Joint interview: Three questions for Philippe Pascal and Justine Coutard
A joint interview with Philippe Pascal, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe ADP, and Justine Coutard, Deputy Chief Executive Officer. Learn about their mindset and priorities as they take up their new roles.
1. What do you take away from 2024 and the beginning of 2025?
Philippe Pascal: Meetings.
I recall all the meetings from my early days in the position, all filled with information. I wanted to start by connecting with the men and women at the heart of our airports’ operations. They’re the source of our strength, and their commitment and passion are always remarkable and inspiring. Right from the start I was also able to meet the employee representatives, and I appreciate their commitment to listening and dialogue. And I have already met numerous partners and elected officials. We need everyone’s help in order to succeed, and we can do that through those interactions. Although I have been with Groupe ADP for twelve years, I learn every day from all these meetings as CEO!
Justine Coutard: The Olympic and Paralympic Games.
They were an unforgettable collective adventure that showed how every Groupe ADP employee has the ability to go above and beyond. We've shown the whole world everything we are capable of, the extraordinary things we can accomplish every day. At the same time we’ve been able to reinvent our procedures, rethink our operations and raise our standards and level of service, particularly to accommodate people with disabilities.
2. Now that you’ve taken up your new duties, how would you describe your mindset?
Philippe Pascal: Collective.
Connecting our entire ecosystem more effectively is essential. It’s Groupe ADP’s responsibility to ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals at our airports. That's why I want to mobilize around a shared, long-term project, through a broader, stepped up, peaceful dialogue, with all our customers, all our partners, every elected official, all our neighbors – our entire network of associations. That will be the thrust of the draft economic regulation agreement that we will be submitting at the end of 2025. And I intend to put the collective formed by the entire Groupe ADP workforce at the heart of everything I do.
Justine Coutard: Pride.
The pride of opening a new chapter at Groupe ADP alongside Philippe Pascal. Philippe and I know each other quite well, and that’s a strength for meeting the challenges that lie ahead and enlisting the support of all our employees. Serving and transforming Groupe ADP is a wonderful mission! My six years with the company have shown me how unique it is. We have a lot to do in the coming months; we have a sizable responsibility: we’ll be defining the major milestones for developments and investments, and we’ll be setting out a concrete path for mobility, decarbonization and passenger services at our airports in Paris over the next decade.
3. What is your top priority?
Philippe Pascal: To move faster.
My goal is for Groupe ADP to set an example as the worldwide leader in attractiveness, hospitality and the environmental transition. Major projects will be needed to make that happen. In order to move faster, we need to be able to refocus our efforts and prioritize the transformation of our Paris airports, our core industry, notably through investment. Moving faster means transforming ourselves by investing and creating value for everyone. I want us to be a wellspring for solutions, continually generating more respect and value for the regions adjoining the airport, our customers and the employees who make the company move.
Justine Coutard: To become carbon-free.
We can be confident that our green transition will accelerate. Our goal in decarbonizing our airports and our industry is clear: carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve that, our practices and businesses at Groupe ADP are changing, particularly in our role as a developer: for the future we’ll be developing train stations and metro lines as well as departure lounges, and we’ll need to be more agile and creative than ever to enhance and reinvent the passenger experience at our facilities. We have a major role as an accelerator within the industry, and that means we need to maintain high standards, investing as much in accelerating decarbonization as in service quality: that’s the idea behind the development projects for Paris-Orly and Paris-Charles de Gaulle.