Pierre-Yves Gerbeau – Keynote Speaker

Normally it takes at least 10 years to become a corporate business icon.
Yet, the letters “PY” can only be one person. PY’s career to date has included being a professional and international Ice Hockey player and representing France in several European and World Championships team, and qualified for the 1988 Olympic Games in Calgary. His pro hockey career ended early because of a terrible accident which left him 18 months in a wheelchair! Surfing on the concept of « what doesn’t kill you, makes stronger », PY decided to then take the world of corporate rescue and entrepreneurship!

As a business leader, he had 25 years of success in business transformation and Corporate Rescue, which included, turning Euro Disney into Europe’s biggest visitor attraction, for the Walt Disney Company, then Disney’s CEO, Michael Eisner, recommended him to Tony Blair and PY was appointed Chief Executive of the Dome in February 2000. Following this « major coup », PY and his team delivered 9 other major brands, companies’ turnarounds across the globe across the leisure, sport, entertainment and real estate industries.

Capitalising on his transformation expertise and “corporate rescuer” career, with a stellar track record of his experiences at the Walt Disney co. and the Dome, PY co-founded and headed X-Leisure in 2003 which grew, from £70m of asset under management, in 2003, to more than £1.3 billion in 2007, as the largest and best performing leisure property group in Europe, and was not only recognised as these best performing specialised fund from 2009 to 2014, but also the most celebrated innovation in the leisure property market.

PY is, today, regarded as one of the “guru” of the
Leisure/Sport/Tourism and entertainment industries, acknowledged by his election as Leisure personality of the year 2003, Leisure Industry consistent Innovator award in 2006, and award for best Global Leisure operator in 07. Finally PY won the prestigious “outstanding personal career achievement” last year, and just was finalist for the Best Executive in Europe awards in 2014.

As an academic, PY lectures since 2001, on the MBA program of the London Business School, and as a visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship and Corporate rescue at the Imperial College.

In 2019, PY embarked on his latest turnaround challenge when he took the helm of the ill born “grand project” of the London Resort, the first ever tier 1 theme park destination in the UK, a major investment of £2bn+! In the past 3 years PY revived and re-invented the product to transform it as a world class, sustainable destination, and established a bullet proof business plan.

Finally, PY was also Chief Restructuring Officer of Tucker’s Point Resort in Bermuda, chairman of La Manga Club SL in Spain, and non-Executive chairman of BrandsmeetBrands, an innovating sponsorship agency. Passionate about golf (+1hcp) PY has been also the non-exec chairman of Precision Golf, the market leader in custom fitting golf clubs’ industry.

Today, he is President of the French Ice-Hockey Federation after successfully chairing the Paris 2017 World ice hockey World Championship organizing committee, and adding to this impressive tally he is also member of the French Olympic committee.

PY is 58 years old, married to Kate Gerbeau (TV presenter), and has 2 daughters, Clemence, 27 years old, and Chloe 14 years old.