But this regular guy is also incredibly focused on long-term goals. Most of all, Landel strongly believes that everyone's opinion counts, says Steve Brady, Sodexho's vice president of marketing. It means a lot . . . to know that someone at the top recognizes them. Landel appreciates the fact that a company's reputation rests on the quality of the work done by front-line workers. When you serve lunch or dinner and the tray is not clean, the customer is left with a bad image.
Every position is key to our business.
A Saudi Start and African Airplanes Landel came to foodservice through an oblique route spanning finance and construction. He earned a master's degree in business administration from the European Business School in Paris in 1975. After completing 18 months of military service, he spent four years with Chase Manhattan Bank in Paris and in Africa, followed by another four years as general manager at a French construction company. The 1984 move to Sodexho came from a desire to use his international experience and to manage outside Europe. The previous manager, itching to go on leave after three months' nonstop work, gave perhaps one of the shortest training sessions on record.