About

The modern history of SoLocal is one of change. Previously operating under the name of PagesJaunes, it was initially a company that specialised in local directory listings – but in the last 10 years the company has undergone a period of transformation that now sees it with business lines covering content and service provision, media and advertising representation and online media content. Alexandre De Tourtier, group general counsel since 2011, has led a legal team that has helped SoLocal battle through a number of challenges associated with the publishing industry. When PagesJaunes rebranded to SoLocal in 2013 it was a signal of a change in operating model for the company, but one that came with tests for the legal team. The further diversification of the company’s operations has been a necessary process, with SoLocal embracing the digital space in order to generate further revenue. This meant a series of acquisitions and divestitures in France and abroad, providing ample work for the legal department. In 2015, SoLocal signed a number of major partnerships with American internet companies – partnering with Bing and Google to further integrate local searches from SoLocal onto the major search engines. De Tourtier and the legal team played a key role in these two agreements, but have also had to oversee some more contentious matters such as debt restructuring negotiations and strategic divestitures. The continuing transformation of SoLocal will see the legal team playing a key role in future negotiations and business plans.