Who is Agatha Monpais, the new head of Leroy Merlin, appointed at 28?

She is only 28 years old, and she should head one of the most famous home improvement stores in the country. Agatha Monpais, former managing director of Leroy Merlin’s Cypriot and Greek affiliates, will become the next Leroy Merlin boss in France next September, the group announced this week.

Agathe Monpace received her Master’s degree in Management, Marketing and Distribution from the IESEG Business School in Lille in 2016. She has spent her entire career in brands owned by the influential Mullier family, who own many brands famous in France, such as Auchan, Boulanger or Chiaby .

First alternating for two years as Marketing Project Manager for the Happychic Textile Group (Bizzbee, Brice, Jules), Agathe Monpais then joined Leroy Merlin in 2016 as Sector Manager in Valenciennes (North) and then Store Manager in Tourcoing .

From Greece to France

In 2022, the girl received a big promotion, becoming the general manager of the Leroy Merlin brand in Greece and Cyprus. In Athens, she was in charge of eight brand stores, she told Planète Grandes Écoles magazine at the end of 2022.

In Greece, a young woman had to learn to live with the realities of her “long-term profession,” learn Greek, and manage “the nights of her seven-month-old baby,” she says. She was also able to closely observe the differences in shopping habits in France and Greece. “I would say that the first difference is the level of self-activity of the inhabitants: the culture do it yourself probably more established in France, where it is easier for Greeks to turn to professionals to do their job,” she explained.

After a year in the Mediterranean, Agathe Monpais will return to her duties next September as head of Leroy Merlin France. An unexpected arrival for such a young candidate, who was talked about in social networks.

No contact with the Mullies family

Many commentators have suspected the new 28-year-old boss of belonging to the Mullier family, the owner of the Adeo group and the Leroy Merlin brand. Suspicions of nepotism were quickly denied by La Voix du Nord and Liberation, who made sure that she was not from the Mullier family and was not married to her.

At the helm of the home and décor brand, Agatha Monpais “will have the mission of continuing the momentum started towards a positive living environment platform company” and will have to work, among other things, on “new solutions for living environments, including energy renewal ,” Leroy Merlin said in a press release.

“She will also be responsible for strengthening the appeal of the brand, which has been in the top 3 favorite brands of the French for several years,” the company writes. His predecessor, 51-year-old Thomas Bure, will also be promoted. This fall, he will become director of international development for the Adeo Group, which oversees Leroy Merlin, Bricoman and Weldom stores.