Paris Saint-Germain and Power of the Collective: Yannick Bolloré on leadership, legacy and loyalty
At Storyboard18 Marquee Nights, Yannick Bolloré likened the success of the current Paris Saint-Germain squad to his own leadership ethos, emphasizing that the strength of the collective outweighs individual brilliance.
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At Storyboard18 Marquee Nights, Yannick Bolloré, Chairman and CEO of Havas, offered a revealing look into the values that shape his leadership, from a deep admiration for Indian culture to a staunch belief in the strength of the collective over the cult of individualism. But it was a football analogy that most clearly defined his worldview.
Speaking about Paris Saint-Germain, France’s premier football club, Bolloré drew a sharp contrast between its past and present iterations. PSG, owned by Qatar with virtually unlimited resources, had some of the world’s best individual players like Beckham, Neymar and Mbappé, but despite the star power, they still failed to win the Champions League. He said having the big names was a great strategy to sell jerseys, but that it didn’t translate into winning the big trophy.
“This year, with a team of younger, lesser-known players, they won 5-0. It’s the strength of the collective. It’s even more important than the quality of the individual.”
That insight wasn’t just about football. It was a summation of Bolloré’s management philosophy, a belief that great organizations aren’t built on star power alone, but on cohesion, loyalty and long-term thinking. An invaluable outlook he picked up from his father, Vincent Bolloré's leadership playbook.
A key lesson he learned from his father was the importance of managing human relationships: keeping the same team for years, showing deep loyalty to his people, and receiving that loyalty in return. In the end, he said, success isn't about having the best individuals or professionals, but about building the strongest collective.
Throughout a rapid-fire conversation marked by warmth and candor, Bolloré reflected on a leadership journey that has seen him become one of the advertising industry’s longest-serving CEOs. “I think I’m even a better CEO today than I was 12 years ago,” he said. “My job is to leave the group in a better shape than when I took over.”
His goal for Havas, which will celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2035, is not to become the biggest, but to remain the most culturally cohesive. “I would love this group to remain as it is today, caring for each other, being maybe smarter than the opposition,” he said. “Today, I would say that Havas is clearly the most attractive group in the global industry because of its culture.”
Culture and its power to generate desire is a recurring theme for Bolloré. Asked to describe French culture in a single word, he chose “refinement,” then elaborated: “What strikes me the most about French brands is how they manage to create desire. That’s what we do best.”
That ability to build desire is also what he believes AI cannot replicate. While Havas has made more than 70 acquisitions in tech and data over the past three decades, Bolloré remains bullish on creativity. “There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors around what AI can do. But ultimately, consumers are feeling AI fatigue,” he said. “You still need a brilliant mind to create something that’s never been done before.”
And in perhaps the most personal moment of the night, Bolloré named his father as the French business leader he most admires. “He created one of the largest groups in the world,” he said. “What I admire most is his loyalty to people. It’s not about having the best individuals… it’s about having the best collective.”
For Yannick Bolloré, whether in football, advertising, or family legacy, the message is consistent: greatness is not achieved alone.
