François Mary appointed CEO of Institut Lyfe

Institut Lyfe, the international flagship  in education in the culinary arts, pastry, hospitality and restaurant management , announces today the appointment of François Mary as its new CEO.

With an outstanding career in the hospitality and restaurant industry, François Mary brings to Institut Lyfe a well-established expertise in the strategic and operational management of complex projects, acquired in the restaurant, hospitality, and tourism sectors. After beginning his career in restaurant management, leading brasseries and Michelin-starred establishments in England and Switzerland, François Mary went on to manage major hotel complexes in France, Austria, Belgium, and the Czech Republic. His career, marked by hotel openings, transformations, and the repositioning of international tourism destinations, highlights his ability to lead multicultural teams.

A Commitment to Excellence and a Vision for the Future

Institut Lyfe is a source of pride for the city of Lyon and for France. With its state-of-the-art facilities, exceptional teaching staff, combining top-tier management faculty and award-winning chefs, and strong industry partnerships, it stands as a leading training institution. Under the leadership of François Mary, Institut Lyfe will continue the ambitious projects initiated in recent years, keep shaping the future leaders of the industry, and further promote French expertise in hospitality on the international stage.

Gilles Pélisson, President of Institut Lyfe, commented:

“Under the leadership of Dominique Giraudier, our institution has achieved remarkable milestones. We have gained official recognition of our degrees from the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research, joined the Conférence des Grandes Écoles, internationalized our programs, and earned a Michelin star for Saisons, our application restaurant in Écully. Dominique has spearheaded major projects for Institut Lyfe, including the creation of our new Gérard Pélisson campus dedicated to hospitality, as well as our Pastry Academy. Together, we have tackled significant challenges, such as the rebranding of our school, which has modernized and globalized our institution. These achievements will serve as the foundation for our future growth, and we are deeply grateful to him.”

“These nine years as ‘headmaster’ have been much more than a leadership role—they have been a true mission, both ambitious and deeply human. Institut Lyfe is unlike any other school. It is an immense source of pride for me to have contributed, alongside these incredible teams, with Paul Bocuse, Gérard and Gilles Pélisson, and generous administrators and patrons, to building an institution that today shines in France and beyond” said Dominique Giraudier.

About Institut Lyfe

Institut Lyfe trains committed and responsible decision-makers in the hospitality, restaurant, culinary arts and pastry professions. Over the past 30 years, it has built up a unique ecosystem of higher education, research and vocational training. It currently welcomes 1,200 students encompassing 75 nationalities. Its teaching is based on experiential learning, centred around project management, talent development, entrepreneurship and creativity. Its international strategy is built on an educational hub created with the world’s leading schools and universities, along with its network of 5,000 alumni in 90 countries. It is the first private higher education establishment in the hospitality and restaurant sector to be recognised by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and offers state-approved Bachelor’s degrees in international management. It is also the only school in France to have a Michelin-starred training restaurant, a 5-hotel-school and a Research Centre whose scientific work contributes to the quality of its teaching and its forward-looking vision on careers in the hospitality industry. In 2025, its application restaurant l’Institut in Place Bellecour is set to become Pavyllon, a training restaurant by Yannick Alléno and Institut Lyfe.