Hospitality and catering: Thierry Marx elected president of the employers' union Umih

Europe 1 with AFP 6:50 p.m., October 27, 2022

The media starred chef Thierry Marx, at the head of "Sur Mesure", the restaurant of the Parisian palace Mandarin Oriental, was elected Thursday president of the main French employers' union for the hotel and catering industry, Umih, very active and listened to. public authorities during the health crisis.

Thierry Marx won in the second round with 71.66% of the vote, the organization said in a press release.

He won against restaurateur Stéphane Manigold, known for his publicized victory against the insurer Axa, which refused to compensate restaurateurs for periods of confinement.

Friday morning press conference

Known to the general public for his role as a severe but benevolent juror in the cooking show

, concerned for twenty years about the social and environmental impact of his activities, Thierry Marx was "very applauded, at the announcement" of this clear victory, specifies the Umih in a press release published in the wake of this election.

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"He wishes to be part of a spirit of unity and efficiency at the service of the members" of the organization "and, more broadly, of the entire profession", according to this text.

Thierry Marx will give a press conference on Friday morning at the national headquarters of Umih in Paris, alongside Éric Abihssira - already president of the Federation of hotels, restaurants and tourism (FHRT) of Nice Côte d' Azur-, who takes the vice-presidency of the employers' organization with 35,000 members.

A professional union "more force of proposal"

"I have built a craftsman's program in three points, no more, to move towards a professional union which is more a force of proposal than of opposition, in particular on the social and environmental impact, the attractiveness and the training of personnel", Thierry Marx, elected for a four-year term, told AFP on Tuesday.

An industry which represents 7% of GDP and employs 1.3 million people is "in duty to improve the treatment of its employees", with better mutual health insurance in particular, he estimated.

“We congratulate him on his election and we are now waiting for him on the social aspect which remains pending, in particular on cuts, overtime, mutual insurance, the social system. The next appointment is November 10, we take date," trade unionist Stéphanie Dayan, national secretary of CFDT Services, told AFP.

Social dialogue, energy crisis and reimbursements of PGEs

For his part, Jean-Virgile Crance, president of the National Group of Hotel Chains (GNC), hailed the "true vision" of Thierry Marx and Éric Abihssira "for our professional organizations which must come together to form a common house" cafes, hotels, restaurants.

"From that day on, we shared our priorities on social dialogue, the energy crisis and the reimbursements of PGE (loans guaranteed by the State, editor's note), fixed cost systems and sustainable development (...) which must be part of integral to all our future decisions", reacted Jean-Virgile Crance to AFP.

The multiple challenges of the hotel and catering industry

Thierry Marx takes the reins of Umih at a time when the challenges are multiple for the hotel and catering industry: attracting young people through better working conditions in a sector neglected since the pandemic, helping professionals to adopt more sustainable practices, more sober in terms of energy, improve the offer between now and the Rugby World Cup in 2023 and the Olympic Games in 2024... Not to mention emergencies: reimbursing PGE subscribed during the health crisis, coping with the outbreak inflation and that of energy costs, in particular.

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This will be one more commitment for Thierry Marx, who already employs 20% of people in integration, strives to reduce the carbon impact (delivery, optimized management of waste, water, energy. ..) of its plates, advocates the Bleu-Blanc-Coeur "eating well" label and transmits its knowledge in its schools "Cuisine mode d'emploi(s)".

A childhood spent in a popular district of Paris

This former soldier, black belt in karate with a soft voice, who does not forget his childhood in the popular district of Ménilmontant in the east of Paris, learned the trade of pastry chef with the Compagnons du Devoir, before training in internationally renowned restaurants such as Ledoyen, Taillevent or Robuchon.

A great traveller, a fine connoisseur of the Japanese art of living and its gastronomy, Thierry Marx offers cuisine with avant-garde flavors at "Sur Mesure", two stars in the Michelin Guide.

He was one of the leaders in molecular cuisine and took over the kitchens of the Eiffel Tower brasserie in June.

At the head of Umih, he succeeds hotelier Roland Héguy, who remained - like his vice-president Hervé Becam - for 12 years at the head of the organization, the main employers' union in the sector, ahead of the GNI which represents the independents. of the hotel and catering industry.