History of Bernard Arnault in Timeline
Bernard Arnault is a French businessman who serves as the chairman and CEO of LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods company. As of December 2025, he is one of the wealthiest people globally, with a net worth estimated at around US$190-203 billion. His leadership has propelled LVMH to the forefront of the luxury market, encompassing a diverse portfolio of prestigious brands.
March 1949: Birth of Bernard Arnault
On 5 March 1949, Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault was born in Roubaix, France, to Marie-Josèphe Savinel and Jean Léon Arnault.
1971: Began career at Ferret-Savinel
Bernard Arnault began his career in 1971 at Ferret-Savinel.
1971: Graduation from École Polytechnique
In 1971, Bernard Arnault completed his studies in civil engineering and mathematics at École Polytechnique.
1971: Started working for his father's company
In 1971, soon after graduation, Bernard Arnault began working for his father's company, Ferret-Savinel.
1973: Marriage to Anne Dewavrin
In 1973, Bernard Arnault married Anne Dewavrin.
1978: President of Ferret-Savinel
In 1978, Bernard Arnault became the president of Ferret-Savinel.
1984: Acquisition of Boussac Saint-Frères
In 1984, Bernard Arnault acquired the struggling textile and retail conglomerate Boussac Saint-Frères, which included Christian Dior.
1984: Heard about Boussac Saint-Frères
In 1984, Bernard Arnault learned that the French government was seeking someone to take over Boussac Saint-Frères, which owned Christian Dior.
1987: Company Profitable Again
By 1987, after acquiring Boussac Saint-Frères and restructuring its assets, the company became profitable again, booking earnings of $112 million on revenue of $1.9 billion.
1987: Formation of LVMH
In 1987, Bernard Arnault collaborated with Alain Chevalier (CEO of Moët Hennessy) and Henry Racamier (president of Louis Vuitton) to establish LVMH.
July 1988: Acquisition of Céline
In July 1988, Bernard Arnault acquired Céline.
July 1988: Investment in LVMH shares
In July 1988, Bernard Arnault provided $1.6 billion to form a holding company with Guinness that held 24% of LVMH's shares.
January 1989: Gained Control of LVMH shares
In January 1989, Bernard Arnault spent another $500 million to gain control of a total of 43.5% of LVMH's shares and 35% of its voting rights.
1990: Separation from Anne Dewavrin
In 1990, Bernard Arnault separated from Anne Dewavrin.
1991: Marriage to Hélène Mercier
In 1991, Bernard Arnault married Hélène Mercier.
1993: Bought French economic newspaper La Tribune
In 1993, Bernard Arnault bought out the French economic newspaper La Tribune, investing 150 million euros.
1993: Acquisitions of Berluti and Kenzo
In 1993, LVMH acquired Berluti and Kenzo.
1994: Acquisition of Guerlain
In 1994, LVMH acquired the perfume firm Guerlain.
1997: Acquisitions of Marc Jacobs and Sephora
In 1997, Arnault bought out Marc Jacobs and Sephora.
1998: Investments in web companies
From 1998, Bernard Arnault invested in web companies such as Boo.com, Libertysurf, and Zebank through his holding Europatweb.
1998: Purchase of Château Cheval Blanc
In 1998, Bernard Arnault purchased Château Cheval Blanc in a personal capacity with businessman Albert Frère.
April 1999: Arnault considered richest person in fashion, Pilinvest established
In April 1999, Bernard Arnault was considered the richest person in fashion, surpassing Amancio Ortega of Zara. Also in 1999, he established Pilinvest, a holding company based in Belgium.
December 1999: Opening of the LVMH Tower
In December 1999, the LVMH Tower in New York, supervised by Christian de Portzamparc, was opened to manage LVMH's presence in the United States.
1999: Ownership of Phillips de Pury & Company
From 1999, Bernard Arnault owned Phillips de Pury & Company, an art auction house.
1999: Acquisition of Thomas Pink
2000: Acquisition of Emilio Pucci
In 2000, Emilio Pucci was integrated into the LVMH group.
September 2001: Settlement in Gucci fight
In September 2001, the legal fight with Gucci ended in a settlement, and LVMH sold its shares, making a $700 million profit.
2001: Acquisitions of Fendi, DKNY, and La Samaritaine
In 2001, Fendi, DKNY, and La Samaritaine were integrated into the LVMH group.
2001: Investments in web companies
Until 2001, Bernard Arnault invested in web companies such as Boo.com, Libertysurf, and Zebank through his holding Europatweb.
2003: Owned Phillips de Pury & Company until 2003
Bernard Arnault owned Phillips de Pury & Company until 2003
2006: Louis Vuitton Foundation building project started
In 2006, Bernard Arnault started the building project of the Louis Vuitton Foundation, designed by Frank Gehry.
November 2007: Acquisition of Les Échos
In November 2007, Bernard Arnault bought the French economic newspaper Les Échos for €240 million, after selling La Tribune.
2007: Investment in Carrefour
In 2007, Blue Capital announced that Bernard Arnault owned, jointly with Colony Capital, 10.69% of Carrefour.
2008: Entered the yacht business
In 2008, Bernard Arnault entered the yacht business and bought Princess Yachts for 253 million euros and subsequently took control of Royal van Lent shipyard for an almost identical amount.
2009: LVMH acquired Arnault's share in Château Cheval Blanc
In 2009, LVMH acquired Bernard Arnault's share in Château Cheval Blanc to add to the group's other wine property Château d'Yquem.
2010: Member of the Board of Advisors of the Malaysian 1MDB fund
From 2010, Bernard Arnault was a member of the Board of Advisors of the Malaysian 1MDB fund.
2010: Delphine Arnault's relationship with Xavier Niel
In 2010, Delphine Arnault started a relationship with Xavier Niel, a French billionaire businessman in the telecommunications and technology industry.
March 2011: Acquisition of Bulgari
On 7 March 2011, Bernard Arnault announced the acquisition of 50.4% of family-owned shares of the Italian jeweler Bulgari, to make a tender offer for the rest.
December 2011: Transfer of stake in Groupe Arnault to Pilinvest
In December 2011, Bernard Arnault transferred a 31 percent stake in Groupe Arnault to Pilinvest.
March 2013: QDA to Open Stores
On 7 March 2013, National Business Daily reported that mid-priced clothing brand QDA would open stores with the assistance of Arnault's private equity firm LCapitalAsia and Chinese apparel company Xin Hee Co., Ltd. in Beijing.
April 2013: Arnault denies intention to leave France and withdraws Belgian nationality request
In April 2013, Bernard Arnault stated that he had been misquoted and that he never intended to leave France, withdrawing his request for Belgian nationality to better protect the foundation he created for LVMH's continuity.
April 2013: Arnault abandons Belgian citizenship application
On 10 April 2013, Bernard Arnault announced he had decided to abandon his application for Belgian citizenship, saying he did not want the move to be misinterpreted as a measure of tax evasion.
2013: Member of the Board of Advisors of the Malaysian 1MDB fund
Until 2013, Bernard Arnault was a member of the Board of Advisors of the Malaysian 1MDB fund.
February 2014: Joint Venture with Marco De Vincenzo
In February 2014, Bernard Arnault entered into a joint venture with the Italian fashion brand Marco De Vincenzo, taking a minority 45% stake in the firm.
October 2014: Grand opening of the Louis Vuitton Foundation
On 20 October 2014, the Louis Vuitton Foundation, dedicated to creation and contemporary art and designed by Frank Gehry, had its grand opening at the Jardin d'Acclimatation Paris.
2015: Sale of research vessel Amadeus
In late 2015, Bernard Arnault sold the 70 m (230 ft) converted research vessel Amadeus.
2016: Arnault's compensation as CEO of LVMH
In 2016, Bernard Arnault was paid €7.8 million as the CEO of the LVMH group.
April 2017: Acquisition of Christian Dior
In April 2017, Bernard Arnault announced the acquisition of Christian Dior haute couture, leather, both men's and women's ready-to-wear, and footwear lines, which integrated the entire Christian Dior brand within LVMH.
2017: Record sales in 2017
In 2017, Bernard Arnault had led the company to record sales of €42.6 billion, 13% over the previous year, as all divisions turned in strong performances. That same year, the net profit increased by 29%.
2017: Arnault publicly supported Emmanuel Macron
In the second round of the 2017 French presidential election, Bernard Arnault publicly supported Emmanuel Macron.
January 2018: Record sales in 2017
By January 2018, Bernard Arnault had led the company to record sales of €42.6 billion in 2017, 13% over the previous year, as all divisions turned in strong performances.
July 2019: Arnault becomes second-richest man in the world
In July 2019, Bernard Arnault became the second-richest man in the world, with a net worth of $103 billion.
November 2019: Planned acquisition of Tiffany & Co.
In November 2019, Bernard Arnault planned to acquire Tiffany & Co. for approximately US$16.2 billion.
December 2019: Arnault briefly surpasses Bezos as richest person
In December 2019, Bernard Arnault briefly surpassed Jeff Bezos to become the richest person in the world.
January 2020: Arnault briefly surpasses Bezos as richest person again
In January 2020, Bernard Arnault again briefly surpassed Jeff Bezos to become the richest person in the world.
June 2020: Expected closing of Tiffany & Co. deal
In June 2020, the Tiffany & Co. deal was expected to close.
September 2020: Takeover would not proceed
In September 2020, LVMH stated that the Tiffany & Co. takeover would not proceed and that the deal was 'invalid' because of Tiffany's handling of the business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
October 2020: Agreement to the original takeover plan
In late October 2020, Tiffany and LVMH agreed to the original takeover plan, though at a slightly reduced price of nearly $16 billion.
November 2020: Tiffany was paying millions in dividends to shareholders
In November 2020, Tiffany was paying millions in dividends to shareholders despite a financial loss of US$32 million during the pandemic
January 2021: Completed the purchase of Tiffany
In January 2021, LVMH completed the purchase of Tiffany.
May 2021: Largest company in the eurozone
As of May 2021, under Bernard Arnault's leadership, LVMH has grown to become the largest company by market capitalization in the eurozone, with a record of 313 billion euros ($382 billion).
October 2022: LVMH sells private jet after tracking
In October 2022, Bernard Arnault stated that LVMH sold its private jet after a Twitter user began to track its flights, and he began renting private aircraft for his personal and business flights instead.
2022: Forbes estimates Arnault family fortune, Agache legal structure changed
In 2022, Forbes estimated the Bernard Arnault & family fortune to be $158 billion. In 2022, Arnault also changed the legal structure of Agache from a Societas Europaea to a joint-stock partnership.
February 1, 2023: Delphine Arnault becomes CEO of Dior
On February 1, 2023, Delphine Arnault became the chief executive officer of the luxury brand Dior.
April 2023: Arnault becomes richest person in the world
In April 2023, Bernard Arnault and his family had an estimated peak net worth of US$240.7 billion, making him the richest person in the world at the time, surpassing Elon Musk.
June 2023: Musk surpasses Arnault in net worth
In June 2023, Elon Musk surpassed Bernard Arnault in net worth with $240 billion, as Arnault's wealth dropped to $190 billion.
May 2024: Arnault's net worth at about US $218 billion
According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index Arnault was the wealthiest person in the world, with a net worth of about US $218 billion in May 2024.
June 2024: Musk regains first place
By 14 June 2024, according to Forbes, Musk had regained first place, with Bezos in second place, and Arnault, with US$194.2 billion, in third place.
November 2024: Acquisition of Paris FC
In November 2024, the Arnault family acquired a majority ownership stake in French football club Paris FC.
December 2025: Net Worth
As of December 2025, Bernard Arnault's net worth was estimated to be US$190.4 billion according to Forbes and US$203 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
2025: Attended the second inauguration of Donald Trump
In 2025, Bernard Arnault attended the second inauguration of Donald Trump.
Mentioned in this timeline
Elon Musk is a prominent businessman and entrepreneur leading Tesla...
Jeff Bezos is an American businessman renowned as the founder...
LVMH is a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate formed in...
Marc Jacobs is a highly influential American fashion designer known...
China officially the People's Republic of China is an East...
Emmanuel Macron is the current President of France and Co-Prince...
Trending
Jay Clarke is a British professional tennis player He primarily competes on the ATP Challenger Tour and has achieved a...
1 hour ago Rodionov vs. Loffhagen: Odds, Predictions, and Live Commentary for Bucharest 2026 Match
1 hour ago Angel Reese Receives WNBA Support and Graces Vogue Australia in Stunning Dress.
1 hour ago Basilashvili to face Michalski in Bucharest Open Qualifiers, March 29, 2026.
2 hours ago Trump Considers Seizing Iranian Oil and Kharg Island; Pentagon Prepares Ground Ops.
9 minutes ago Woman wins $14M after eating nail-filled ice cream, impacting her reproductive health.
Popular
Sir David Attenborough is a highly influential British broadcaster biologist...
William Franklin Graham III commonly known as Franklin Graham is...
XXXTentacion born Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy was a controversial yet...
Chuck Schumer is the senior U S Senator from New...
Cristiano Ronaldo known as CR is a Portuguese professional footballer...
Kelsey Grammer is a highly acclaimed American actor best known...