PARIS (AP) — Organizers of the 2030 French Alps Olympics confirmed Wednesday the departure of their chief executive officer following weeks of internal turmoil.
They said the exit of Cyril Linette — who was at loggerheads with Edgar Grospiron, the former Olympic champion freestyle skier who leads the organizing committee — was formally acknowledged during a meeting of the executive board last weekend.
Organizers said the decision reflected a collective desire for a “new momentum through renewed governance” ahead of a key phase of their project.
Tensions have multiplied in recent months, against a backdrop of several resignations, culminating in open conflict between Grospiron and Linette. Their feud was just the latest episode in a saga of turbulences that have weakened the project.
It followed the successive resignations of chief operating officer Anne Murac, communications director Arthur Richer, as well as the departure of Bertrand Méheut, who was in charge of the remuneration committee.
“The stakeholders reaffirm their commitment to the success of the 2030 French Alps Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games,” organizers said. “The collective priority remains the continuation of the work already underway in service of the project.”
The French Alps Winter Games — with speed skating destined to go abroad to Turin, Italy, or Heerenveen in the Netherlands, where venues already exist — has always been on the tightest timeline of any modern Olympics.
Like this month's Milan Cortina Olympics, the French Alps has a split between snow sports in the mountains and skating in a snow-free city, the French Riviera resort Nice.
Speed skating events are likely to be held abroad at an existing venue to avoid the high costs of building a suitable rink, with the Thialf Arena in Heerenveen or the Oval Lingotto in Turin among the contenders.
A definitive map of the sites has yet to be adopted and is expected to be decided by the end of June.
FILE - IOC president Thomas Bach, right, shakes hands to French President Emmanuel Macron after Bach announced that the French Alps was named as the 2030 Winter Games host at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/David Goldman, File)
FILE - Head of 2030 Olympic Winter Games, Edgar Grospiron, delivers a speech during a press conference to launch the organizing committee for the 2030 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in Decines, outside Lyon, France, Feb. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani, File)
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 25, 2026--
Navan (NASDAQ: NAVN), the global AI-powered business travel and expense platform, today announced it has been selected by Darktrace, a global leader in AI for cybersecurity, to upgrade its global travel program.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260225522665/en/
“As Darktrace accelerates its expansion, in-person collaboration is critical,” said David Smith, Chief People Officer at Darktrace. “Navan’s inventory and user experience will ensure our teams and customers can easily connect, while we can maintain financial control.”
As the UK-based cybersecurity company grows, Darktrace sought a partner to consolidate its travel operations, minimize administrative burden, and improve the booking experience for its workforce. Previously hampered by fragmented processes, Darktrace required a solution that would increase platform adoption and empower its employees to travel more regularly while also cutting travel costs.
Key anticipated benefits from the partnership include:
Navan’s unified, AI-powered platform provides Darktrace with a single global solution for travel and payments. The integration of Navan’s travel payment solutions will automate flight and hotel payments through built-in virtual cards, streamlining reconciliation.
“Navan is proud to help Darktrace modernize its global travel program,” said Michael Riegel, Chief Customer Officer at Navan. “By removing the friction from inventory access and payments, we expect that Darktrace will achieve the high adoption rates needed for total visibility into its travel program. We are ready to help their team scale efficiently.”
The partnership reinforces Navan's position in the enterprise market, demonstrating that a user-centric approach to travel remains the solution of choice for multinational organizations such as Axel Springer, Frasers Group, and Yahoo.
About Navan
Navan (NASDAQ: NAVN) is the global AI-powered business travel and expense platform that makes travel easy for frequent travelers. From finding flights and hotels, to automating expense reconciliation, with 24/7 support along the way, Navan delivers an intuitive experience travelers love and finance teams rely on. See how Navan customers benefit and learn more at navan.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements in this press release other than statements of historical fact could be deemed to be forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are often identified by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “project,” “will,” or similar expressions. Such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks and other factors include the risks described under the caption “Risk Factors” in Navan’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on December 15, 2025 and in other reports Navan files from time to time with the SEC. Except as required by law, Navan undertakes no obligation, and does not intend, to update these forward-looking statements.
Darktrace Selects Navan to Modernise Travel Program
