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Arnault Family: Get to Know the Billionaire Heirs of Bernard Arnault and Their Top Positions at LVMH

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Nov 27, 2024 / 1039 Views

Evan Walker

If there is one name that stands out in the world of luxury goods, it’s the Arnault family. Bernard Arnault is Europe’s richest man and the CEO of French luxury conglomerate LVMH. While the 75-year-old has impressively built his vast fortune in the luxury goods empire, Arnault’s five children have also taken prominent roles in the family Business. Amid news of a reshuffle at the top of LVMH and his son Alexandre Arnault’s new role at the HQ, succession talks seem to be gaining momentum. Here’s looking at the Arnault family heirs and the current positions of Alexandre Arnault and his siblings in the company.

After revamping the Tiffany & Co. brand, Bernard Arnault’s son Alexandre Arnault is now gearing up to handle a bigger portfolio as he has been named the deputy chief executive of the company’s Moët Hennessy brand. The 32-year-old will head the wine and spirits division, a decision announced as part of a broader leadership shuffle currently underway at the luxury goods company. According to reports, Alexandre will step into his new role starting February 2025.

LVMH succession plans

Alexandre Arnault’s new position at the company is particularly impactful given that he is the first of Bernard Arnault’s five children to serve in a senior role in the wine and spirits department. He is Bernard Arnault’s middle child, younger than the billionaire’s oldest children—Delphine Arnault, 49, the CEO of Dior, and Antoine Arnault, 47, senior executive CEO at Dior—from his first marriage with Anne Dewavrin. Alexandre is the oldest son from Bernard’s second marriage to Hélène Mercier-Arnault. His younger brothers are, Fréderic, 29, CEO of LVMH Watches, and Jean, 26, who leads Louis Vuitton’s watch business.

Considering Moët Hennessy is one of the company’s heritage divisions, Alexandre’s step up to lead the brand seemingly suggests his future role at the top. However, previously while speaking about the company’s succession plan, Bernard Arnault revealed that it’s not confirmed if any of his children will take over. In an interview with the New York Times, he clarified his stance saying, “It’s not an obligation, nor inevitable, that a kid is my successor,” adding the “best person inside the family or outside the family should be one day my successor.”

Before the world’s largest luxury goods company names its successor, here is a look at all of Bernard Arnault’s children and the top positions they hold at LVMH and its brands.

Arnault family heirs: Top positions held by Alexandre Arnault and his siblings

Delphine Arnault

The oldest child of Bernard Arnault, Delphine, 49 is the daughter of the billionaire and his first wife Dewavrin. After building her business background at the EDHEC Business School in Lille, France, and the London School of Economics, she first worked at a consulting firm for two years before joining the family business. On joining LVMH in 2000, Delphine worked with Dior creative director John Galliano’s own label. In 2008, she was named deputy chief of the designer Christian Dior Couture and later quit this position in 2013 to serve as the director and executive vice president of Louis Vuitton. Delphine was also named a member of the management board of the LVMH group in 2003, becoming the first woman and youngest person to occupy that position.

Last year, Delphine was appointed as the CEO and chair of Dior after successfully serving as Louis Vuitton’s vice president for a decade. Handing the top position to his daughter, Bernard Arnault said in a statement, “Under her leadership, the desirability of Louis Vuitton products advanced significantly, enabling the brand to regularly set new sales records.” He further added, “Her keen insights and incomparable experience will be decisive assets in driving the ongoing development of Christian Dior.”

On the personal front, Delphine was married to Alessandro Vallarino Gancia, the heir to an Italian wine fortune but the couple parted ways after five years of marriage. She is currently in a relationship with French tech billionaire Xavier Niel.

Antoine Arnault

Antoine Arnault, 47, is the oldest son of the French billionaire and serves a key role at LVMH. After joining the company in 2005, he initially worked in the advertising department and soon after, sealed his position as the director of communications at Louis Vuitton. Previously, he was also CEO of luxury shoemaker Berluti, however, he stepped down in 2023 and continues to stay on as a chairman for the brand. Like his sister, Antoine has also been a board member of LVMH since 2006. In December 2022, he was also promoted to the position of CEO of Christian Dior SE, the holding company of LVMH.

While serving as the head of communications for Louis Vuitton, Antoine reportedly met his now-wife — model Natalia Vodianova. The couple live in Paris and are parents to five children including Vodianova’s three children from a previous marriage. After getting engaged in January 2020, the couple tied the knot in September 2020 during an intimate ceremony in Paris.

Alexandre Arnault

Alexandre Arnault, 32, is the oldest son of Bernard Arnault from his second marriage. All eyes have been on Alexandre ever since he was first appointed as the CEO of Rimowa, the German suitcase company owned by LVMH. The story goes that it was Alexandre who persuaded not only Rimowa’s then-chief executive, Dieter Morszeck, to sell the 120-year-old company that was owned and run by the same family for 119 years but also convinced his father to buy an 80 per cent stake in the company — making it the newest addition to the LVMH luxury group in 2016. Since then, he has changed the suitcase brand’s identity and turned it into a luxury asset with artistic collaborations before passing on the baton to Bonnet-Masimbert in 2021.

Following LVMH’s acquisition of Tiffany & Co. in 2021, Alexandre moved to New York to relaunch the jewellery brand and became the company’s executive vice president of product and communications. In his tenure at Tiffany & Co., the billionaire heir drove innovative campaigns and collaborations — notable ones including megastars like Beyoncé. Aiming to attract a younger audience, the brand also worked with Hailey Bieber, and Zoë Kravitz among others. According to Forbes, under Arnault’s leadership, the revenues of Tiffany & Co. rose, reportedly making it the biggest contributor to LVMH’s growth. No wonder, speculations about Alexandre being the next big successor of LVMH began to make the rounds. His close Celebrity ties in the Business and tech industry have also been seen as a beneficial factor for the company.

With the likes of Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel being among Alexandre’s close friends and his links with US President-elect Donald Trump, the Arnault scion’s high-profile network has made the headlines. The star-studded guest list of his Venice wedding with wife Geraldine Guyot also included Pharrell Williams, Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

Following his recent promotion as the deputy chief executive of the company’s Moët Hennessy brand, Alexandre said in an Instagram post how he is “excited to step into a new chapter” and “embracing this foundational part of our Group’s heritage.”

Frédéric Arnault

Frédéric Arnault, 29, is among the most famous Arnault family heirs and has made the headlines outside of business circles for his rumoured romance with K-Pop star Lisa of BLACKPINK. After the singer was spotted on a yacht with Frédéric and his family, speculations about the duo’s ongoing romance gained momentum in August this year. Fans of the K-Pop star have also alluded that the lyrics of her song “Moonlit Floor” lyrics have a reference to her rumoured beau.

As for Frédéric‘s role at LVMH, he first joined the group as the head of connected technologies at TAG Heuer. However, before entering the family Business, he held internships at McKinsey consulting and Facebook’s AI research division according to Forbes. Bringing in his expertise from both these stints, he then sealed his position at the company’s watch division and in 2020 was appointed the CEO of TAG Heuer. In 2024, he joined the LVMH board and was also named managing director of the family holding company Financiere Agache. Following a recent promotion, he has now taken a senior position in the company this year. Frédéric has been appointed as the head of the company’s watch division and oversees luxury brands under the group including Zenith, Hublot, and TAG Heuer.

Jean Arnault

The 26-year-old is the youngest son of Bernard Arnault and serves as the director of marketing and development at Louis Vuitton’s watch division. After studying mechanical engineering at Imperial College London and financial mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Jean interned at McLaren Racing and it was during this time that he began to read watchmaking blogs that got him interested in mechanical aspects of their design. In a 2022 interview with the Financial Times, he also credited his brother Frédéric for stimulating his interest in watches by sharing his experience of working at Tag Heuer.

As the director of marketing and development at LVMH Watches, one of Jean’s significant projects has been the reinvention of Maison’s emblematic Tambour watch. Launching the new Tambour line, Jean revealed the company’s realigned aspirations stating, “We are repositioning Louis Vuitton as a general super-high-end brand in the watch sector overall.” The young billionaire has also launched impressive initiatives like the Louis Vuitton Watch Prize for Independent Creatives, aiming to support emerging talents in watchmaking.

(Main image and featured image: Chesnot/Getty; Alexandre Arnault/Instagram)