meeting was told that betting turnover in the first five months of 2022 was 21 per cent ahead of last year and up four per cent on the same period in 2019, the last full year before the coronavirus struck.

Augier has played a long and important role in racing, having been the director general of the Agence Francaise sales company in Deauville between 1989 and 2006, when its fusion with Goffs France led to the creation of Arqana. He has also been the mayor of Deauville since 2001.

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