An arrival at KNSA Hospitality
Sandrine Leligois has been appointed VP Group Human Resources of KNSA Hospitality in September 2026, just two months after leaving Essendi. She takes charge of the HR function at a hotel group co-owned by Keys REIM, Accor and Ennismore, at a time when the company is entering a new phase of its development.
On LinkedIn, she indicated that her focus would be on aligning business strategy, organisation, leadership and HR priorities, working alongside teams to build the conditions for sustainable performance and growth.
Twenty years forged within the Accor ecosystem
Sandrine Leligois built the bulk of her career within the Accor group and its entities. A law graduate, she began as Human Resources Manager at Sephora between 2004 and 2007, before joining the Ibis Paris Berthier hotel — 688 rooms and 150 staff — as Director of Human Resources.
Between 2010 and 2015, she led Accor’s international mobility strategy, notably the International Hospitality Management Program, run in partnership with ESSEC. From 2015 to 2017, she held the role of Talent & Culture Manager Europe, coordinating HR strategy across 27 countries, 12 brands and 1,109 hotels, and contributed to FRHI’s European integration.
From 2017 to 2020, she led AccorInvest’s Human Resources for Northern Europe from London, where she sat on the regional executive committee and managed a team of ten people across three countries. During this period, she oversaw the HR response to the health crisis for the UK and Benelux, covering health protocols, furlough schemes and redundancy plans.
Nine years driving Essendi’s transformation
From 2020, Sandrine Leligois joined the group’s HR transformation, first as Head of Employee Development, then as VP People Development, Engagement and Change until July 2026. Over these nine years, she led the rollout of the group’s first HRIS, the overhaul of corporate culture initiatives following the group’s rebranding as Essendi, as well as the structuring of social reporting under the CSRD.
KNSA Hospitality, a discreet but strategic holding company
Little known to the general public, KNSA Hospitality remains one of the active players in lifestyle hospitality in France and Europe. Founded in November 2021 by Keys REIM alongside Accor and Ennismore, the company holds the operating entities of 25 hotels run under the Mama Shelter, The Hoxton, 25hours and Jo&Joe brands.
The group has recently continued to expand, notably with the acquisition of the Mama Shelter hotel in Lille, which now positions it across the majority of this brand’s properties in France. It is against this backdrop that Sandrine Leligois joins, tasked with structuring the group’s HR function while preserving its entrepreneurial spirit and agility.
A legal background
Holder of a DEA in Communication and Advertising Law from Université Paris II Panthéon-Sorbonne, and a master’s degree in Business Law from Université Paris X La Défense, Sandrine Leligois began her academic path far from human resources, before gradually specialising in the field throughout her career at Accor.
At a glance by The Hospitality Tribune
Sandrine Leligois appointed VP Group Human Resources at KNSA Hospitality
Move announced September 2026, after nine years at Essendi (formerly AccorInvest)
20+ years of international HR experience across Accor entities
KNSA Hospitality: lifestyle hotel holding co-owned by Keys REIM, Accor and Ennismore
Portfolio: 25 hotels under Mama Shelter, The Hoxton, 25hours and Jo&Joe in France and Europe
Mandate: align business strategy, organisation, leadership and people priorities
