Who is Delphine Arnault, Dior’s new CEO and the world’s richest man Bernard Arnault’s eldest daughter? The LVMH heiress helped drive Louis Vuitton sales and is known for her ‘calm’ managerial style

Jan 13 , 2023

Delphine Arnault, daughter of Bernard Arnault, has been appointed CEO of Christian Dior Couture, the group LVMH announced on January 11. Photo: AFP

On January 11, news broke that the world’s richest man Bernard Arnault’s eldest child Delphine would take over the top job at LVMH’s second biggest brand, Christian Dior

She was the youngest member – and second woman – to join the LVMH executive committee, and was central to Louis Vuitton’s growth in the luxury market as the brand’s executive vice-president

Parents often want only the very best for their kids. So it’s not uncommon to hear that billionaire kids are groomed from an early age to eventually succeed an empire started by their parents or close family members.

Delphine Arnault is certainly no exception. On January 11, it was announced that the eldest child of LVMH head Bernard Arnault would be taking over the top job at the conglomerate’s second biggest brand, Christian Dior.

But who is the daughter of the world’s richest man, who has worked in multiple roles for LVMH since 2000? Here is everything you need to know about the 47-year-old …

Delphine Arnault was born near Paris

Delphine Arnault attends the Giorgio Armani Prive Haute Couture autumn/winter 2022-2023 show as part of Paris Fashion Week in July 2022, in Paris, France. Photo: Wire Image

Delphine was born near Paris on April 4, 1975, to Bernard Arnault and his first wife, Anne Dewavrin.

Her father’s eldest child at 47 (she has four younger brothers), she is the heiress-apparent to his luxury goods empire and fortune worth US$184.7 billion.

She attended primary school in Paris

Head of LVMH luxury group, Bernard Arnault (centre), his daughter then Louis Vuitton executive vice-president Delphine Arnault (left) and his son LVMH communications head Antoine Arnault (right) arrive to open the exhibition of The Morozov Collection, Icons of Modern Art at foundation Louis Vuitton in Paris, in September 2021. Photo: AFP

She attended primary school in Paris, with a stint in the US at a French-American school where she became fluent in English.

After graduating from the London School of Economics in 1997, Arnault took a job at McKinsey.

Bernard Arnault and daughter Delphine backstage at a Christian Lacroix ready-to-wear fashion show in 1992, in Paris. Photo: Getty Images

“I was learning strategy,” she told the Financial Times. “In a presentation in America they would start with the conclusion and say how they got there, and I found that very interesting. It was straight to the point.”