Who Founded LVMH?

Alain Chevalier was the head of Moet Hennessy, itself formed in 1971 from the merger of Moet & Chandon and Hennessy. In 1987 he negotiated the merger with Louis Vuitton that created LVMH and became its chairman. His alliance with Henry Racamier broke down within months, and he left after Bernard Arnault took control in 1989. Alain Chevalier was born in 1931.

Henry Racamier ran Louis Vuitton from 1977 after a career in steel distribution. He had married into the Vuitton family and grew the trunk maker from a couple of stores into a global retailer by taking control of its distribution. He co-founded LVMH in 1987, then lost a long fight for control to Bernard Arnault and left in 1990. He later founded the Orcofi investment group.

Henry Racamier was born in 1912 in Pont-de-Roide-Vermondans. Education: HEC Paris.

Henri Serge Racamier was born on June 25, 1912 and died on March 29, 2003. He is credited with turning Louis Vuitton into an international brand.

Bernard Arnault, born in 1949 in Roubaix, France, is the Chairman and CEO of LVMH. After running his family's construction company, he bought the bankrupt Boussac group in 1984 for its Christian Dior brand, then built a controlling stake in LVMH and became its chairman in 1989. He has since expanded the group through acquisitions including Sephora, Bulgari, Loro Piana, Belmond and Tiffany & Co. His five children hold senior roles in the group.

Education: Lycée Faidherbe.