Bernard Arnault is a world-famous tax record holder, visionary entrepreneur, and one of the most influential figures in the global luxury industry. He is the Chairman and CEO of :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0} (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) and :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}, overseeing the largest luxury goods empire ever created.

Bernard Arnault, whose full name is Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault, was born on March 5, 1949, in Roubaix, France. His father, Jean Leon Arnault, was a businessman. After completing his education at Maxence Van Der Meersch High School, he studied engineering at the prestigious École Polytechnique, graduating in 1971. Although expected to manage his father’s construction company and maintain a modest family fortune, Arnault chose a radically different path.

Immediately after graduating, in 1971, Bernard Arnault joined his father’s construction firm Ferret-Savinel as an engineer. While working there, he developed ambitious plans to transform the business. In 1976, after convincing his father, he redirected the company’s focus from construction to the rapidly expanding real estate sector. The firm sold all its construction assets and reinvested the proceeds—approximately 40 million French francs—into real estate. The company was later renamed “Ferinel” and expanded into tourism and hospitality, achieving notable success.

In 1974, Bernard Arnault was appointed Director of the Company Development Department. Three years later, in 1977, he became CEO, and in 1979, he succeeded his father as Chairman of the Board.

In 1981, following the election of François Mitterrand as President of France and the rise of socialist economic policies, Arnault moved with his family to the United States. There, he continued his real estate ventures, developing luxury residential projects in Palm Beach, Florida. When France shifted toward a more conservative economic model in 1983, he returned home.

During this period, the major textile group Boussac Saint-Frères declared bankruptcy. Bernard Arnault seized the opportunity and, in partnership with Antoine Bernheim of Lazard Frères, secured financing to acquire the company, which owned the Christian Dior design studio and workshops. The acquisition totaled 80 million USD, of which Arnault personally invested 15 million USD, while the remaining 65 million USD was financed by Bernheim.

After the acquisition, Arnault sold most of Boussac’s assets but retained the prestigious Christian Dior brand and the Le Bon Marché department store. In 1985, he became CEO of Christian Dior. From this foundation, he began acquiring additional companies, steadily building a luxury empire.

In 1987, the merger of Louis Vuitton and Moët Hennessy created LVMH. Bernard Arnault invested millions of dollars into the new entity, becoming its largest shareholder. He was soon appointed Chairman and launched an aggressive expansion strategy that transformed LVMH into the world’s leading luxury goods conglomerate.

Over the years, he acquired numerous prestigious brands, including Guerlain (1994), Loewe (1996), Marc Jacobs (1997), Sephora (1997), and Thomas Pink (1999). The group gradually expanded to include historic fashion houses such as Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, Kenzo, Celine, Fendi, and many others.

LVMH’s operations extend far beyond fashion. Its portfolio includes luxury wines and spirits such as Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Hennessy, cosmetics retailer Sephora, the world’s largest duty-free retailer DFS Group, and luxury watchmaker TAG Heuer. Bernard Arnault did not found these brands; his extraordinary talent lies in transforming established names into global icons and market leaders.

According to Forbes’ March 2011 report, Bernard Arnault ranked as the world’s fourth-richest individual with a fortune of 41 billion USD. His net worth rose to 54.5 billion USD by May 9, 2017, reached 197.8 billion USD in 2021, and continued to grow significantly thereafter.

He owns nearly 60 luxury brands, including Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, Sephora, Hennessy, Dom Pérignon, Fendi, Donna Karan, Givenchy, Zenith, Moët & Chandon, Guerlain, and TAG Heuer.

In 1989, when he became CEO and Chairman of LVMH, Bernard Arnault also acquired a minority stake in the French retail group Carrefour. In 2008, he successfully sued eBay for selling counterfeit versions of his brands’ products and was awarded 61 million USD in damages.

Following the election of François Hollande as President of France in May 2012 and discussions of increased tax rates, Bernard Arnault applied for Belgian citizenship in August 2012. Shortly thereafter, reports indicated that 4.1 billion euros in group assets were transferred to Belgium to benefit from more favorable tax regulations.

His daughter Delphine Arnault serves as Vice Chair of LVMH and was appointed CEO of Christian Dior in January 2023. His son Antoine Arnault became CEO of the company managing the family’s LVMH holdings in December 2022.

From his second marriage, his sons include Alexandre Arnault (born May 5, 1992), Executive Vice President of Tiffany & Co.; Frédéric Arnault (born 1995), head of TAG Heuer; and Jean Arnault (born 1998), Director of Marketing and Business Development for the watch division of Louis Vuitton.

Bernard Arnault has been married twice. His first marriage was to Anne Dewavrin in 1973; the couple divorced in 1990 and had two children, Delphine Arnault and Antoine Arnault. In 1991, he married concert pianist Hélène Mercier, with whom he has three sons.

An avid art collector, Bernard Arnault owns works by legendary artists such as Pablo Picasso, Yves Klein, Henry Moore, and Andy Warhol.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Bernard Arnault surpassed Elon Musk at the end of 2022 to become the world’s richest person. As of April 20, 2023, his net worth was estimated at approximately 208 billion USD.

Source: Biyografiler.com