Thierry Cornec becomes deputy managing director of the Groupama-FDJ cycling team

As of June 3, Thierry Cornec will take on the position of deputy managing director within the Groupama-FDJ cycling team. This appointment shows the constant desire for development within the organization.

In a few days, Thierry Cornec will take on the position of deputy managing director alongside Marc Madiot, the general manager. This addition comes as a logical step considering the team’s evolution. “We went from a team of around thirty people to a medium company of around 120 people including La Conti and the WorldTeam,” explains Marc Madiot. “This requires making internal operations evolve, in order to be able to meet the current and future needs of an international cycling team.” “The team continues to develop, and as proof of it, this is a job creation,” adds Thierry Cornec. “This symbolizes the desire of Marc and his partners to continue to invest in the team’s development.”

Thierry Cornec is no stranger to the Groupama-FDJ cycling team, and vice versa. The two parties have had the opportunity to collaborate in recent seasons due to the newcomer’s previous professional experience. After more than twenty years spent within a major French brand of bicycle components, where he especially held the position of European sales director, he indeed became general manager for the team’s former cycle partner shortly before the pandemic. “Aside from the commercial aspect, we also worked a lot with the teams, and in particular the Groupama-FDJ cycling team on the launch of a new bike,” he explains. “That’s when I started to be in touch with the team and to know it better.” “We inevitably met him through the role he had,” adds Marc Madiot. “We particularly noted his professionalism, commitment, and loyalty to his employers. It was something important for us when we met him during the recruitment process.”

“The team’s values, DNA and ethics appealed me”, Thierry Cornec

Passionate about cycling, originally from Châteaulin in Bretagne, where he “met champions at the Circuit de l’Aulne” growing up, Thierry Cornec tried to transpose the cycling’s team spirit into his business career. He perceived this same spirit within Groupama-FDJ during his first contacts. “A combination of parameters was decisive in my deep desire to join the team,” he says. “I have worked in global companies, and by joining Groupama-FDJ, it was the team’s values, DNA and ethics that appealed to me. Then, as we moved forward in the recruitment process, I was also convinced by meeting the staff, the riders and the title sponsors Groupama and FDJ. The fact that this organization extends from the juniors to the WorldTour is also highly motivating.” “We needed someone from the business world who could bring different experience and expertise,” explains Marc. “We are originally athletes, so having this addition to the team management is not only interesting but essential for a structure like ours nowadays. Thierry does not come to take the place or work of others; he comes to provide additional skills.”

“To continue to develop excellence for the benefit of performance”, Thierry Cornec

As deputy managing director, Thierry Cornec will obviously be in touch with all of the department’s direction, and his arrival from the mid-2024 season shows above all a desire to get a head start in anticipation to 2025. “The team has experts that everyone knows, and who have a high level of expertise in sports management, training, equipment development, medical support,” he argues. “My role will be to help continue to develop excellence for the benefit of performance. When a project evolves and expands, there is a need to strengthen coordination. I come to the team knowing that the vision and philosophy have been in place for years, and my mission is to help develop them even further. We must keep in mind that the effectiveness of the collective is stronger than the sum of individual performances”.