Bernard Arnault (born 5 March 1949) is a French businessman. He is the 7th richest person in the world in March 2006 with a net worth of $21.5 billion US dollars, according to Forbes Magazine.[1]

A native of Roubaix, Arnault owns 51% of LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), which is also partly owned by Christian Dior. Arnault is the Chairman and CEO of both companies. He also owns Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg, an art auction house. His daughter Delphine Arnault is actively involved in the management of LVMH.

Arnault's main competitors are:

French businessman François Pinault, whose holding company PPR owns Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Sergio Rossi, Bottega Veneta, Boucheron, Roger & Gallet, Bédat & Co and Christie's.
Swiss-based Richemont, which owns Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Piaget, Baume et Mercier, IWC, Jaeger LeCoultre, A. Lange & Söhne, Officine Panerai, Vacheron Constantin, Dunhill, Lancel, Montblanc, Montegrappa, Old England, Purdey, Chloé, and Shanghai Tang.

Education

Bernard Arnault graduated with engineering degrees from the École Polytechnique in 1971 (X1969).