Born and raised in France, Benoit managed to scoop up a French law degree prior to studying Hotel Administration at Cornell University. Upon graduation in 1975, he engaged in an eleven-year hotel management career that took him to Chicago, New York, Washington DC, San Diego, Istanbul, Jamaica and Hawaii. He held positions with Omni, Hyatt, Hilton International, and Méridien, as well as Honolulu’s unique Halekulani, consistently rated as one of the world’s best. Benoit was bit by the "headhunting" bug in 1986, and has not relented yet. He founded "The Boutique Search Firm" in February 1992, and successfully sold it in 2021. Benoit loves to mountain bike. His “retirement” passion is fly fishing and he can be found most days of the year on the rivers and lakes of Central Oregon. He also happens to be one of the world's leading experts and collectors of Tintin. His favorite artists: Sonia DelaunayIndiana, Jasper Johns, Robert Indiana, and Damien Hirst.