Immersion, transformation, growth: after six months at Grays, the new Managing Director, Sébastien Mamet, looks back on what he has discovered and outlines the priorities that will guide the next stage of the company’s development.
Appointed Managing Director of Grays Inc Ltd at the start of 2026, Sébastien Mamet spent his first months touring the company’s various business lines, meeting with teams, and getting to grips with the realities specific to each area. This immersion period allowed him to confirm the strength of Grays’ fundamentals, while also arriving at one key conviction: today, the company’s potential hinges on greater efficiency. “What struck me over these first six months was both the richness of Grays and the complexity that comes with it. We have recognized brands, solid expertise, teams with deep knowledge of their fields, and benchmark partners. Our challenge now is to connect all of this more effectively, to know where we create the most value, and to focus our energy where it will have the greatest impact,” he explains.
Turning complexity into a performance lever
For the Managing Director, the diversity of Grays’ activities is a strength, provided it can be managed with sufficient clarity. The goal, then, is not to question the fundamentals but to better structure the various components in order to improve performance. This need for clarity applies to the brand portfolio and distribution channels as much as to processes, responsibilities, and internal ways of working. It goes hand in hand with efforts to strengthen operational efficiency. “I believe strongly in simplicity. When an organization becomes too complex, it’s easy to lose sight of what matters: what we want to achieve, why we’re doing it, and who should be making the decision. My role is to create enough clarity so that teams can act with greater responsibility, speed, and efficiency.”
This approach ties in with several initiatives already underway at Grays, particularly around operational performance, systems modernization, e-commerce development, and continuous process improvement. The ambition is to evolve the organization pragmatically, prioritizing initiatives that bring real value to the company’s operations and to its customers.
Identifying growth drivers
This transformation should also allow Grays to better seize the opportunities present across its various business lines. The company intends in particular to strengthen its spirits and RTD (Ready-To-Drink) activities, continue developing strategic brands, and accelerate its export ambitions.
International expansion is a key growth driver in this regard. Markets such as France and certain African countries are among the avenues currently being explored to give greater reach to the products and expertise developed by Grays.
Grays already has experience exporting its local production, notably through its rum brands. The challenge now is to approach these opportunities with a more structured and selective strategy, identifying the markets and categories where Grays can genuinely build a competitive advantage. This year, the company is taking part in the Association of Mauritian Manufacturers’ “En Route vers l’International” program.
In terms of growth, the company is also counting on the potential offered by RTD products, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and food. Sébastien Mamet explains: “We’re not looking to grow for growth’s sake. We need to identify the markets where Grays has real capacity to grow, then put the right resources behind those opportunities. International markets, spirits, and certain new consumption trends can open up exciting prospects, provided we stay very selective in our choices.”
A transformation that also involves the teams
For Sébastien Mamet, Grays’ evolution cannot be reduced to commercial or operational choices alone. It also requires strengthening a shared sense of belonging to one organization. The “One Grays” philosophy reflects this desire to bring teams closer together, foster greater collaboration, and reinforce individual accountability. It is also built on trust between teams and their managers, as well as smoother two-way communication.
The Managing Director also intends to place strong emphasis on leadership visibility and closeness to the field. He believes leaders must stay close enough to operational realities to understand the challenges teams face, while giving them the autonomy needed to make sound decisions. “Transformation won’t happen from behind a desk. It will happen with the teams, in the reality of day-to-day work. I want us to build an organization where everyone understands their role, can take ownership, and knows they can count on others. That, to me, is the spirit of One Grays,” he says.
A new chapter, in continuity
Grays is thus entering a new phase of its development. For Sébastien Mamet, this phase should build on what has already been achieved while bringing greater coherence and momentum to the group. The priority will be to strengthen execution, focus efforts on the highest-potential activities, and continue modernizing the organization , all while fostering a culture increasingly grounded in collaboration, accountability, and trust.
