In brief
- Major appointment to the board of directors of the prestigious maison Christian Dior as an independent director, finalised at the age of 48.
- Official creation in spring 2026 of the entrepreneurial company mates in direct association with Michaël Aloïsio.
- Strategic partnership concluded with the entertainment group Banijay to accelerate operational development and content production.
Triple Olympic champion Tony Estanguet is officialising the creation of his company mates in spring 2026, while joining the board of directors of the maison Christian Dior. The former president of the Organising Committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games is thus beginning a career change focused on sports entrepreneurship and corporate governance within the luxury sector.
This double announcement marks a significant turning point in the trajectory of the former elite athlete. After successfully orchestrating one of the largest recreational and competitive gatherings on the planet in the heart of the French capital, the executive is converting his success onto the business field. His approach illustrates the growing porosity between the management of large-scale international sporting events, the world of globalised broadcasting, and the haute couture sector. By articulating his new responsibilities within a high-level supervisory body and the operational management of an ambitious start-up, Tony Estanguet is laying the foundations for an innovative business model that intends to promote French organisational excellence on a global scale.
An exceptional anchor in luxury governance
An anchor in luxury at Christian Dior
At 48, the former French kayaker is taking an important step in the business world. By joining the board of directors of the maison Christian Dior as an independent director, Tony Estanguet brings his experience in managing major global events to one of the flagships of the LVMH group. This appointment solidifies the links forged with the world of luxury during the preparation of the capital’s sporting events.
Founded at the end of 1946 at the famous number 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris, the maison Christian Dior has embodied French elegance, craftsmanship, and cultural influence for nearly a century. A fundamental pillar of the giant LVMH, the world leader in the high-end sector, the brand has always known how to combine respect for creative traditions with the modernisation of its managerial structure. The entry of a profile from the sporting movement into its governing bodies is part of this desire for strategic openness. Modern governance of major couture houses now requires varied skills, ranging from mastery of crisis communication to the management of complex infrastructure, as well as an understanding of the socio-environmental expectations of new generations of buyers.
For the Parisian maison, the arrival of an independent director with a unique background offers a fresh perspective on global issues. Large-scale logistical planning, the rigorous selection of virtuous subcontractors, the welcoming of demanding international audiences, and the deployment of brand strategies on a global scale are all subjects on which the expertise accumulated by the former head of the organising committee proves directly transferable. This rapprochement also confirms that the world of haute couture and that of athletic performance share common requirements in terms of rigour, the quest for self-improvement, and the staging of heritage prestige.
The creation of the company mates
Alongside his administrative duties, the executive co-founded the structure mates in spring 2026 with Michaël Aloïsio, former deputy managing director of Paris 2024. The company relies on a portion of the staff from the Olympic organising committee to capitalise on the operational expertise acquired in the field. The team’s ambition is to design new high-impact projects around the values of sport.
The launch of mates responds to a clear desire not to disperse a unique human and managerial expertise, forged during nearly seven years of intense preparation. During the major global athletic celebrations, the management teams had to demonstrate constant agility to overcome challenges in engineering, security, ticketing, and public engagement. By bringing together a core group of former employees within a private structure, the new entity intends to transform a temporary experience into a sustainable and replicable business model.
The choice to co-found this company with Michaël Aloïsio testifies to a proven complementarity in managing complex files. As the former deputy managing director of the organising committee, the latter brought a fine knowledge of institutional networks, administrative machinery, and operational imperatives. Together, the duo of entrepreneurs aims to offer public and private players tailor-made support for designing next-generation sporting gatherings. These initiatives aim to reconcile ecological responsibility, financial viability, and popular enthusiasm, while positioning social innovation at the heart of the systems.
A major strategic partnership with Banijay
A major partnership with Banijay
To accelerate its growth, the company mates has concluded a strategic agreement with the Banijay group, an international leader in entertainment and audiovisual content. This alliance allows the young company to position itself in consultancy for event organisers and support for brands involved in sport. The business model also integrates the design and production of proprietary sporting events.
The Banijay group, a global giant in the creation and distribution of audiovisual formats, brings international striking power and unmatched expertise in media storytelling to the young structure. The modern sports industry is no longer limited to simple physical competition; it now relies on the ability to tell inspiring stories, to captivate global audiences through various digital platforms, and to generate continuous engagement throughout the year. This partnership thus offers mates the means to back its projects with leading broadcasting and production channels.
The roadmap resulting from this strategic rapprochement includes three major axes. The first concerns high-level consultancy for institutions, host cities, and organising committees wishing to maximise the economic and societal benefits of their events. The second axis targets partner companies and sponsors, helping them design authentic and impactful brand activations. Finally, the third part is based on the imagination, creation, and commercialisation of proprietary sports formats. This involves developing new competitive or recreational concepts, of which mates and Banijay will hold the intellectual property, thus allowing them to shape the future uses of sporting entertainment.
A fully assumed professional orientation
An assumed professional orientation
Although approached by other institutional and political players after the success of the Games, Tony Estanguet has chosen to maintain all of his professional activities within the sporting and entrepreneurial ecosystem. A father of three children, Titouan, Gabin, and Léandre, the former sportsman thus retains an active role in the French sports economy alongside his partner Aurélie.
The culmination of this career change testifies to a thoughtful trajectory, built in successive stages. Before being the executive celebrated for his management of a global event in Paris, the Béarn native made history in slalom canoeing by winning three Olympic champion titles over three different decades. This athletic rigour was then translated into a progressive involvement in governing bodies, notably at the International Olympic Committee within the athletes’ commission, then at the heart of the Parisian bid and organising committee.
By declining approaches from the political sector or major public administrations to favour the path of private enterprise and boards of directors, the former champion affirms his desire for independence. His decision to enter the fields of consultancy, entertainment, and haute couture shows a clear ambition: to make sport a lever for sustainable economic and cultural transformation. Surrounded by his loved ones and strengthened by his family roots, the executive approaches this new stage of his career with the firm intention of making his mark on the sports and luxury industry for years to come.
