Arnaud de Puyfontaine

Chairman of the Management Board, Chief Executive Officer

French citizen

Business address

Expertise and experience

Arnaud de Puyfontaine is a graduate of the ESCP Europe (1988), the Multimedia Institute (1992) and Harvard Business School (2000). 

He started his career as a consultant at Arthur Andersen and then in 1989 worked as a project manager at Rhône-Poulenc Pharma in Indonesia. 

In 1990, he joined Le Figaro as Executive Director. 

In 1995, as a member of the founding team of the Emap Group in France, he headed Télé Poche and Studio Magazine, managed the acquisition of Télé Star and Télé Star Jeux, and launched the Emap Star Division, before becoming Chief Executive Officer of Emap France in 1998. 

In 1999, he was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Emap France, and, in 2000, joined the Executive Board of Emap plc. He led several M&A deals, and concomitantly, from 2000 to 2005, served as Chairman of EMW, the Emap/Wanadoo digital subsidiary. 

In August 2006, he was appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Editions Mondadori France. In June 2007, he became General Manager of all digital business for the Mondadori group. 

In April 2009, Arnaud de Puyfontaine joined the US media group Hearst as Chief Executive Officer of its UK subsidiary, Hearst UK. 

In 2011, on behalf of the Hearst group, he led the acquisition from the Lagardère group of 102 magazines published abroad, and, in June 2011, was appointed Executive Vice President of Hearst Magazines International. In August 2013, he was appointed Managing Director for Western Europe. He has also been Chairman of ESCP Europe Alumni. 

From January to June 2014, Arnaud de Puyfontaine was a member of the Vivendi Management Board and Senior Executive Vice President in charge of its media and content operations. Since June 24, 2014, he has been Chairman of the Management Board. 

Arnaud de Puyfontaine is Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur and was awarded an OBE (Officer of the British Empire). 

Positions currently held (in France)

Vivendi Group
Canal+ Group, Member of the Supervisory Board
Havas, Director
Editis Holding, Chairman of the Board of Directors
Prisma Media, Chairman of the Board of Directors

Other positions and offices (in France)

Innit, Member of the Advisory Committee
French American Foundation, Honorary Chairman
Lagardère SA (*), Member of the Board of Directors

(*)    Listed company.