Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of the luxury giant LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, has had a steady flow of young Arnaults joining the company in recent years.
In 2017 Alexandre Arnault, his third child, became co-chief executive at the German luggage label Rimowa, and Stephanie Watine Arnault, Mr. Arnault’s niece, introduced Clos19, an e-boutique and travel experience agency, in the United States. Then, on Sept. 21, news of yet another elevation within the ranks of the next Arnault generation landed in industry inboxes.
WHO: Frédéric Arnault, Mr. Arnault’s fourth child, and the second of his three sons from his second marriage, to Hélène Mercier.
AGE: 23
ROLE: Strategy and digital director of TAG Heuer, the largest watch brand by sales in the LVMH portfolio, with estimated annual revenues of around 900 million euros, or $1.04 billion.
WHY DOES IT MATTER? Frédéric Arnault’s appointment has coincided with a wider changing of the guard at the top of the LVMH watch division: Jean-Claude Biver, its president since 2014 and chief executive of TAG Heuer, is stepping down and will be replaced in both roles Nov. 1 by Stéphane Bianchi, former chief executive of the French cosmetics company Yves Rocher. The change comes at a time when TAG Heuer has made great strides in its efforts to appeal to a young consumer, reflected in everything from its range of smart watches and social media campaigns, to its brand ambassadors.
[Alexandre Arnault, in Public and in Private]
Frédéric Arnault is also the first among his five siblings to take a role in the LVMH watch and jewelry sector. Naturally it helps to get the job if your family owns the business, but he also happens to possess a strong résumé. A star graduate with a degree in applied mathematics and computer science from École Polytechnique, one of France’s best colleges (and his father’s alma mater), he interned at Facebook and the consulting firm McKinsey before joining TAG Heuer last year in a temporary role as head of connected technologies. An outstanding pianist who has played with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, he also speaks four languages (French, English, German and Italian), and is widely touted by the French press as being the apple of his father’s eye.
STILL TO COME: Mr. Arnault’s youngest son, Jean, 19, now his only child without an official role in the LVMH empire. Watch this space.
