Change of direction at Orpea: Guillaume Pepy, former CEO of the SNCF, should take the head of the giant Ehpad. Since the revelations of journalist Victor Castanet, the Orpea group has been in turmoil.
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The answer is expected on July 28, following a vote by shareholders at the general meeting. But, already, as we know, the challenge is immense for Guillaume Pepy.
The former CEO of SNCF, “will be proposed to chair the new Board of Directors” from Orpea, said the private group of retirement homes on Sunday July 3. “A profound renewal of the board of directors will be proposed at the next general meeting“, with the arrival of five new independent directors, including Guillaume Pepy, specifies Orpea, who should therefore take the head of the giant of French nursing homes.
Its first mission will be to improve Orpea’s image with the French, residents and their families, by showing that the group has changed. He will also have to reassure investors, because since the publication of the book The Gravediggers, the Orpéa share price was divided by four. In this book, journalist Victor Castanet implicates the group, accused of serious shortcomings in the management of its establishments.
Then, Guillaume Pepy will have to tackle the heart of the problem. An audit commissioned by Orpea partly confirmed the accusations of journalist Victor Castanet: among other things, the quantities of meat served each evening to residents less than 50 grams or the number of diapers purchased each day less than three per person.
Finally, it will also be necessary to respond to justice. A preliminary investigation has been opened for “institutional mistreatment and financial offences”. The group will be targeted by a complaint from the State, which reserves the right to request “the return of unused public funds”. Families have also filed around forty complaints against Orpéa.