French tycoon Bollore candidate for top Vivendi job: report

PARIS (Reuters) - French tycoon Vincent Bollore, Vivendi's (VIV.PA) main shareholder, is willing to take the helm of the media and telecoms group, French media reported on Saturday.

Vivendi has designated U.S. head-hunter Russell Reynolds to find a successor to Jean-Francois Dubos, 68, the current CEO and head of the management board, radio and TV station BFM said, citing industrial sources.

But the head-hunter's first pick, a younger German media executive, did not suit Bollore, who decided to put forward his own candidacy as a result, BFM and daily Les Echos reported.

A nomination committee is expected to discuss the topic next week, before a meeting of the supervisory board at the end of the month, Les Echos added.

A Vivendi spokesman declined comment on the reports.

A spokesman for Bollore group (BOL.PA), of which Vincent Bollore is CEO, was not immediately available for comment.

Bollore, 61, is already a member of Vivendi's supervisory board and the company's main shareholder with a 4.95 percent stake, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Vivendi, in the midst of a broad revamp to pay down debt and focus on media, last month trimmed part of its annual targets amid tough competition from low-cost telecoms player Iliad (ILD.PA).

(Reporting by Natalie Huet; Editing by Mark Heinrich)