Arnaud de Puyfontaine is the CEO of Vivendi, the former parent company of Universal Music Group.
De Puyfontaine has served in the position since 2014 and is also Chairman of the Management Board.
Arnaud de Puyfontaine: Career beginnings
Arnaud de Puyfontaine is a graduate of: the ESCP Europe (1988), the Multimedia Institute (1992) and Harvard Business School (2000).
De Puyfontaine’s media career includes an early role in 1990 as Executive Director of Le Figaro. Having been a member of the founding team of the Emap Group in France, he became Chief Executive Officer of Emap France in 1998. In 2000, joined the Executive Board of Emap plc.
De Puyfontaine also served as an advisor to President of France Nicolas Sarkozy.
Prior to joining Vivendi de Puyfontaine served as UK Chief Executive of publisher Hearst Magazines, as well as Executive Vice-President of International Operations, for four years.
Arnaud de Puyfontaine: Vivendi and taking Universal public
Arnaud de Puyfontaine joined the Vivendi Management Board in 2014 and was Senior Executive Vice President in charge of its media and content operations. After six months, he became Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer.
In 2019, de Puyfontaine confirmed that Vivendi is “pursuing the process of selling additional minority [stakes] in UMG to other partners”.
In 2020, de Puyfontaine was indicted by prosecutors in Italy alongside former Vivendi Chairman Vincent Bollore, over a case alleging market manipulation related to the company’s decision to pull out of a deal with Italian media company Mediaset in 2016. Vivendi has denied any wrongdoing.
De Puyfontaine is Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur and has been awarded the OBE (Officer of the British Empire).Music Business Worldwide