Nicolas Drapier
Group CIO
B&B Hotels
Nicolas Drapier is the Europe & Middle East Chief Digital & Technology Officer for Compass Group, a £25 billion global catering company with over 500,000 employees.
As Chief Digital & Technology Officer, Nicolas leads the roadmap for digital and data transformation of Compass Group in Europe and the Middle East. Prior to this role, Nicolas served in multiple digital and IT-related roles at several major companies across Europe and China. These encompassed a broad range of sectors such as travel, services and automotive.
Learn more about the France CIO community here.
Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
After eight years in IT service roles in companies across France and China, I moved into the CIO and IT/Digital Director roles at BMW, Allianz, Europcar and Disneyland Paris.
Since 2020, I have served in multiple roles at Compass Group – first as Chief Digital & Technology Officer for France, and later integrating Europe and the Middle East at the end of 2022.
I have a true passion for challenges, people and transformation. All my choices are led by the overall goal of improving the digital and IT journey of the companies I work for and overcoming the concomitant challenges.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
The only victory is collective. It’s all about people and teams!
With disruption being a key theme of the past few years, where do you see your role as a CIO going in the next 1-2 years?
Our business at Compass Group, more than many others, has been heavily shaken by these past two years.
My role is essential to the resilience of our organisation. As Chief Digital & Technology Officer, I serve as a foundation for the deep evolution of the catering business – towards a true consumer-focus-enhanced multi-channel experience.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role as a CIO?
Technology is not what really matters, it is what you do with it. Focus on your customer and with whom you are working to make it live.
Tell us three fun facts about yourself.
It’s a three in one! The first car I bought was a BMW. The battery went down after a few hours, so I called assistance and got a rental car as a backup. After enjoying the consumer journey, I worked for BMW, followed by Allianz Assistance and Europcar!
What is the value of joining an Evanta community?
Networking with peers, hearing fresh ideas, and cherry-picking solutions – all this can be brought by a solid network with a good diversity of companies and sectors.
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