On Tuesday 21st September, Jean-Philippe Demaël, CEO of SOMFY, as Annecy 2018 official partner, signed a partnership agreement with the French National Olympic Committee (French NOC), in the presence of French NOC Chairman Denis Masseglia, Edgar Grospiron, Olympic Champion and CEO of Annecy 2018, Christian Monteil, Chairman of the Annecy 2018 Supervisory Board and President of the Haute-Savoie General Council, Jean-Luc Rigaut, Co-Chairman of Annecy 2018 and Mayor of Annecy, and Jean-Jack Queyranne, President of the Rhône Alpes Region. PRESS CONTACT: Head of Media Relations – Annecy 2018 – Alexandra Carraz
“What more could one ask than to have the opportunity of welcoming the Olympic and Paralympic Games to the region which has been our home for more than 40 years! The opportunity would provide a tremendous boost for the region’s economic and social fabric”, said Somfy CEO Jean-Philippe Demaël during the signing ceremony. “As one of the region’s leading companies, deeply rooted in Haute-Savoie but with a highly developed international dimension – our international footprint covers more than 50 countries worldwide – it was perfectly logical and quite natural for SOMFY to back Annecy’s bid to host the 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.”
SOMFY, whose headquarters are located in Cluses, Haute-Savoie, between Annecy and Chamonix, was one of the first companies to sign up as an official partner to the Annecy 2018 bid.
“In SOMFY, we have found a partner with a real passion for sport, an enthusiasm for the bid and a fervour for the region, illustrated by the Group’s longstanding support for Winter Sports, particularly the biathlon, over the past twenty years. Their international dimension and their dynamic local presence reflect the economic appeal of our region, in very heart of the mountains and at the crossroads between the main routes linking our country to Switzerland and Italy”, pointed out Edgar Grospiron, Olympic Champion and CEO of Annecy 2018.
Since 2005, SOMFY, the world leader in motors and automatic controls for openings and closures for homes and commercial buildings, has been an official partner of the French Ski Federation and, in particular, the French biathlon teams who brought 6 medals back from the Olympic Games in Vancouver. The company also provided individual support for numerous biathletes, including Raphael Poirée, seven times World Champion, and Vincent Defrasne,
Olympic Champion. As a true supporter of Winter Sports, Somfy continues to back the biathlon by sponsoring new Olympic medallists such as Martin Fourcade, Marie-Laure Brunet and Marie Dorin.
Media relations officer: Ophelia Moutoussamy –
ophelia.moutoussamy@annecy-2018.fr – + 33 (0)6 42 66 72 21