Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Meet the 5 billionaire Arnault children vying to take over their father’s LVMH empire in a real-life ‘Succession’ plot

Meet the 5 billionaire Arnault children vying to take over their father’s LVMH empire in a real-life ‘Succession’ plot

LVMH chief executive Bernard Arnault, the world's third-richest man, is said to be deciding which of his five children will take over the empire.

The company recently moved to raise its age limit for a chief executive officer so Arnault can stay on.

Arnault, 73, has run the luxury conglomerate for decades. His net worth is estimated at $155 billion. LVMH includes fashion brands Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, champagne producer Moët & Chandon, and watch company TAG Heuer.

The CEO could use this time to think about which one of his children will take over, according to a recent Fortune article. The aging patriarch and his five children vying for power closely mirror HBO's series Succession.

Meet Arnault's five talented children who could one day run LVMH.

Delphine Arnault


The French businesswoman is 46 and the VP of Louis Vuitton. She attended the EDHEC Business School in Lille and the London School of Economics.

She began her career at McKinsey in Paris, where she worked as a consultant for two years and learned strategy, according to the Financial Times. She acquired experience in the fashion industry while working at designer John Galliano’s company in 2000, helping develop the brand.

Between 2001 and 2013, she started working at Christian Dior in the shoe department and rose to deputy managing director for the executive committee. During this time, she oversaw one of the label’s most successful periods, steering the growth of leather goods, accessories, and communication strategies.

Since then, she has become executive vice president of Louis Vuitton and is in charge of supervising the brand’s product-related activities. She follows a calm management style and tends to visit stores when they are at their busiest.

The successful businesswoman also sits on boards such as Château Cheval Blanc, The Saint-Emilion Premier Grand Cru, Les Echos, Loewe, Pucci’s, Celine, Christian Dior, 21st Century Fox, and Repossi. Since 2009, she has been a member of the supervisory board of M6, and in 2013 she joined the supervisory board of Havas.

Delphine is also a supporter of the LVMH Prize, which allows young fashion designers to be coached by LVMH professionals. In 2014 she was also named one of Fortune’s 40 under 40.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4qO91ITy3I

Antoine Arnault


Antoine, 44, is the head of communications and image at LVMH. He is also the chairman of Loro Piana and chief executive of Berluti. The oldest son got his first chief executive role at Berluti, transforming the luxury shoemaker into a menswear label.

In 2002, when Arnault was 25, he cofounded an internet startup and started working in LVMH’s marketing team. He then got his MBA from Insead and, in 2005, rejoined LVMH in the advertising department.

Two years later, he was made director of communications at Louis Vuitton. Under this role, he launched the “core values” campaigns, which featured international figures like Muhammad Ali, Angelina Jolie, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Bono.

In 2011, he launched Les Journées Particulières, in which members of the public were invited to visit the LVMH ateliers and witness the craftsmanship. This festival takes place across 14 countries and encourages LVMH brands to open their doors to the public. He was appointed chairman of Loro Piana two years later, after his father purchased 80% of the cashmere retailer.

In 2018, he took on his current role at LVMH and was tasked with managing the iconic fashion house's image. A year later, after a personal friend bought Laperouse, a historic Parisian restaurant, Arnault took a minority stake.

Like his sister Delphine and his father, he sits on the board of LVMH. According to the Wall Street Journal, he is married to Natalia Vodianova, a Russian model, and is passionate about golf.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzATXCsoM8I/

Alexandre Arnault


At 29, Alexandre is fluent in French, English, and German, and the VP at Tiffany.

He graduated from Telecom ParisTech and got a master’s in innovation from École Polytechnique. His digital experience has helped the fashion conglomerate launch 24 Sevres, its e-commerce platform.

In 2017, he was appointed to lead the luxury luggage bag maker Rimowa after LVMH announced that it would acquire an 80% stake in the company. This acquisition was a key move as Rimowa was the last luxury luggage brand left on the market after Samsonite acquired Tumi. The brand influenced LVMH’s digital strategy and collaborations with Supreme, Off-White, and Fendi.

In 2019, he took over his father’s seat on the board of directors at Carrefour, the French supermarket chain. Finally, last year he became executive vice president of product and communications at Tiffany & Co.

In that role, Alexandre has already started shaking things up with his contemporary and modern approach. According to the Wall Street Journal, CEO Anthony Ledru described him as 40% analysis and 60% gut feeling, a go-getter that made things happen sooner rather than later. Thanks to him, Jay-Z and Beyoncé agreed to do the “About Love” campaign for the jewelry company, which featured a Tiffany-blue Basquiat painting.

In 2021 he married Géraldine Guyot, a young designer. The union was first celebrated in Paris and then in Venice. A grand ceremony was held and attended by Roger Federer, Pharrell Williams, the Carters, and Kanye West, who also performed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUIV6-uI7Uf/

Frédéric Arnault


Frédéric, 27, is the chief executive at TAG Heuer, a luxury watch brand. He studied at the École Polytechnique and ran a mobile payment startup with a friend, which they later sold to BNP. He then joined TAG Heuer full-time as the director of strategy and digital.

When Frédéric was 25, he was named CEO of TAG Heuer, making him the second-youngest Arnault to obtain that position after his brother Alexandre. While he puts a lot of focus into connected watches, which now constitutes 15% of all sales, his main focus is e-commerce, which grew 329% in 2020. It was also thanks to him that TAG Heuer got a key partnership with Porsche.

In 2020 he entered the spotlight after he partnered with Ryan Gosling after taking the reins of TAG Heuer. In the beginning, the partnership seemed unusual because the actor had no social media presence and had never endorsed a product before. However, Frédéric saw an opportunity and finally signed a two-year deal with Gosling after a year and a half of negotiations.

Last year, it reported revenues of $7.1 billion from its watch and jewelry sector in the third quarter.

The young businessman’s history with TAG Heuer dates back to when he was 11 and received a TAG Heuer Aquaracer from his father. In 1999 his father bought the brand, and it has become the most significant watch brand in LVMH’s portfolio.

Frédéric is also a man of many talents and plays the piano and tennis, and is fluent in English, Italian, and German.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9sBaTsoEyI/

Jean Arnault


At 23, Jean is the director of marketing and development for Louis Vuitton watches. Louis Vuitton launched its watch factory in 2003.

The youngest Arnault got his master's degrees in mechanical engineering from Imperial College London and financial mathematics from MIT. His interest in the watchmaking industry peaked after his brother Frédéric told him about what he was doing at TAG Heuer, and he studied at the label's watch institute.

Even though he just started in the business world, the future is bright.

Jean told the Financial Times that he sees huge potential in mechanical watches during the digital, connected revolution. The more his generation connects their lives with devices, the more they desire something strictly mechanical.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca5GcjmrQl7/

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Unelected PM of the UK holds an emergency meeting because a candidate got voted in… which he says is a threat to democracy…
Farmers break through police barriers in Brussels.
Ukraine Arrests Father-Son Duo In Lockbit Cybercrime Bust
US Offers $15 Million For Info On Leaders Of Cybercrime Group Lockbit
Apple warns against drying iPhones with rice
Alexei Navalny: UK sanctions Russian prison chiefs after activist's death
German economy is in 'troubled waters' - ministry
In a recent High Court hearing, the U.S. argued that Julian Assange endangered lives by releasing classified information.
Tucker Carlson says Boris Johnson wants "a million dollars, in Bitcoin or cash, from Tucker Carlson to talk about Ukraine.
Russia is rebuilding capacity to destabilize European countries, new UK report warns
EU Commission wants anti-drone defenses at Brussels HQ
Von der Leyen’s 2nd-term pitch: More military might, less climate talk
EU Investigates TikTok for Child Safety Concerns
EU Launches Probe Into TikTok Over Child Protection Under Digital Content Law
EU and UK Announce Joint Effort on Migration
Ministers Confirm Proposal to Prohibit Mobile Phone Usage in English Schools
Avdiivka - Symbol Of Ukrainian Resistance Now In Control Of Russian Troops
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
"Historic Step": Zelensky Signs Security Pact With Germany
Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny has died at the Arctic prison colony
Tucker Carlson grocery shopping in Russia. This is so interesting.
France and Germany Struggle to Align on European Defense Strategy
‘A lot higher than we expected’: Russian arms production worries Europe’s war planners
Greece Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage and Adoption Rights
Russia "Very Close" To Creating Cancer Vaccines, Says Vladimir Putin
Hungarian Foreign Minister: Europeans will lose Europe, the Union's policy must change drastically
Microsoft says it caught hackers from China, Russia and Iran using its AI tools
US Rejects Putin's Ceasefire Offer in Ukraine
The Dangers of Wildfire Smoke and Self-Protection Strategies
A Londoner has been arrested for expressing his Christian beliefs.
Chinese Women Favor AI Boyfriends Over Humans
Greece must address role in migrant vessel disaster that killed 600: Amnesty
Google pledges 25 million euros to boost AI skills in Europe
Hungarian President Katalin Novák Steps Down Amid Pardon Controversy
Activist crashes Hillary Clinton's speech, calls her a 'war criminal.'
In El Salvador, the 'Trump of Latin America' stuns the world with a speech slamming woke policing after winning a landslide election
Trudeau reacts to Putin's mention of Canadian Parliament applauding a former Ukrainian Nazi in his interview with Tucker Carlson.
The Spanish police blocked the farmers protest. So the farmers went out and moved the police car out of the way.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy fires top Ukraine army commander
Tucker Carlson's interview with Vladimir Putin raises EU concerns
Finnish Airline, Finnair, is voluntarily weighing passengers to better estimate flight cargo weight
Russia's Economy Expands by 3.6% Due to Increased Military Spending
Ukraine MPs Vote To Permit Use Of Dead Soldiers' Sperm
German Princess Becomes First Aristocrat To Pose Naked On Playboy Cover
UK’s King Charles III diagnosed with cancer
EU's Ursula von der Leyen Confronts Farmer Protests Amid Land Policy Debates
Distinguishing Between Harmful AI Media and Positive AI-Generated Content: A Crucial Challenge for the EU
Tucker Carlson explains why he interviewed Putin
Dutch farmers are still protesting in the Netherlands against the government, following the World Economic Forum's call for 'owning nothing.'
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stands up for European farmers and says, 'Brussels is suffocating European farmers.
×