Alain Sebban, Founder of Vatel Group, Has Passed Away

Alain Sebban, Founder and President of the Vatel Group, passed away this morning peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones.

A deeply humane man, entrepreneurship and selflessness were at the core of his being. For 60 years, he moved mountains to promote the international recognition of the French art of hospitality and to foster a more open Jewish community.

Born in Oran on March 8, 1946, Alain Sebban arrived in Lyon at the age of 12. Throughout his life, he retained in his sparkling eyes the warmth and sunshine of the Mediterranean. In 1961, his parents acquired the Hôtel de Verdun in Lyon’s 2nd arrondissement. He was just 15 when he discovered his calling.

After completing his secondary education at Cours Pascal and earning his Baccalaureate, he studied hotel management and catering at the Thonon-les-Bains Hotel School. During these years, he met the love of his life, Jocelyne. They married in 1967 and remained a united couple for 54 years, until Mrs. Sebban’s passing in 2021 separated them. Their marriage was blessed with two children: Dov, born in 1968, and Karine, born in 1972.

After graduating in Hotel and Catering Management from the Paris Hotel School, he naturally took over the management of the Hôtel de Verdun. He worked in every role, understanding the constraints of each and discovering the great joys they could bring. But the entrepreneur was already looking ahead. Observing the industry, he recognized the growing need for competent staff who had to be immediately operational. In 1973, he launched Hôtel Assistance, pioneering recruitment services for the hospitality industry.

In 1978, foreseeing that the development of the hospitality industry would depend on international expansion, he created the company Hotel Consultant International.

Elected President of the International Association of Catering and Hospitality Alumni (ADIRH), he made another observation: the sector was sorely lacking professionals ready to take on the challenges of internationalization and management.

In 1981, he decided to open the first Vatel school in Paris. His objective was clear: to meet the evolving demands of the hospitality industry.

In 1984, encouraged by the success of the first school, he opened a second Vatel school in Lyon. His wife, Jocelyne Sebban, became its Director. Known to students simply as “Madame Sebban,” she proved to be a talented educator. At the helm of the school, she patiently and compassionately crafted the Vatel educational philosophy, grounded in four pillars: personalization (because every student is different), rigor (essential to accomplishing one’s missions), perseverance (as success does not always come at first), and above all, humanity.

The couple also shared core values: sharing, openness, commitment, respect, and kindness.

Throughout their lives, they worked to pass these values on to students, teachers, and employees of the Vatel Group.

Within a few years, the two schools counted 700 students. Motivated by this success and at the request of Jean Bousquet, then Mayor of Nimes, Alain Sebban opened a third school in the south of France in 1989.

To this day a flagship campus of the group, Vatel Nimes covers 14,000 m², uniting theory and real-world application in one location: classrooms, computer lab, language lab, amphitheater, four-star hotel, spa, gourmet restaurant, brasserie, experimental kitchens, pastry laboratory, and more. All are located on a single campus so that students can study academic subjects, professional disciplines, and apply management theory in real-life conditions with real clients.

The Vatel teaching concept had now taken shape. Confident in the strength of the model, Alain Sebban chose franchising as the path to expansion, inaugurating a fourth Vatel campus in Bordeaux in 1994.

In 1999, Vatel’s know-how was deemed transferable. Alain Sebban convinced Henri Magne, Director of Vatel Paris, to join him. Together, they opened the Vatel Group to the world. In 2001, the first contract was signed with Silpakorn University in Thailand. Recently, Alain Sebban paid tribute to Henri Magne, writing: “That first contract signing was the most memorable moment you ever gave me. Because together, we knew that the doors to international expansion were now open.”

Within barely ten years, they opened 16 Vatel schools worldwide.

Today, Vatel is the 1st Worldwide Business School Group in Hospitality and Tourism Management. It has more than 50 schools across 32 countries: Algeria, Argentina, Bahrain, Belgium, Cameroon, China, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, United Arab Emirates, Spain, France, India, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Morocco, Mauritius, Mexico, Montenegro, Uzbekistan, Paraguay, Philippines, Democratic Republic of Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, USA, and Vietnam.

Wherever they are located, Vatel schools teach the French language and the French art of hospitality. Each year, they transmit the values of sharing, openness, commitment, respect, and kindness to 9,000 students worldwide. They train newly graduated professionals ready to join a network of 50,000 Vatel alumni who contribute to the economic and tourism development of their countries and beyond.

In 2023, Alain Sebban decided to entrust this remarkable legacy to his daughter, Karine Sebban-Benzazon, appointing her President of the Vatel Group. For many years, he had prepared and trained her, knowing she was ready to continue his work. The same pride extended to his grandchildren: Eva will soon take over as Head of Communication for the Vatel Group; Dan is in his first year of the MBA program at Vatel; and Lily is in her first year of the Bachelor program.

The warm-hearted entrepreneur with sparkling eyes dreamed of a large family, and Vatel gave him thousands of children. They come from every country, every background, every culture, and every religion, forming a vast, united family on which each member can rely.

Alain Sebban also upheld the spirit of service through 45 years of rich and varied involvement in associations.

After presiding over ADIRH, he became President of the Académie Nationale de Cuisine in 1985, the largest association of culinary professionals dedicated to developing and promoting French regional gastronomy.

In 1989, in Lyon, together with the directors of Europe’s leading hotel schools, he founded Eurhodip. He became its President in 2002 and strengthened it over ten years with the objective of improving the quality of hospitality and tourism education in Europe. With 150 member schools and 39 represented countries, he stepped down from the presidency in 2011.

Since 1998, Alain Sebban had also been deeply involved in the activities of the Jewish community of France.

He first helped organize the Jewish Community of La Duchère in Lyon and became its President in 2003. For ten years, in this working-class district, he led a community composed mainly of Jewish families originating from North Africa, working to preserve their customs and traditions.

On a regional level, Alain Sebban remained active and was elected President of the Jewish Consistory of Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes in 2011, representing 30,000 Jews organized into 27 communities.

During his successive mandates, he created the Maison du Consistoire, bringing together in one location the administrations of the Regional Consistory, the Regional Chief Rabbi, the Dayan, and the Kashrut authority.

Appointed Vice President of the Central Consistory of France, he became its Honorary President in 2025.

In Lyon, he also led for several years the project to create the Institute of Jewish Culture. This major center for education opened under his presidency in 2021. Through life-cycle events, it presents Jewish religion and culture to visitors with the aim of fostering understanding and combating antisemitism.

Throughout his life, Alain Sebban was a passionate advocate for education, culture, sharing, and dialogue. He often quoted Mark Twain, telling his students: “Do not dream your life, but live your dream.”

May each of us who loved, admired, and respected him always remember this precious advice that he himself lived by throughout his life.