November 17, 2023

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Laurent Prud'homme to become Directeur Général of Olympique Lyonnais SASU

 

To the supporters of Olympique Lyonnais,

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In my capacity as Chairman and CEO of the Olympique Lyonnais Groupe ("OLG") and President of Olympique Lyonnais SASU (“OL”), I am extremely pleased to announce that Laurent Prud'homme will become Directeur Général of Olympique Lyonnais SASU, our principal football business.

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In his role, Laurent will be responsible for the direction and management of all day-to-day operations of Olympique Lyonnais, reporting directly to me. Although final decisions on ‘football matters' will rest with me, with his active contribution, the football department of Olympique Lyonnais (including its Coach/Manager and future Sports Director) will report directly to Laurent. He will be the principal representative of OL to government, public, administrative and sports authorities, such as LFP, UEFA, local elected officials, and the French Government.

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Laurent Prud’homme brings an extensive experience as a transformative CEO in media, technology and entertainment and has a compelling vision for Olympique Lyonnais. We’ve taken a lot of time together to talk and align on where we both think the club needs to get to over the next 3 to 5 years, and how it should be done. I am convinced that we have found the perfect person for the very big job of leading Olympique Lyonnais. Laurent will quickly get into the details with some of the key figures in the club, the broader operational team, and the fans, and I’m confident that together we will be able to make lots of positive progress on both the business and the sporting sides of the club.

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Why Laurent Prud’Homme

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• He’s coming because it is Lyon. Laurent is coming because he cares about OL, it’s his club. He wasn’t looking to make a move to a football club before we started our discussions, but he said yes precisely because it’s OL. His family comes from the region, and he did all his studies in the city. He sees this as an opportunity for him to “come home”.

• He has a great exposure to professional football: During his 3-year as CEO of L’Equipe, he’s worked extensively with various national and international organizations in France and Europe, including the Ballon d’Or. He has built a strong network among key players and key people at the FFF and the LFP.

• He’s a seasoned media professional: It’s not just what he’s done at L’Equipe, Laurent has also spent time at Canal+, TF1 and Eurosport. He has a deep understanding of TV rights and the associated negotiations. This is absolutely crucial in the short and medium term because it is one of our most important revenue streams. 

• He’s a transformative CEO: Laurent brings the club a wealth of experience when it comes to transformation. Laurent is an experienced CEO and he’s successfully transformed companies in the past. He knows what it takes to craft a compelling vision, and to bring the whole club on the journey with him.

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Laurent has got the perfect skillset for OL. During the time he was away from Lyon, he’s had a fantastic set of experiences that are going to be hugely beneficial for the club as we look forward. As the club’s President, I am genuinely excited about our ability to attract talents such as Laurent and what that can mean for OL over the coming years.