France’s Banijay Group is expanding its leadership team with the hire of veteran M&A exec Stéphane Préfol to head up this side of its growth strategy. 

Starting March 6, Préfol will work on M&A planning across Banijay’s business units, including Kids & Family, which is led by CEO Benoit Di Sabatino. He will be based in Paris and reports to Marco Bassetti (CEO) and Cédric Brignon (CFO).

“With over 10 acquisitions completed in 2022 alone, it was important for us to have a concentrated position in the team focused purely on M&A,” said Bassetti in a release. Those recent acquisitions on the kids side include UK-based Kindle Entertainment (Ivy + Bean), Italian animation studio Movimenti Production (Top Gigio, Spooky Wolf) and Australia’s Beyond International (Mythbusters).

Prior to joining Banijay, Préfol was associate director of M&A for French ad giant Publicis Groupe. During his seven years there, he helped negotiate and close more than 40 acquisitions in the entertainment, tech, events and e-commerce industries. He has also worked in M&A roles at French financial companies Kepler Cheavreux (2010-2013) and Wagram Corporate Finance (2006-2010).