The finances of the owners of the great wealth of the planet rise and fall subject to multiple conditions that most of the time escape mortals who cannot imagine what it means to live among billions of dollars.
Forbes magazine has spent years unraveling who are the "lucky" ones to have so much money and in this chapter the owner of Amazon, the American Jeff Bezzos and previously Bill Gates, had been highlighting in recent times.
But in the last update of the prestigious American publication, the surprise was jumped to see how Bezzos fell from his traditional podium to the detriment of Frenchman Bernalt Arnault.
According to Forbes, Arnault is the new richest man in the world, thanks to the increase in shares of his business empire, Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH), which includes more than 70 luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Bvlgari , Tiffany, Christian Dior or Givenchy, among many others.
Arnault's estimated net worth is $186.3 billion, $300 million higher than Jeff Bezzos' $186 billion fortune and a far cry from businessman Elon Musk, who has a balance of $147.3 billion.
Business
Arnault's great rise is due, according to Forbes, to the fact that the French businessman's fortune jumped from 76,000 million dollars in March 2020 to 186,300 confirmed at the end of May, thanks to the performance of his business group during the pandemic.
Arnault has earned more than $110 million in the last fourteen months and his LVMH group has earned $17 billion in the first quarter of 2021, up 32% compared to the same period in 2020.
Graduated in Business Administration from the Polytechnic University of Paris, Arnault, 72, started in the world of fashion and haute couture in the mid-1980s, after working in the United States and in the construction company of his family, Ferret-Savinel.
Since 1989 he has been president and CEO of LVMH, a company that operates in different sectors, such as fashion, perfumes, cosmetics, jewelry, watches or wines and spirits, among others.
A music lover and acclaimed pianist, an instrument he has played since childhood, Arnault is also a great fan of tennis, a sport that he is passionate about.
His business work has been recognized with several awards, including the honorary titles of Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor and Commander of Arts and Letters of France.
First married to Anne Dewavrin, with whom he had two children (Delphine and Antoine) and later to the pianist Hélène Mercier, mother of his three young children (Alexandre, Frederic and Jean), Arnault's five offspring are involved in full on family business.
Delphine is executive director of the firm Louis Vuitton and Antoine, married to the model Natalia Vodianova and a candidate to inherit his father's position, is director of the Berluti leather goods brand and is on the board of the Italian clothing company Loro Piana.
As for the three little ones, Alexandre works for the Rimowa luggage firm; Frederic is CEO at Tag Heuer; while the little one, Jean, is still in his student stage.
