Bernard Arnault

Synopsis

Bernard Arnault was born on 5 march, 1949 in Roubaix, France. His father, Jean Leon Arnault was a businessman and the owner of a civil engineering company. He is the richest person in France and among top 5 richest people in the world. He is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LVMH.

Education

Bernard graduating from the Maxence Van Der Meersch high school in Roubaix. He later joined Ecole Polytechnique and earned a degree in engineering in 1971.

Career

After graduation, Bernard Arnault joined his father company in 1971, convinced his father to change the focus of the company to real estate. After his contribution, he became CEO in 1977 and succeeded to make his father as president of the company. In 1984, his friend Antoine Bernheim help him to acquire a Financiere Agache, a luxury good company and became the CEO of Financiere Agache.

Arnault took control of many Company and sold nearly all the Company a s sets keeping only the Prestigious Christian Dior Brand, and Le Bon Marche department store.

In 1987, after the creation of LVMH, Bernard Arnault mediated a conflict between Alain Chevalier, Moet Hennessy’s CEO, and Henri Racamier, president Louis Vuitton, and new groups held property right to Dior perfumes.

Arnault provide $1.5 billion to form company that helds 24% LVMHS’S share, and spent $600 million to buy 13.5% more of LVMS, and he spent another $500 million to gain control a total of 43.5% of LVMH, and was unanimously elected chairman of the executive management board on 13 January 1989.

Arnault company Blue Capital, that he owns jointly with the France largest supermarket retailer and world’s largest food distributor, Carrefour in 2007, and entered the Yacht business and bought Princess Yachts for 250 million Euros and took control of Royal van Lent for an almost identical sum.

Arnault is the board of director of LVMH and has been a board member of Comite Colbert since November 2012, and has been a board member of Holding Company Controlling family – owned French publisher Gallimard, since November 2013.

Awards

Bernard Arnault has claimed many awards in recent year such as: Commander of the French Legion of Honour in 10 Feb, 2010, Grand Officer of the French Legion of Honour in 24 July 2011, Corporate Citizenship awards from Woodrow Wilson International centre of scholars in 2011, Honorary Knight Commander of the most Excellent order of British Empire in 2012, and Museum of Modern Art’s David Rockefeller Award in March 2014.

Personal Life

Arnault has married twice. He married his first wife, Anne Dewavrin in 1973. The couple has a daughter, Delphine and a son, Antoine from. He had a divorce with her in 1990.

Bernard Arnault married his second wife, Helene Mercier, a Canadian pianist from Quebec in 1991. He has three sons, Alexandre, Frederic, and Jean from her. 

Net worth

Bernard Arnault net worth is estimated at $41.6 billion, and among top 5 richest people in the world with a personal wealth that exceeds US $ 30 billion, and earned the monthly salary of about $749,296.