• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’

2

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave

3

He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis

1

FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’

2

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave

3

He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis
LeadershipBernard Arnault
Europe

Real-life ‘Succession’: LVMH’s billionaire owner Bernard Arnault to extend his tenure as CEO with his 5 kids in the running to take over

Sophie Mellor
By
Sophie Mellor
Sophie Mellor
Down Arrow Button Icon
Sophie Mellor
By
Sophie Mellor
Sophie Mellor
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 16, 2022, 9:23 AM ET
LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault
LVMH chief executive and world’s third richest man Bernard Arnault is changing the rules at his company so he can stay at the helm for a little bit longer.Nathan Laine—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

LVMH chief executive and world’s third-richest man Bernard Arnault is changing the rules at his company so he can stay at the helm for a little bit longer.

Recommended Video

In a regulatory filing, LVMH said it would seek to raise the age limit for its chief executive officer from 75 to 80 at its next annual general meeting. Arnault, who just celebrated his 73rd birthday this month, has run the company for almost four decades.

Extending his tenure gives Arnault more time to decide on his succession plan, and many analysts predict one of his five children will take over—possibly setting up a family competition akin to HBO’s Succession.

All of Arnault’s children work at LVMH. The eldest, Delphine Arnault, 46, who is widely regarded as the strongest takeover candidate, is executive vice president for Louis Vuitton and the only Arnault child sitting on the company’s executive team.

But Delphine’s siblings are also contenders. Antoine, 44, is head of communication and image at LVMH; Alexandre, 29, works as executive vice president at LVMH’s recently acquired Tiffany; Frédéric, 27, is chief executive of TAG Heuer; and the youngest, Jean, 23, acts as director of marketing and development for Louis Vuitton watches.

Arnault also has a number of colleagues on his executive team who may be in the running. Antonio Belloni, a group managing director responsible for the strategic and operational management of LVMH’s companies, Michael Burke, CEO of Bulgari and Louis Vuitton, and Nicolas Bazire, managing director of Groupe Arnault in charge of development and acquisitions, have all been with LVMH for longer than two decades and could warrant serious consideration.

What the analysts say

“This seems to signal that Bernard Arnault is planning to stay longer at the helm of the group—overall a positive for LVMH, as successor candidates would have more time to mature and gain experience and gravitas,” said Luca Solca, senior research analyst in the global luxury goods group at Bernstein.

When asked if one of Arnault’s kids is positioned to take over, Solca told Fortune, “Yes, I believe this is likely to be the case.”

The proposed change in age limit shows that Arnault is “giving himself a longer time horizon to decide” on his succession plans, Philippe Pele-Clamour, an adjunct professor at business school HEC Paris, told Bloomberg.

The Arnault story

Bernard Arnault, who was born to a wealthy family in Lille, first joined the luxury business by acquiring the bankrupt company Agache-Willot-Boussac—a textile and retail conglomerate that owned Christian Dior—from the French government in 1984.

After acquiring the troubled company, Arnault laid off 9,000 workers in two years, a move that earned him the nickname “The Terminator.” He stripped the company of nearly all of its assets, keeping only the Christian Dior brand and the French luxury department store Le Bon Marché, and by 1987 returned the company to profitability.

Then Arnault began expanding. In July 1988, Arnault invested $1.5 billion in a holding company, formed along with Irish drink company Guinness, to purchase a 25% stake in the Louis Vuitton group, which had merged with Moët Hennessy in 1987. Rumors circulated that LVMH would form a “blocking minority” against Arnault, so Arnault spent $600 million more to buy another 13.5% of the group, making him its largest shareholder. More nicknames followed him, including the “Wolf in Cashmere” and the “Machiavelli of Finance.”

After Arnault took control, more acquisitions ensued. Between 1989 and 2001, LVMH acquired Céline, Berluti, Kenzo, Guerlain, Loewe, Marc Jacobs, Sephora, Thomas Pink, Emilio Pucci, Fendi, DKNY, and others.

After the acquisitions, Arnault put key figures into creative director positions to revitalize the brands. He hired Marc Jacobs as creative director of Louis Vuitton in 1997, and installed John Galliano as head of Givenchy in 1995 and then Dior in 1996. He also named the recently deceased Virgil Abloh as artistic director of Louis Vuitton in 2018.

The acquisitions have continued to the present day. LVMH recently acquired jewelry maker Tiffany, and rumors circulate that Arnault is looking into buying Ralph Lauren.

Never miss a story: Follow your favorite topics and authors to get a personalized email with the journalism that matters most to you.

About the Author
Sophie Mellor
By Sophie Mellor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Leadership

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Leadership

scam
CybersecurityCrime
‘I want to cry, I want to vomit’: Meet a 43-year-old who lost $90,000 to an online boyfriend she never met
By Juliet Linderman and The Associated PressJuly 16, 2026
33 minutes ago
lj
SuccessLeBron James
The $500 million LeBron James sweepstakes: 5 cities race for the right to boost their economy with the chosen one
By Joshua HongJuly 16, 2026
4 hours ago
Lamine Yamal #19 of Spain
SuccessWorld Cup
Lamine Yamal is the third-youngest World Cup finalist—and he was scouted from his working-class neighborhood at just 6 years old
By Emma BurleighJuly 16, 2026
4 hours ago
Jamie Dimon surrounded by construction workers.
SuccessCareers
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says 300,000 workers are needed to rebuild American shipbuilding—with jobs paying $100,000 without a college degree
By Preston ForeJuly 16, 2026
5 hours ago
school
AIEducation
84% of students use AI for homework. Only 3 in 10 schools have rules for it
By Brett DeJager and The ConversationJuly 16, 2026
6 hours ago
Morgan Stanley headquarters building in New York City.
BankingCFO Daily
Morgan Stanley is riding high on the IPO boom with 70% of the top 100 unicorns in its pipeline, CFO says
By Sheryl EstradaJuly 16, 2026
7 hours ago

Most Popular

FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’
C-Suite
FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’
By Fortune EditorsJuly 15, 2026
1 day ago
26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave
Law
26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave
By Barbara Ortutay, Alexandra Olson and The Associated PressJuly 15, 2026
1 day ago
He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis
Innovation
He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis
By Lily Mae LazarusJuly 15, 2026
1 day ago
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
Newsletters
MacKenzie Scott, Melinda French Gates, and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are rewriting the rules of billionaire giving—one quietly, one strategically, one very publicly
By Sydney LakeJuly 14, 2026
2 days ago
Jamie Dimon understands why people are anti-rich: 'We have, in fact, left the lower-income folks behind' and 'that's kind of annoying'
Economy
Jamie Dimon understands why people are anti-rich: 'We have, in fact, left the lower-income folks behind' and 'that's kind of annoying'
By Eleanor PringleJuly 15, 2026
1 day ago
Trump's 'American Flag Blue' in the Lincoln Memorial pool is already gray — and the Olympic canoer 'vandal' is fighting his arrest
Politics
Trump's 'American Flag Blue' in the Lincoln Memorial pool is already gray — and the Olympic canoer 'vandal' is fighting his arrest
By Matthew Daly and The Associated PressJuly 16, 2026
7 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.