As we get ready to open our San Francisco store, we want you to get to know us! Aurélie, Sophie, Tony, Marc and Michel, the Decathlon team members working for you, share about our love of sports, our sports heroes, why we’re excited to live in the city by the bay and what’s next on our sports to-do list.
MEET AURÉLIE
Aurélie was born in Montpellier on the south coast of France on the Mediterranean Sea.
It’s a warm and welcoming city with a Mediterranean climate and residents who come from all corners of the planet. Her childhood friends’ backgrounds included Moroccan, Chilean, Rwandan, Caribbean, Madagascan, Spanish, Congolese and many others, and she had the chance to grow from knowing rich and different cultures in her youth.
On Sports
Sport is part of Aurélie’s life. Watching her father compete in triathlons or bike 120 miles on a Sunday morning, seeing mother head to the gym everyday or witnessing her brother catching a wave on his first try all encourage and inspire her to play everyday, too. She’s tried so many sports—practicing classical dance, judo, athletics, skiing, roller skating and snowboarding (which thrilled her the most as a child).
Today, she still snowboards with friends and has added surfing to her love list. Working at Decathlon has exposed her to many new sports like wakeboarding, climbing, squash, soccer, running, yoga, swimming, golf, standup paddling and diving. She’s eager to try more, like skateboarding at a skatepark or improving as a kitesurfer.
On San Francisco:
To Aurelie, the Bay is an extraordinary playground where you can practice almost any sport. Since she arrived, she’s been able to bodyboard at Stinson Beach, wakeboard in Sausalito, run from Mill Valley to Muir beach, hike in Angel Island and try Crossfit at SF Fitness Soma! Beyond sports, she’s so glad to see the concert lineups and could go to a show every night.
On Decathlon:
Passionate about sport and attuned to the values of Decathlon, she applied in 2006 for her first dream job: be part of a team of six focused on the creation of the Decathlon ecommerce business unit. During the next nine years, she participated as Communication Director in this exceptional adventure.
In 2014, she joined the watersports brands in the south west of France, developing two years of international digital brand strategy. Content marketing, ecommerce, visibility and traffic are some of the exciting subjects she worked on every day.
Now she’s responsible for launching the Decathlon website in the USA. Her mission is to tell the story of Decathlon, express the company’s values, present innovations and above all, encourage dialogue with users over the Internet.
On Sports + Decathlon + San Francisco
Aurélie looks forward to listening to new feedback about Decathlon’s brand and products.
She’s excited to create and test new things with American athletes—new services, new products and new experiences. She knows a rewarding adventure awaits her, the team and whole company, too.
As she thinks about the future of sports she loves, like surfing, Aurélie imagines a future where surfing is accessible to more people because of Decathlon. And the equipment, available an affordable price, would allows more athletes to surf safely while protecting wildlife and the ocean.
Favorite American Expression: Go big or go home and Break a leg!
MEET SOPHIE
Half Irish and half French, Sophie was born in Paris and went to live in Kenya with her family at the age of 3. When she was 11, the family moved to Dublin and then to Paris three years later. Her father then moved to India, which she’s visited many times over the last thirty years. Sophie is a true citizen of the world and loves to travel.
On Sports
Her first sports experiences were in Kenya: fantastic outdoor activities like camping, hiking, horseback riding, dancing and swimming. During her student life, she loved dancing classes and cycling.
She’s passionate about cycle touring, having toured through France, Spain, Lapland and Norway. She hopes cycle touring will develop in the States.
Sophie thinks anyone that takes initiative to do a sport, whatever their level, is a hero. Next on her list for personal practice? Kung fu.
On San Francisco:
Being outdoors is part of life in the Bay Area, even in the city proper. Sophie loves the diversity of activities available from water sports to outdoor activities and indoor options, too! She can't wait to cycle tour in the US, camping when she’s done cycling for the day.
On Decathlon:
Sophie joined Decathlon a little over five years ago as group general counsel. Her mission in the US is to set up and operate a legal and financial environment for Decathlon and focus on expansion and business development to bring more sports to more Americans. Sophie is thrilled to be working with people she considers family, to bring sports to everyone.
On Sports + Decathlon + San Francisco
She is excited to bring a new and affordable way to make sports accessible to Americans.
Favorite American Expression: Let's hang out
MEET TONY
Tony, a native of the famous region of Normandy in France, loves the iconic white stone houses and green land of his home town. A world traveler, he’s always eager to discover new places and meet new people.
On Sports:
His love of sports started with a great coach (ask him more over a cup of coffee) and watching Michael Jordan fly above the courts. An avid handball player, he is curious to see if this sport can take America. He’s also working on his recently acquired golf swing.
On San Francisco:
He’s happy to be settling into life in SF, walking the streets and experiencing the energy and creativity all around.
On Decathlon:
He joined Decathlon 10 years ago after finishing engineering school. More than a job, he got a big family and a chance to blend his love of technology with his love of sports, all while working on many different projects.
On Sports + Decathlon + San Francisco
Tony believes Decathlon can help communities around San Francisco get healthier and enjoy the benefits of playing and practicing sports more. Sports are about having a good time but also mean keeping your body in good condition, and Tony thinks everyone should invest a part of busy daily life to practice and play.
Favorite American Expression: This isn’t rocket science.
MEET MARC
Marc was born in Lille to a French father and Spanish mother. He lived part of his early life in France and the rest in Spain.
On Sports:
Sports is Marc’s life from the good values it instills to the health benefits A few of his sport heroes? Sergey Bubka, Michael Chang, Romario, Pete Sampras, Zidane, Monica Seles, Yelena Isinbayeva, Heike Drechsler. He also enjoys golfing with Tony and is a beginner climber.
On San Francisco:
He loves the fog (ask him if he’s joking) and all the parks around SF. He appreciates that it’s a city open to different sports and different cultures .
On Decathlon:
Marc joined Decathlon seven years ago, after studying sport management. As a store manager, he oversees a team, project and operating account. The most important thing for him is to see his team enjoy their job, feel empowered to make decisions, stay passionate about the customer and give great advice rooted in experience.
On Sports + Decathlon + San Francisco
He’s excited because, thanks to Decathlon, everyone can play all kind of sports. Decathlon’s products’ great price and quality mean more fun, and health, for everyone.
Favorite American Expression: You get it and Have a good one.
MEET MICHEL
Born in Casablanca, he moved to Paris at ten and stayed there through graduate school with a year spent tutoring in Tahiti during his military service.
On Sports
Michel had a revelation in Morocco at 7 years old when he went out for the first time on a sailboat. He’s sailed since then. The boat is more than a sport, it’s a way of seeing life.
He’s also a lifelong lover of football, rugby, squash, badminton, tennis and cycling. During all his free time, he play sports. It Is entertainment but he also appreciates the pure talent, fair play and good manners of athletes like Roger Federer. He also admires the mental and strategic strength of François Gabart, a young French sailor.
He hopes to see sailing become more available to more people, with services like boat sharing and leasing. With his sea legs intact, he’s ready to learn to kitesurf and feel the sensation of flying over water.
On San Francisco:
The San Francisco Bay is a unique place in the world, and Michel is in heaven as a sailor. Living in San Francisco is a new adventure and a dream come true.
On Decathlon:
Michel started to work for Decathlon at Toulon as a sneakers sales assistant when the store was new, with only five open in France. After ten years in France and 15 years managing Decathlon in Spain—35 years total!—he’s still here!
On Sports + Decathlon + San Francisco
His mission is to build the future Decathlon for Americans and with Americans by doing everything to make sports more accessible to everyone.
Favorite American Expression: That makes sense!
We can’t wait to get to know you and are ready for your SF sports recommendations.
