Havas is leaving its parent Vivendi, a media group with a range of assets including publisher Hachette and cable television Canal+.
The France-based advertising group, valued at €2.5 billion, will start trading next week as a separate entity on the stock exchange in Amsterdam.
Shareholders at Vivendi approved by more than 97.5% of the votes the separation from Vivendi of Canal+, Havas and Louis Hachette Group.
Havas in 2023 reported consolidated revenue of €2.872 billion, with net revenue of €2.695 billion.
The company, founded in 1835, is aiming to generate contributions to net revenue from new acquisitions averaging between €40 million and €50 million per year over the medium term.
In the current year to December, Havas is forecasting flat to negative 1% in net revenue.
But in 2025 the company believes it can grow net revenue by more than 2%.
"The decision to seek an independent listing for Havas marks an exciting new chapter for our group,” said Vivendi CEO Yannick Bolloré when pitching the idea to float.
“This milestone underscores our commitment to long-term growth and value creation and would provide added flexibility to support the implementation of our converged strategy.
“It would also allow the group to more swiftly pursue innovation efforts and targeted acquisitions thanks to increased agility.”
A slide from the pitch deck Vivendi used to present the separate listing proposal:
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