Gérard Degonse, Chief Financial Officer of JCDecaux (JCDecaux SA Euronext Paris: DEC), the number one outdoor advertising company in Europe and the number two worldwide, has been named Finance Director of the year for 2004 in France. The panel was chaired by Anne Lauvergeon, Chairman of the Board of Areva.

The Finance Director of the year award was set up in 2000 by Le Figaro, (the leading French daily newspaper), the DFCG (the French association of financial directors and controllers) and Hudson (Human capital management company). Its aim is to increase the recognition of the position of Finance Director, which the award’s committee believe is « insufficiently acknowledged but essential for the smooth running and economic success of companies. »

Commenting on the award, Anne Lauvergeon, Chairman of the Board of Areva, said: « Gérard Degonse displays all of the qualities that the market expects from a finance director. He has demonstrated his ability to make finance work for the company's strategy rather than letting finance constrain the company. This requires a considerable amount of dedication, long term vision and technical expertise. »

Jean-Charles Decaux, Chairman and Co-CEO, added: « On behalf of the Group, I would like to warmly congratulate Gérard Degonse, as well as the whole finance team. The quality of their work makes JCDecaux one of the benchmarks for financial communication in the media sector. This award also demonstrates the success of our broad-based management team, introduced by the Decaux family when the Group was listed on the Stock Market four years ago. »