Years of experience
Currently, Laury runs Castorama, Kingfisher’s French chain. She has been with the company for 11 years and has had different positions, like commercial director at B&Q. She started her professional life at another French DIY chain, Leroy Merlin, in 1988, and she has never left the branch since then.
She expects to hit the ground running once she takes over as CEO. “I know the business, I know the industry and I know the people. We [Laury and Cheshire] have been working together or not so closely according to the type of roles I have had. We are not an Anglo Saxon company; we are an international company. From my experience at B&Q I don’t think there are that many differences. You have to respect the people and from a leadership point of view you do what you say”, she told The Guardian.
Cheshire’s departure surprised analysts, but he decided to take a step back as there are changes coming in the next few years and he was reluctant to lead the company for another 5 years.
