A bit of history and etymology…

In the context of our 30th anniversary, we’d like to share a bit of history and etymology with you today. Do you know the origin of our company’s name? If you don’t, let us tell you…

PIREL was co-founded by Denis Pigeon and François Morel. When the time came to incorporate in 1994, these two men, who were brainstorming to find an original and meaningful name, considered several options. The names Charpas and Pipeline, to name but two, were considered. In the end, it was by combining syllables from their surnames, i.e. the “Pi” of Pigeon and the “rel” of Morel, that the name “PIREL” was formed. The “Mo-Pi” combination was also put forward, but not retained. Phew! 😊

So, for “PIREL”, in terms of originality or at least uniqueness, it was a winner, but a little less so in terms of meaning. That’s why we adopted “Groupe Informatique PIREL” as our official full name. Later, we streamlined it into its current aerodynamic form to make it more versatile.

A little anecdote; as our name was a little too similar to that of another company you know, i.e. Pirelli, we mutually exchanged legal agreements that specifically expressed that PIREL would never go into the rubber industry and that Pirelli would never develop software solutions in the field of enterprise content management. It was a significant moment at square one, to interact with a multinational company more than a hundred years old, but it was also a good omen of the caliber that awaited us.

Again, we could tell you a lot more. Like Peggy (the German shepherd and unofficial mascot) and her role in the birth of the company, but that’s for another article.

Until next time!