Emmanuelle Malecaze-Doublet has been appointed as the new chief executive officer of the French sports betting operator Pari Mutuel Urbain (PMU). The news marks an important milestone in the evolution of the company founded in 1930, as Malecaze-Doublet will become the first female chief executive officer to ever join the operator.
Malecaze-Doublet to replace Interim CEO Phillipe Augier
Malecaze-Doublet will be stepping into the shoes of former interim chief executive officer Philippe Augier. Augier has served this important role within the state-owned company since October 2021, right after Cyril Linette was dismissed over misconduct accusations. The list of accusations included “publicly changing his mind” without consulting with the board and “sending accusatory letters against the administrators and parent companies”.
Augier thanked the senior PMU team for all its support over the years, while also bringing a special thanks to Malecaze-Doublet “for her unfailing involvement”. The former CEO said that he was confident regarding the future of the company’s leadership. He also confirmed his intentions to further focus his attention on leading the city of Deauville from his position as the city’s current mayor. Finally, Augier mentioned that in spite of the “economic and health crisis” that the horse racing industry together with PMU witnessed in the past two years, they both managed to cope with everything.
Upcoming First Decision
Malecaze-Doublet is getting ready to fulfill her job requirements in her new position which was sealed during the general meeting held at the company’s headquarters on July 8. She plans to appoint Bouygues Telecom’s general director former as the horseracing operator’s new chair. Explaining her call, she said that she plans to make PMU “an ever more authentic, attractive, efficient and committed player, strong in its usefulness in favor of the horse racing industry and the link it creates throughout the territory”.
The new CEO also spoke about the team’s “tremendous commitment and resilience” over the last couple of years. She referred to the age of NFTs, Web3, and the metaverse, acknowledging PMU’s important role in regard to innovation. She also expressed her confidence that the company would grow into an ambitious and innovative business project that would benefit customers, partners, and the horse racing industry as a whole.
Malecaze-Doublet is no stranger to PMU, which she originally joined in 2018 in her newly appointed role as chief financial officer. She moved there after leaving McKinsey & Company, a management consultancy firm where she was an associate partner.
At the end of March, PMU entered Senegal’s market by signing a partnership with Honoré Gaming.
