A founder of The Adecco Group, Philippe Foriel-Destezet, died on Sunday. The news appeared online; Adecco CEO Alain Dehaze announced the passing in a tweet.
“Philippe was a talented entrepreneur whose vision enables a French SME to become today The Adecco Group. He was a long-term investor who always looked to the future,” Dehaze wrote.
Foriel-Destezet founded a staffing firm called Ecco in Lyon, France, in 1964. It had become one of the largest suppliers of temporary personnel in France, according to Adecco. Ecco eventually merged with another staffing firm called Adia in 1996 to become The Adecco Group.
Foriel-Destezet stepped down as co-chairman of Adecco in 2005 but retained a stake in the company, according to Forbes. He was named to SIA’s inaugural Staffing 100 Europe Hall of Fame in 2020. He lived in London.