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Rémi Duchemin, co-founder of global sports management company OC Sport, has decided to leave his position as Co-CEO of the company. He is succeeded by Hervé Favre who will now take on responsibility for the whole group overseeing its sailing and outdoor sports activities.
After 10 years with the company, during which time OC Sport has experienced significant growth in Europe and around the world, Duchemin cites personal reasons for his departure, with the aim of spending more time with his family as well as focusing on new entrepreneurial projects.
In a statement, Duchemin commented: “Like any business founder who has experienced strong growth in their company’s activities, I feel like I have lived multiple lives in the last few years. We started with next to nothing and now we have become a global company active in 16 countries and 4 continents, led by exceptional teams based in Switzerland, France, the UK, the USA and China. By staying true to our original positioning and values, we have become a leader in event organisation and project management in sports that are in direct contact with nature, from the widest oceans to the highest summits.
I am and will remain proud of the developments made in the last few years, which have allowed OC Sport to organise 41 events and more than 400 days of competition in 2018 in over 100 cities around the world, with the sole mission to inspire and to change the lives of those who have followed and encouraged us.
The creation of the largest event portfolio in the offshore sailing industry (Route du Rhum-Destination Guadeloupe, The Transat, Solitaire Urgo Le Figaro, Transat AG2R La Mondiale), the victory of Dongfeng Race Team in the last Volvo Ocean Race, the creation of UTMB International alongside Catherine and Michel Poletti, the development of the Haute Route Cycling Series with more than 20 events across the globe, without forgetting the fantastic marathons and other running and triathlon events in Geneva and Nice, will always remain close to my heart.
However, we would never have achieved 1% of what we have without the daily support from around the world of our teams and partners whose professionalism and passion can be envied by all our competitors. I want to thank and congratulate all these exceptional people”.
Duchemin will remain a strategic advisor to OC Sport over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition to his Co-CEO Hervé Favre, who will now lead the whole group having previously held responsibility for OC Sport’s sailing activities.
A Swiss lawyer who joined OC Sport in 2011, Favre will oversee the company’s offshore racing and sailing campaigns as well as its extensive portfolio of outdoor events spanning amateur cycling, running, trail running and triathlon.
Favre commented: “We would like to thank Rémi for his vision and commitment over the last 10 years which have helped shape the company as we know it today, and we wish him the very best for his new projects.
Looking ahead, we have significant growth plans across both the sailing and outdoor sports arms of OC Sport. Notably, we have just opened a new base in Lorient called ‘Le HUB by OC Sport’ which offers a full-service solution for international offshore sailing campaigns. And we have major expansion planned in cycling, running and trail running. I am excited to be able to lead OC Sport through the next stage of its development.”
Favre will be supported by a new management team on the company’s rapidly expanding outdoor sports division. Matt Holden, who is based at OC Sport’s London office, has been promoted to CEO of the Haute Route Cycling Series, the world’s most prestigious multi-day events for amateur riders.
In the Mass Participation Events division, Lausanne-based Benjamin Chandelier has become CEO. This includes the Harmony Geneva Marathon for Unicef, the French Riviera Marathon (Nice-Cannes), the Geneva 20km by Geneva Airport, the La Tour Geneva Triathlon, plus endurance mountain running events under the UTMB brand and other on-going developments.
