Bernard Arnault’s eldest daughter, Delphine Arnault, has just been appointed CEO of one of the LVMH group’s most fashionable houses. This Wednesday, January 11, in a press release, the French luxury group announced the appointment of Delphine Arnault to the position of CEO of the Christian Dior Couture house. She replaces Pietro Beccari, who for his part takes the helm of Louis Vuitton. At 47, she becomes one of the most important women of the luxury giant. Focus on the journey of Bernard Arnault’s daughter.
The studies of Delphine Arnault
After her baccalaureate, Delphine Arnault joined a preparatory class for Intégrale. After the latter she joined EDHEC, on the Lille campus. In 1998, she graduated from the French business school, then, at the age of 23, she flew to London where she studied at the London School of Economics.
Following these studies, the young woman decided to start at the very famous strategy consulting firm McKinsey&Company. After this adventure, she held a management position in the John Galliano company before joining, in 2000, the LVMH group headed by her father.
Delphine Arnault from McKinsey upon her arrival at LVMH
Like her brother Frédéric Arnault, Delphine Arnault first turned to the world of consulting and joined one of the MBBs: McKinsey. It was within this firm that Delphine Arnault entered working life where she made her first steps in the business world. Then the young businesswoman joined a management position in the John Galliano company, a company in which she acquired a reputation as a leader passionate about the work of designers and the product.
The evolution of Delphine Arnault within LVMH
It was in 2000 that Delphine Arnault joined the LVMH group, headed by her father, Bernard Arnault, by joining the board of directors. She thus becomes the first woman to occupy this position and above all the youngest in the history of the group. For many years, Delphine Arnault took care of the administration of several large companies in the group such as Céline, Loewe, Pucci and Moët Hennessy.
In 2008, Delphine Arnault was appointed deputy director of Christian Dior Couture. She will remain in this position for 5 years. In 2013, she left to join the leather goods manufacturer Louis Vuitton as deputy general manager.
In 2014, she decided to launch an international competition called the LVMH Prize, which aims to reveal young fashion designers. Through this competition, the LVMH group seeks to unearth the talents and avant-garde designers of tomorrow.
Delphine Arnault, CEO of Dior
On January 11, 2023, the LVMH group announced in a press release that Bernard Arnault’s daughter, Delphine Arnault, would now occupy a prominent place in the LVMH galaxy. In fact, the eldest daughter of the richest man in the world was named CEO of Christian Dior Couture. She will take office from 1er FEBRUARY. She succeeds Pietro Beccari who will take the reins of the Louis Vuitton house.
One of Delphine Arnault’s main missions will be to continue to accelerate Dior’s growth. “ Under his leadership, the desirability of the products increased considerably, allowing the brand (Louis Vuitton) to fly from record to record. His keen eye and incomparable experience will be decisive assets in continuing the development of Christian Dior. », indicated Bernard Arnault.
Delphine Arnault and LVMH: will the heiress take the reins of the luxury empire?
Will Delphine Arnault one day take the reins of the LVMH group? Bernard Arnault, the 73-year-old patriarch, who recently became the world’s largest fortune with his family, has placed his five children in strategic positions within the LVMH group. But which of them will take the helm of this empire? Delphine Arnault, eldest daughter of the family, member of the LVMH Executive Committee, recently appointed to the position of CEO of Dior, has every chance of being able to claim this position one day.
However, we should not draw hasty conclusions. For good reason, the entire Arnault family is involved in the group, Jean is at Louis Vuitton, Alexandre at Tiffany, Frédérick is CEO of TAG Heuer, and Antoine was appointed CEO of Christian Dior SE in December. One thing is certain, for the moment Bernard Arnault does not intend to hand over the reins.
