New Horizons: An Interview with Géraldine Picaud

What are your first impressions as you embark on your new CEO role?

SGS is an iconic global leader in the testing, inspection and certification industry, with exceptional people and enormous future potential. I am honored to assume the role of Chief Executive Officer and build on the strong foundation laid by Frankie. I look forward to leading such a great company and to driving positive change in this dynamic industry.

What are the principal drivers of the TIC industry and how is SGS positioned to capture growth?

We operate in a healthy and growing industry. Our market is experiencing between 4% and 5% growth per year which is driven by four megatrends: sustainability, digital technologies, supply chain near shoring and an increasing number of regulations.

What makes us unique in the industry is our unrivaled network covering almost all industries and geographies. We are really a true partner to our customers, whom we support in complete independence across their operations. But most importantly, it is our people that make us unique – their commitment, their passion, their expertise and their personal values.

This is why SGS is well positioned to capture all the growth opportunities of the testing, inspection and certification industry.

Can you give some more details about Strategy 27?

Our Strategy 27: Accelerating Growth, Building Trust is based on three powerful drivers – growth, performance and agility, and the improvement of our financial profile. We will invest in segments and regions where greater opportunities exist, such as sustainability, digital services and North America. We will simplify our organization to foster accountability, performance and adaptability. In addition, we will enhance our financial profile through disciplined capital allocation. This will create value for all our stakeholders.

Which values are most important to you?

To improve our performance, we need to make our business more agile and our people more accountable. This requires a solid mix of diversity, an open and meritocratic environment to deliver on our objectives and drive a high-performance culture. These are the values that I want to ingrain at SGS.