I have co-founded Hutong School, the number 1 mandarin language school with a truly global reach, based in Beijing with offices in various cities in the world. In 2015, we have cooperated with GM Avocats to build the first Hutong School franchise in Moscow. Gilles was the ideal match to assist us in this project at a key stage of our development, given his vast experience of the franchise model, his willingness to give us access to his network and to advise us in our development strategy.

I have created the number 1 brand in France for motorcycle accessories and needed in 2007 to reinforce my legal assistance in front of the growing complexity of the issues that rose before me. Gilles and his team have been accompanying us since then and have in particular always been there in each decisive moments.

Gilles and I have teamed from 2010 to 2014, when i was acting as deputy general manager of a leading french franchise network with a turnover of 1 billion euro. We drove the transformation of the network which historically had two brands, each heavily entranched in their divisive cultures, into one brand, reinforcing hence the company in its core strength. This occured with the least possible damage to relationship with franchisees. Only one litigation erupted which was won.

I hired Gilles in 2013 to assist me a very delicate international negotiation between France, Luxembourg, Belgium and England, which lasted 11 months. We worked as a team and through the use of legal tactics, constant cooperation between us and helped by his “people skills” which made us adapt to circumstances at all times without losing track of the end goal, we managed to solve my problem with an outcome which I consider as both elegant and economically sound.

Frédéric Senet, entrepreneur