Nicolas de Tavernost, in Paris, September 5, 2019. THOMAS SAMSON / AFP
The emblematic boss of M6, Nicolas de Tavernost, 73, announced Tuesday in a meeting au Figaro that he was going to leave his position as chairman of the group’s management board in April earlier than expected. He should be replaced by David Larramendy.
After the merger project with TF1, which was unsuccessful, “the shareholders asked me to extend my mandate”he says in the daily. “With this now behind us, and following having clarified our strategy on streaming, I considered that the current conditions made it possible, given the good performance of the group, to move on to the succession stage”. He also announced the news on X with a video showing a hand turning off the remote control.
Nicolas de Tavernost began his career in the media by becoming deputy director of Métropole Télévision (M6) in 1987, following leading the project to create the channel within Lyonnaise des Eaux. Replacing Jean Drucker as chairman of the management board of M6 in 2000, he tirelessly defended the interests of a channel that was initially predominantly musical, became generalist, then media group.
Read also | Article reserved for our M6 subscribers: Nicolas de Tavernost, the veteran of the “PAF”, is part of the resistance
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“Preserve M6’s corporate culture”
His departure was confirmed by the channel, which publishes its 2023 results on Tuesday evening. “Through his leadership, business acumen and strategic vision, he grew the company from a small television channel to one of the most profitable and diversified audiovisual groups in Europe”, greeted the group’s supervisory board in a press release. It is henceforth “preferable to entrust the presidency of the group to a new generation who will have to carry out its transformation”declares M6 once more.
The supervisory board appointed David Larramendy as successor to Nicolas de Tavernost. His appointment will take place at the end of the general meeting on April 23, the date on which Nicolas de Tavernost will officially leave his position.
Aged 49, David Larramendy is “a talented professional with strong experience in management and excellent results in advertising management”said M. de Tavernost au Figaro. “The remuneration and appointments committee chose an internal solution rather than external, to preserve M6’s corporate culture”he specifies.
Read the interview (2016): Nicolas de Tavernost: “Television, like life, is not lukewarm water”
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