When Vivendi split into four companies in late 2024 and Havas once again became a public company, Bollore Group held effective control of the ad marketing group with a 30.2% stake. 

Now it owns actual control—over 52%, the company confirmed late last week. 

In recent months a Bollore investment entity called Compagnie de l’Etoile des Mers has quietly bought nearly 19% of the outstanding shares of Havas, now traded on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange. 

Meanwhile, Havas CEO Yannick Bollore personally acquired 2.9% of the company’s shares through a separate entity that are now being transferred to Compagnie de l’Etoile des Mers. When the transfer is complete, the CEO will add the title of chairman of that investment entity.  

According to the company, the moves signal “confidence” in Havas and its ability to deliver results. 

Disclosure of the elevated investment follows the release of Havas’s full-year results on February 17 when the company reported that it exceeded growth expectations for 2025.