Human
Performance
Capital

Nicolas Boumendil has over 20 years of experience in corporate finance. After developing expertise in Leveraged Buyouts (LBO) operations within BNP Paribas and Crédit Agricole Groups, he has more recently built a strong reputation in the Real Estate sector.

It was during his most recent role as the Head of Corporate Finance at Indosuez in Luxembourg that he crossed paths with Patrice Cavalier, with whom he shared common projects and ambitions. Specifically, Nicolas played a crucial role in the search for the initial funds required to launch the boutique hotel division, 369° Hôtels-Maisons. He then naturally joined the team as the Chief Financial Officer of this emerging division in 2017.

In 2019, following a major strategic operation between Grand M Group and Brookfield, Nicolas was appointed as the head of the Finance department of HPC, which became Patrice Cavalier’s family holding company, a company he had contributed to shape and develop over the years into the diversified multiactivity group we know today. His current mission encompasses overseeing the entire group structuring process, as well as negotiation and execution of financings, whether they are bank loans, bonds, or equity.

Nicolas has been supporting Patrice Cavalier for over 8 years, and the continuous growth of the Net Asset Value of the group is a testament to their successful partnership around a shared strategic vision. Nicolas holds a degree from Toulouse Business School and from the Institute of Banking Techniques, which has firmly grounded his financial skills.

Arnaud Lépinois is the Head of Technology and Innovation Strategy and managing partner of the HPC Group.

Arnaud has held various leadership roles in technology companies such as HP, Computacenter, Neurones, and IBM. As an entrepreneur and intrapreneur, he has also founded several international companies. Before joining HPC, Arnaud Lépinois served as the Director of Transformation and Group CIO (Excom member) at CMA CGM.

A a former professional athlete, he began his career in 1996 at IBM as an engineer and product manager. In 2000, he became the Chief Technology Officer of the Inexware Group, which was acquired by the Neurones Group in 2002. In 2005, he relocated to Canada and founded several companies in various fields, including audiovisual production for film, television, and the web; mobility solutions development; biotechnology; and fintech. Upon his return to France in 2012, he became the Director of Managed Services at Computacenter, eventually taking over as CEO in 2018. In 2020, he became the President and CEO of HP Inc. France, leading the organization’s transition toward services.

His industrial experiences, expertise in IT infrastructure, understanding of major outsourcing contracts, and new technology consumption models enable him to effectively and successfully support organizations in their transformation. Arnaud is a graduate of the INSA Lyon with a degree in Industrial Engineering.

François Sabatino is at the helm of Eclairion, the very first data center in France specifically designed for high-density computer co-location within container modules, which will open its doors in Bruyères-le-Châtel in the autumn of 2023.

Graduate of ICN, François Sabatino began his career as an entrepreneur. However, in 2004, he took the reins of operations and sales at Village Center, within the Promeo Group. Eight years later, he climbed the ranks to become the CEO and a member of the board of directors of the KAWAN Group.

In 2014, he took charge of operations at Vacalians while also serving on the board of directors of this group. In 2017, he joined Patrice Cavalier at Appart’City, where he initially served as CEO before assuming the role of President.

Recognized as an expert in accommodation and project management, he joined the HPC group in 2021 as a partner and a member of the board of directors. In this role, he played a key role in overseeing various activities of the group, including the direction and coordination of the Eclairion project, where he demonstrates his ability to lead and innovate in the technology and accommodation sector on a daily basis.

Ben Norrington has been active in French and European real estate for over 25 years and has been based in France for over 30. Originally from Oxford, Ben has degrees in Economics and Politics from the University of Warwick and a master’s in international relations from the University of Leicester in the UK.

Ben has advised private and corporate clients on acquisitions, development, and funding for many years as an independent and as a senior advisor for Europe to the Savills Operational Real Estate team in London.

He has specialised in the “living” sector, covering hotels, student housing/co-living, senior housing and Build to Rent, working with the main institutional investors and local and national developers and operators.

Ben has known and worked with Patrice Cavalier for over 15 years actively sourcing funding relationship with partners such as Harrison Street for the ECLA 1 project and Brookfield for the majority buy out of HPC 1.0 in 2018 as well as other smaller projects in the portfolio.

As a partner, Ben continues to manage the minority participation with Brookfield in UXCO group while overseeing the other investor partner relationships for HPC.

Marc Baltz is an expert in the field of information technology who built his career at the heart of the Parisian technology scene, within a renowned national software publisher.

Originally from the south of France, Marc eventually chose to return to the region to contribute to the growth of Val Solution, another leading company in the software development sector, part of the Wolters Kluwer group where he held the position of product director.
Over a period of 14 years, Marc played a key role in major projects, including the creation of the electronic medical record. Over time, he gained extensive expertise as a software architect and in the analysis of medical data.

In 2006, Marc joined Patrice Cavalier and the Grand M Group (now known as UXCO Group) as the Group’s Chief Information Officer. An influential member of the Executive Committee, he significantly contributed to the group’s digital transformation and ongoing development over the following 14 years.

Today, Marc continues his professional journey within the HPC group, where he brings all his expertise to fully support the digital development and numerous innovations of the company.

Pascal Locatelli is a seasoned professional in the service industry, combining a solid education from the Lausanne Hotel School with expertise in finance through a Master’s degree from the University of Geneva. He began his career in luxury hospitality in Italy and the United States before joining Accor, where he quickly took on the operational management of business units in Switzerland, Italy, Scandinavia, and then in France, where he oversaw more than 250 establishments. His passion for innovation led him to co-lead a project to create innovative accommodation concepts within the group.

Following a development experience in Europe at the Chinese startup Tink Labs Ltd, which launched a revolutionary digital ecosystem for the hotel and tourism industry, Pascal Locatelli worked on the turnaround of the leading French golf management company, leading to a successful exit for its shareholders.

Overall, Pascal Locatelli is a dynamic professional who has successfully combined his skills in hospitality and finance to bring remarkable innovations and successes to the hospitality industry. His career is a testament to his commitment to excellence and innovation in this competitive field.

He joined HPC at the end of 2021 to take over the management of the hotel and coliving divisions.

Romain Deneau is a pure product of the hotel industry who has, over the years and industry transformations, built his career by transitioning from operations to development.

His 16 years of professional experience alongside Patrice Cavalier have led him to a perfect understanding of the hotel management profession while also gaining a strong expertise in the areas of developing existing projects and creating new ones, particularly in the heart of the French Alps.

Romain Deneau effortlessly navigates through hotel projects, such as the reconstruction of the Tropical Hotel in Saint Barthélemy following Hurricane Irma, as well as high-end residential programs like the Chalets de l’Observatoire in Megève or the Grande Ourse program in La Plagne. He is also involved in the expansion of the co-living brand Cowool, with four assets already open in 18 months and around ten in the pipeline.

Today, leading the HPP business subsidiary, Human Performance Promotion, Romain Deneau’s dual expertise as a hotelier and developer make him a cornerstone of the value-added approach at HPC.

French-Canadian Anne-Sophie Liduena is a graduate of ESSEC business school and holds an MBA from INSEAD. She began her career in strategy consulting (Stratorg and Strategy&) before launching her own kiteboarding company distributed in Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Brazil (winner of the Réseau Entreprendre award in 2009). From 2011, Anne-Sophie Liduena will take on various senior executive roles in fast-growing tech companies such as Groupon as Regional Director, Google as MENA Zone Manager (based in Dublin and Dubai), as well as at Booking.com in Amsterdam, where her role as Product Director will be to create and launch the group’s new Booking Experiences business (transport, tours and attractions) – positioning Booking.com as a “one-stop shop” for travel.

From 2018, Anne-Sophie will take on successive roles as General Manager and then C-level at Secret Escapes (online sales dedicated to luxury travel), where she will also oversee the acquisition and integration of TravelBird into the group’s activities. She continued to serve on the management committees of various fund participations until her last position as CRO at Matera.

Anne Sophie joined HPC at the end of 2023 as deputy managing partner, working alongside the CEO to restructure the holding company and its activities.