Ambassadors

He was born and raised in Lyon and still lives here when not putting on his shows all around the globe. Appointed as head of the Créteil and Val de Marne National Centre for Choreography in 2009, this "Lyonnais through and through" remains very fond of his city. The dancer and choreographer admits that Lyon, the capital of dance with its Maison de la Danse and its dance biennale, helped him become what he is today. A pioneer in his field, he continues to promote Lyon’s identity. The founder of Compagnie Käfig and of the Pôle Pik Choreography Center in nearby Bron, he has managed to take hip-hop from the streets to the stage of many prestigious venues. More than a form of recognition, for Mourad Merzouki being an ONLYLYON representative is a way for him to “wear the team's stripes and to build bridges between Lyon and the rest of the world.”

A Lyon native, Daniel Boulud is one of the most famous expatriate chefs in the United States. In New York, he heads several brasseries, cafés and restaurants, including the two-starred Daniel. The chef honoured us by serving as the representative of New York’s ONLYLYON community at a kickoff party in September 2019. “In my view, Lyon is a unique city given the influence of its gastronomy, its geographical location, culinary traditions, its wine-growing areas, and more broadly for its lifestyle. It is a subtle blend of excellence, enjoyment, history and creativity. Lyon is the perfect recipe!“

Working in the gastronomical sphere with her company Tastimony, Anne-Sophie has clearly come up with the right recipe for bringing together London’s community of Lyonnais and promoting the city across the Channel. Anne-Sophie, who coaches UK teams selected for the Bocuse d’Or competition and the Pastry World Cup, never misses a chance to help people discover Lyon.

After spending 11 years in Australia, Leo Denes became ONLYLYON’s Sydney correspondent in June 2016. He has built up a network of 150 Ambassadors there. The founder of the Australiance website, which offers services and advice to help people successfully expatriate to Australia, he also organises events that showcase Lyon to Australian startups. To thank him for the role he played in bringing Australian firm Award Force to Lyon, he was awarded an ONLYLYON prize in 2017. In 2019, he organised a Festival of Lights event that echoed Sydney’s VIVID music and light festival.

A consultant for French companies, Guillaume Dubuis has lived in Moscow for 25 years. An ONLYLYON correspondent since 2017, he manages the Muscovite community, which today has fifty members. A figure he wishes to ramp up by organizing more events and highlighting the activity of Lyon-area businesses in Russia. An effective scout, he presents Lyon’s strengths and advantages to business decision makers in the city he now calls home, and facilitates the work of Lyon delegations to build relationships between Lyon and Moscow.

Christophe Paucod, the Michelin-starred Lyon chef who heads Tokyo’s “Lugdunum Bouchon Lyonnais” bouchon in Tokyo did us the honour of becoming an ONLYLYON community representative in late 2019. It is a small piece of Lyon in the heart of Japan. With its typical Lyonnais décor the ONLYLYON Ambassadors enjoy gathering in this bistro-style restaurant. “I have tried to bring traditional Lyon cuisine with a slightly more refined touch, and slightly smaller quantities to offfer refined bouchon dining experience.”

A Franco-American, Julie-Anne Lutfi always dreamt of a life that would combine her two favorite cities: Lyon, where she grew up and Boston, where she studied law. Quite naturally, in 2016, she became ONLYLYON’s correspondent in Boston for the city’s 130 members of the Ambassadors network. A corporate lawyer, she has since then spread the “good word” among Bostonians. Involved in developing the Big Booster project (an international start-up acceleration program), she is also a go-to contact for Lyon inhabitants who wish to settle in the area.