Julien Carette and Christophe Coffre, respectively CEO and creative director of the communication agency Havas Paris, have “withdrawn” of their functions after accusations of harassment and sexual assault, confirmed Monday, May 2 one of the leaders of the group to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Havas, a subsidiary of Vivendi, also launched an audit after the publication of around twenty anonymous testimonies by the Instagram account “Balance your agency”, which for almost a week has denounced the sexist atmosphere that has long reigned within the agency and implicates these two persons in charge.
At the helm for ten years of the agency of which they are now co-presidents, the two men are accused of having sought to ” to kiss “ or ” to touch “ on many occasions female employees, sometimes trainees, in the premises of Havas Paris or during external events.
“JC is a brilliant guy but he has the sexuality of a teenager. (…) Under cover of being drunk, after two drinks, he jumps on anything that moves. Same for DC [directeur de création] of Havas Events. I remember to warn interns not to approach them during agency evenings »according to one of these testimonies.
“Everyone knew it”
“Comments on all the clothes, hands on the shoulder and the waist, kisses very close to the mouth, I avoided him and only feared one thing, finding myself face to face with him”, says one of his former collaborators about Christophe Coffre. Others remember about him a gesture simulating a sexual act, and inappropriate remarks.
The facts date back, depending on the case, to two, three years and up to ten years and have sometimes led to departures associated with non-disclosure agreements, reports to AFP Anne Boistard, creator in 2020 of the account “Balance your agency to denounce abuses in communication agencies.
“Everyone knew it and everyone knows it”she continues, referring to ” thirty “ victims, even if “Since #metoo they have calmed down. » The two leaders continue to work for the agency, said the leader of Havas to AFP. But “they don’t host meetings and are on the sidelines when it comes to managing the agency”he continued, adding: “We are talking about twenty people who expressed themselves in an agency which has seen nearly 4,000 employees pass through”.
Havas Paris is one of the three largest communications agencies in Paris, with some 600 employees. The Havas group is headed by Yannick Bolloré, son of Vincent Bolloré, who controls the Vivendi group.