Highest level of commitment to Innovation rewarded with “Corporate Engagement Award” from startup accelerator Lafayette Plug and Play

Paris, December 4th, 2018 – Lagardère Travel Retail received the « Corporate Engagement Award » for its active involvement in the acceleration of startups from Lafayette Plug and Play’s Batch 5.

The award was given to the corporate partner who engaged the most in the Lafayette Plug and Play ecosystem as well as with its startups. The selection criteria covered many aspects including the number of pilots launched and commercial agreements signed with startups.

“This award is intended to honor the corporate partner who has demonstrated the highest level of commitment during the acceleration batch. We have created this award to put forth the work accomplished so far, but also to reinforce the relationships between all the partners of the ecosystem” ,commented Pieter Lammens, Director of Lafayette Plug and Play.

After less than a year of partnership with the startup accelerator Lafayette Plug and Play, this award highlights the travel retail operator’s ability to capitalize on the startup ecosystem to address it business needs, to promote an innovative mindset within the company, and to build on this partnership outside of France.

“No less than 8 collaborations were undertaken in the past 6 months and over 100 Lagardère Travel Retail employees participated in Lafayette Plug and Play events or workshops – not only in France but also through Plug and Play’s global network, with several ongoing discussions with the startup ecosystems in Singapore, Shanghai and the Silicon Valley”, commented Romée Lamielle, Innovation Manager at Lagardère Travel Retail.

This award is also a clear sign that the company’s Innovation Booster program is bearing fruit and that the energy and commitment of those innovation ambassadors are driving significant changes both outside and inside the Group.

^{Left to right: Romée Lamielle, Innovation Manager, Lagardère Travel Retail, Christian Kunz, Co-founder, Head of Corporate Partnerships, Lafayette Plug and Play}