Growing Leadership: Executive Search Case Study for All Sun’s Management Succession

>The Background 

Sowing the Seeds of Success

Luc Letierce comes from a family of entrepreneurs and leaders in the agricultural sector. He and his family own All Sun, a diversified agricultural group he has built over the last 10 years. Luc served as Chair and CEO, while four of his five children work as executives in the group.

All Sun operates a dozen independent companies spanning the agricultural value chain. The group imports fertilizers, distributes plant protection solutions, trades cereals, grows produce, wholesales fruits and vegetables, produces fruit juices, harvests and freezes small fruits, handles agricultural freight, and big bag recycling. Combined, these businesses generate around €200 million in annual revenue.

In 2024, Luc and his wife Mathilde decided to transfer both leadership and ownership of All Sun to their children.

>The Challenge 

Cultivating the Next Generation

The children didn’t want to take on management of the entire group right away. So, the family needed to recruit an external managing director to take over Luc’s main responsibilities. This person would steer All Sun, improve performance and organization, and continue expansion while helping the children grow into their future roles.

With specialist advisors, the family had gathered expectations from every family member. They had aligned on key values: commitment, achievement, and trust. They had defined a governance structure and set a timeline for the project.

However, finding someone who would respect the family’s values while leading a €200 million diversified agricultural business would be no easy task.

>The Solution 

Harvesting the Right Talent

 Stanton Chase Lyon joined this project in early 2025. They helped the Letierce family—parents and children alike—define the ideal profile for this important position. They then evaluated and selected candidates from different backgrounds in the agricultural and agri-food sectors.

Understanding the complexity of a family business transition, they structured the process so parents and children could meet separately with selected candidates to form their own opinions and reach a unanimous choice. This approach ensured both generations felt heard and the final selection would have full family support.

>The Results 

Reaping What We Sowed

The Letierce family chose Christophe Bernard-Bacot, a seasoned agri-food professional with 30 years of experience in marketing and business development. He has worked for leading global groups and successful medium-sized companies. His skills, values, and management style convinced all seven family decision-makers that he was right for the job.

Christophe started as Managing Director in June 2025. He’s excited about continuing Luc’s work and preparing the next generation to potentially take over in a few years.

The family shared their thoughts on the process: “The operational transition represents a pivotal stage for every company. Beyond technical skills, ensuring strong alignment between the selected candidate and our family values is of utmost importance. Throughout this process, Stanton Chase emerged as the ideal partner, fully capable of understanding and integrating our expectations. Thanks to his attentiveness and availability, Gilles Gaudefroy was able to grasp the nuances of our governance model. We are therefore pleased to welcome Christophe Bernard-Bacot to the Group — a leader whose values are fully aligned with our own.”

The Letierce family.