Delphine Arnault (born 4 April 1975) is a French businesswoman, director and executive vice president at Louis Vuitton, and chairwoman and chief executive officer of Dior. She is the daughter of Bernard Arnault and sister of Antoine Arnault.

Delphine Arnault
Born
Delphine Caroline Marie Arnault

(1975-04-04) 4 April 1975 (age 48)
Spouse
Alessandro Vallarino Gancia
(m. 2005; div. 2010)
PartnerXavier Niel (2010–present)[1]
Children2
Parent
RelativesAntoine Arnault (brother)

Early life edit

Arnault is the oldest child of Bernard Arnault from his first wife, Anne Dewavrin. She has a younger brother, Antoine Arnault. Between the ages of seven and 10, they lived in New York state where they attended a French-American school.[2] She later earned degrees from the London School of Economics and EDHEC Business School (Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales du Nord).[3][4]

In 1994, she was presented as a debutante at Le Bal des débutantes in Paris.[5]

Career edit

Arnault began her career working at McKinsey & Company for two years,[2] and she joined LVMH in 2000.[6]

Since 2003, Arnault has been a member of the management board of the group LVMH, the first woman and youngest person to occupy that post.[7]

Arnault is also a member of the board of directors for Moët Hennessy, and M6, as well as a managing partner of a wealth management company.

In 2008, Arnault was named deputy chief of the designer Christian Dior Couture, which she quit in 2013 to join Louis Vuitton as director and executive vice president.[8][9]

In May 2014, Arnault started the LVMH Prize, an international competition for young fashion designers.[10][11] The objective of the LVMH group is discover the talents and creativity of new designers: "It is necessary to recognize the talent and creativity, as well as the ways in which we can best help the growth of their business", she confirmed.[12]

In January 2023, it was announced she was appointed CEO and chair of Dior, effective in February.[13][14]

Other directorships edit

Recognition edit

On 1 December 2022, Arnault was among the guests invited to the state dinner hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden in honor of President Emmanuel Macron at the White House.[19]

Personal life edit

Arnault married Alessandro Vallarino Gancia, heir to the Italian winemaker Gancia, on 24 September 2005.[2] They divorced in 2010.[2]

She lives with her partner, French businessman Xavier Niel, with whom she has one daughter, born in 2012, and a son, born in 2016.[20]

References edit

  1. ^ "Biographie de Xavier Niel" (in French). Challenges. Retrieved 25 May 2020. Le compagnon de Delphine Arnault, fille de Bernard Arnault, est le plus gros business angel français
  2. ^ a b c d Ellison, Jo (10 October 2014). "Lunch with the FT: Delphine Arnault". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 May 2020.
  3. ^ "Delphine Arnault devient numéro 2 de Louis Vuitton". Les Echos (in French). 25 June 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  4. ^ "Les petits secrets de la famille Arnault, propriétaire de LVMH". Capital.fr (in French). 5 April 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  5. ^ "le Bal des Débutantes 1994". Le Bal. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 24 February 2024.
  6. ^ Delphine Arnault, Forbes, 15 May 2007.
  7. ^ Delphine Arnault – Director and Executive Vice President of Louis Vuitton, LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, Investing Businessweek
  8. ^ Lisa Wang,Power Moves | Delphine Arnault to Leave Dior for Louis Vuitton Archived 27 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Business of Fashion, 24 June 2013
  9. ^ Arnault's Girl Makes Vuitton Move, Vogue.co.uk, 25 June 2013.
  10. ^ Delphine Arnault : l'instinct de mode, Le Figaro Madame, 27 May 2014.
  11. ^ Delphine Arnault, 39, Fortune
  12. ^ Un prix pour se mettre au travail, Le Monde, 9 June 2014.
  13. ^ Neate, Rupert (11 January 2023). "Luxury goods billionaire Bernard Arnault appoints daughter to run Dior". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Who is Delphine Arnault, Dior's new CEO and the eldest daughter of the world's wealthiest man, Bernard Arnault?". The Fashion Enthusiast. 11 February 2023.
  15. ^ Daniel Cassady (16 November 2022), Gagosian Forms Star-Studded Board of Directors, Offering a Glimpse at the Gallery's Future ARTnews.
  16. ^ a b Carole Bellemare avec Caroline Beyer,Delphine Arnault-Gancia impose sa marque chez Dior, le Figaro, 16 April 2008
  17. ^ Sue Zeidler (18 October 2013), Murdoch re-elected Twenty-First Century Fox chairman Reuters.
  18. ^ Board of Directors Ferrari.
  19. ^ Aishvarya Kavi (1 December 2022), The Full Guest List for the State Dinner New York Times.
  20. ^ Miel, Morgane (29 March 2015). "Delphine Arnault : l'abécédaire de sa nouvelle vie". Madame Figaro (in French). Retrieved 15 May 2018.