Editorial: Dru would suit Havas but his task will be difficult.

The good news is that the battle for the soul of Havas is over.

The tense stand-off between Alain de Pouzilhac, the group's boss, and the corporate raider Vincent Bollore was benefiting nobody; not staff anxious about the group's long-term prospects as an independent entity and certainly not existing clients and new-business prospects.

Now de Pouzilhac has thrown in the towel and the industry waits to see what will happen to Havas now it has fallen under the control of someone who, so far, has been enigmatic about his intentions. With the power struggle over, Bollore must declare his hand and the expected arrival of Jean-Marie Dru as de Pouzilhac's successor augurs well. Publicis' boss, Maurice Levy, is probably the only French adman who commands more international respect than him and Dru would bring to Havas a wealth of experience gained well beyond his homeland. What's more, his appointment suggests Bollore intends keeping Havas intact.

The bad news is that a change of leadership cannot mask the formidable task confronting Havas. It scarcely qualifies as a major league player - in revenue terms, it is nowhere near the size of its closest rival, Publicis Groupe, and is dwarfed by the likes of WPP and ...