Born: March 5, 1949 (age 73 years), Roubaix, France
Children: Antoine Arnault, Delphine Arnault, Alexandre Arnault, Frédéric Arnault, Jean Arnault Trending
Full name: Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault
Organizations founded: Europ@web, Groupe Arnault
Grandchildren: Elisa Niel, Maxim Arnault, Roman Arnault
Awards: Medal of Pushkin
Education: École Polytechnique (1969–1971), Lycée Faidherbe, Ecole Centrale Paris
Bernard Arnault & family: Chairman And CEO, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton
Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault KBE is a French business magnate, investor, and art collector. He is the co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of LVMH Moët Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE, the world’s largest luxury goods company. Wikipedia
Early life
Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault was born on 5 March 1949 in Roubaix. His mother, Marie-Josèphe Savinel, daughter of Étienne Savinel, had a “fascination for Dior”.[citation needed] His father, manufacturer Jean Léon Arnault, a graduate of École Centrale Paris, owned the civil engineering company Ferret-Savinel.
Arnault was educated at the Lycée Maxence Van Der Meersch in Roubaix, and the Lycée Faidherbe in Lille. In 1971, he graduated from the École Polytechnique, France’s leading engineering school, and began work for his father’s company. Three years later, after he convinced his father to shift the focus of the company to real estate, Ferret-Savinel sold the industrial construction division and was renamed Ferinel. Following the acquisition of a textile company and relocation of their headquarters, the company renamed the real estate branch to the George V Group. The real estate assets were later sold to Compagnie Générale des Eaux (CGE), eventually becoming Nexity.
About Bernard Arnault & family
- Bernard Arnault oversees the LVMH empire of some 70 fashion and cosmetics brands, including Louis Vuitton and Sephora.
- In January 2021, LVMH acquired American jeweler Tiffany & Co for $15.8 billion, believed to be the biggest luxury brand acquisition ever.
- LVMH spent $3.2 billion in 2019 for luxury hospitality group Belmond, which owns or manages 46 hotels, trains and river cruises.
- His father made a small fortune in construction; Arnault got his start by putting up $15 million from that business to buy Christian Dior in 1985.
- Four of Arnault’s five children work in corners of the LVMH empire: Frédéric, Delphine, Antoine and Alexandre.
Source: Forbes, Kuba Dabrowski/WWD
