Bernard Arnault net worth: Bio, age, career, family, business, wife.
Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault is a French business magnate, investor, and art collector. He is the co-founder, Chairman, and CEO of LVMH Mot Hennessy – Louis Vuitton SE, the world’s largest luxury goods company. According to Forbes, Arnault and his family have a net worth of US$186.5 billion as of December 2022, making him the world’s second-richest person and the richest in Europe.
Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault was born in Roubaix on March 5, 1949. His mother, Marie-Josèphe Savinel, daughter of Étienne Savinel, had a “fascination for Dior”. His father, industrialist Jean Léon Arnault, an École Centrale Paris graduate, owned the civil engineering firm Ferret-Savinel.
Picasso, Yves Klein, Henry Moore, and Andy Warhol are among the artists represented in Arnault’s collection. He also helped establish LVMH as a major art patron in France. The LVMH Young Fashion Designer competition was established as an international competition for students from fine arts schools. Each year, the winner receives a scholarship to support their brand’s development and a year of mentorship.
He owned Phillips de Pury & Company, an art auction house, from 1999 to 2003 and bought out France’s first auctioneer, Tajan. Arnault launched the Louis Vuitton Foundation construction project in 2006. Frank Gehry designed the building dedicated to the creation and contemporary art. The Foundation was officially launched on October 20, 2014 at the Jardin d’Acclimatation Paris.
Bernard Arnault Biography and Profile Summary
Full Name | Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault |
Birth Date | 5 March 1949 |
Birth Place | Roubaix, France |
Net Worth | $170 billion |
---|---|
Nick Name | Bernard Arnault |
Religion | Christian |
Nationality | French |
Father’s Name | Jean Leon Arnault |
Mother’s Name | Marie-Josephe Savinel |
Siblings | One sister |
Profession | Entrepreneur, investor, art collector, media proprietor |
Marital Status: | Married |
Bernard Arnault Net Worth
Bernard Arnault’s net worth is around $170 billion. Bernard Arnault is the third richest man in the world and today the richest man in Europe. Arnold’s net worth is amassed through shares in LVMH, which sells luxury goods, earning billions. He would sometimes make billions in just 72 hours when stocks soared. Some brands under LVMH are Louis Vuitton, Christian Dior, Moet & Chandon, and Tiffany & Co, among many others.
Bernard Arnault Personal life (Wife)
Bernard has been married twice (their first wife, Ann Devavrin, whom he married in 1973 and divorced in 1990). Currently he has been married to Helen Mercier since 1991. Arnault has five children who are also part of the LVMH empire. Some children include Frederic Arnault, Antoine Arnault, Delphine Arnault, and Frederic Arnault.
Bernard Arnault Parents
He was born to Marie-Josèphe Savinel and Jean Léon Arnault.
Bernard Arnault Age, Height, and Weight
Born on 5 March 1949, Bernard Arnault is 74 years old as of 2023. His height is 1.85 meters tall, and his weight is 80 kg.
Bernard Arnault Career & Business
After assuming the company’s chairmanship, Bernard began acquiring other companies, such as Financier Agache, a luxury goods company. He also acquired a textile company that had suffered, Boussac Saint-Frères, and Peaudouce, a diaper manufacturing company.
In 1987 he became the CEO of LVMH and, in 1989, became the company’s chairman after buying most of the company’s shares. Today Arnault is one of the largest luxury groups in the world, alongside two other luxury companies Kering and Swiss luxury giant Richemont. He oversaw the acquisition of major companies such as Celine, Kenzo, Berluti, La Tribune, Les Echos, and Lowe’s. Arnault has also invested in companies such as Boo.com, Zebank, Netflix, Colony Capital, Princess Yachts, and Château d’Yquem. Apart from business, Arnault is an art collector, and his collection includes Andy Warhol, Henry Moore, Picasso, and Yves Klein, among others.
Bernard Arnault Education and Awards
Currently, he is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of LVMH. He completed his diploma studies at Ecole Polytechnique in 1969-1971. Arnault attended Lycée Maxence Van Der Meersch in Roubaix and Lycée Faidherbe in Lille. He graduated from Ecole Polytechnique, France’s top engineering school, in 1971 and started working for his father’s company. After three years of persuading his father to shift the company’s focus to real estate, Ferret-Savinel sold the industrial construction division and was renamed Ferinel. He also awarded more honours which are very effective.
- Grand Officer of the Legion d’Honneur on 14 July 2011
- Commander of the Legion d’Honneur on 10 February 2007.
- Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 2012
- Woodrow Wilson Award for Global Corporate Citizenship in 2011.
- The Museum of Modern Art’s David Rockefeller Prize in March 2014.
- Member of the World’s Millionaires
Bernard Arnault: Facts
- Bernard made a €200 million donation to the restoration of the Notre Dame Cathedral.
- The Wolf in Cashmere” is his moniker.
- He started his career in the construction business and rose through the ranks to become the CEO of the world’s greatest fashion conglomerate.
- His major break came when he purchased Dior from a bankrupt corporation.
- Amid the turmoil, he purchased a 24 percent controlling share in Louis Vuitton.
- Bernard Arnault is now the wealthiest person in the fashion industry.
- Picasso, Warhol, Basquiat, and Hirst are among the artists whose work he owns.
- He’s an excellent pianist.
- He is a tennis fanatic.
- He is said to be the owner of a private Caribbean island in the Bahamas.