The board of directors of Lagardère SA, parent company of Hachette Livre, has unanimously voted to reappoint Arnaud Lagardère as chairman and chief executive officer.
Lagardère stepped down from the role on April 29, when he was replaced by Jean-Christophe Thiery. The change came after Lagardère was banned from management activities and forced to resign as CEO following an April indictment in Paris, which accused him of embezzling money from companies he personally owned. Lagardère's lawyers appealed the decision, and the ban was partially lifted.
Lagardère is also expected to resume his role as chairman and CEO of Hachette Livre, pending approval from the company's board of directors. Additionally, he has returned to his positions as president of Lagardère Commandité SAS and managing partner of Lagardère Radio SCA.
Upon his reinstatement, Lagardère stated: "I would like to extend warm thanks to Jean-Christophe Thiery, who has done a remarkable job as chief executive following my forced withdrawal from management duties. I am obviously delighted to be resuming my position as chief executive officer of the group that bears my name and to be reunited with the talented teams that I now have the honor of leading to future success."
Lagardère was acquired late last year by Vivendi, which owns 60% of the shares of the company. Lagardère Group operates in more than 40 countries and employs approximately 31,300 workers. Its main divisions include Lagardère Publishing, Lagardère Travel Retail, and Lagardère News, and also encompasses Lagardère Live Entertainment, Lagardère Paris Racing, and Lagardère Radio SCA. The company reported revenue of €8,081 million in 2023.
Including Lagardêre, Vivendi now has 66,000 employees, with annual revenues projected to reach approximately €17 billion based on 2022 results.
