Francois-Henri Pinault Biography: Age, Net Worth, Girlfriend, Wikipedia, Wife, Children, Height, LinkedIn

Francois-Henri Pinault is a French billionaire who leads two of the most influential companies in luxury and art.

He is the chairman and CEO of Kering, a global fashion group that owns brands such as Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen.

He is also the president of Groupe Artémis, a holding company that controls Christie’s, the largest auction house in the world, several prestigious vineyards, museums, and newspapers.

He is married to the famous actress and producer Salma Hayek and is known for his philanthropic and environmental initiatives.

Profile

• Full name: Francois-Henri Pinault
• Date of birth: May 28, 1962
• Age: 62 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: Rennes, France
• Nationality: French
• Profession: Businessman
• Height: 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)
• Parents: Francois Pinault and Louise Gautier
• Siblings: N/A
• Spouse: Salma Hayek
• Children: Francois Pinault, Mathilde Pinault, Augustin Pinault and Valentina Paloma Pinault
• Relationship status: Married
• Net worth: $43.3 billion

Early Life and Education

Francois-Henri Pinault, 62, was born in Rennes, northwest France, on May 28, 1962. He is the only child of Francois Pinault and Louise Gautier, who were both from modest backgrounds.

His father was a timber merchant who started his business in 1963, later expanding into retail, construction, and finance. His mother was a homemaker who supported her husband’s ventures.

Francois-Henri Pinault attended a Jesuit school in Rennes, where he excelled in mathematics and physics.

He then moved to Paris to study at the HEC School of Management, one of France’s most prestigious business schools.

He graduated in 1985 with a degree in management and finance. He also did his military service in Los Angeles, where he worked as an intern at Hewlett-Packard.

Personal Life

Francois-Henri Pinault has married Salma Hayek, a Mexican-American actress and producer, since 2009.

They have a daughter, Valentina Paloma, who was born in 2007. Pinault also has three other children from his previous relationships.

He has a son, Francois, and a daughter, Mathilde, with his first wife, Dorothee Lepere, whom he divorced in 2004. He also has a son, Augustin, with the supermodel Linda Evangelista, whom he dated briefly in 2006.

Pinault and Hayek live in Paris, London, and Los Angeles and often attend high-profile events in the fashion and film industries.

They are also involved in various charitable causes, such as women’s rights, education, health, and the environment.

In 2019, they donated $113 million to help rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral after a fire. In 2020, they pledged $1 million to support relief efforts for the Beirut explosion.

Career

Francois-Henri Pinault started his career in 1987 when he joined his father’s company, then called Pinault S.A.

He worked in various positions, such as managing director of CFAO, a subsidiary specialising in trading and distribution in Africa, and CEO of Fnac, a chain of bookstores and electronics.

In 1999, he became the vice president of Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR), the company’s new name, after it acquired several retail and luxury brands.

In 2003, he became the chairman of PPR, and in 2005, he succeeded his father as the CEO. He then embarked on the company’s strategic transformation, focusing on the luxury and lifestyle sectors and selling off the retail and distribution businesses.

He also acquired new brands, such as Puma, Bottega Veneta, and Volcom, and rebranded the company as Kering in 2013. Under his leadership, Kering became one of the world’s largest and most profitable fashion groups, with revenues of $17.5 billion in 2020.

In addition to his role at Kering, Pinault is the president of Groupe Artémis, the family-holding company he founded in 1992.

Groupe Artémis owns a 40% stake in Kering, as well as other assets, such as Christie’s, the largest auction house in the world, Chateau Latour, a premier wine estate in Bordeaux, Le Point, a weekly news magazine, and Palazzo Grassi, a contemporary art museum in Venice.

Pinault is an avid art collector, collecting over 3,000 works by artists such as Picasso, Mondrian, Rothko, and Koons.

Awards

Francois-Henri Pinault has received several awards and honours for his achievements and contributions to business, fashion, art, and philanthropy. Some of them are:

• Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, the highest French order of merit, in 2006
• International Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) in 2011.
• Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in 2018.
• Global Visionary Award from the United Nations Foundation in 2019
• Corporate Citizenship Award from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in 2020.

Net Worth

Francois-Henri Pinault’s net worth was $43.3 billion, making him the 27th richest person in the world and the fourth richest person in France.

His wealth mainly comes from his stake in Kering, which has a market value of $89 billion, and his ownership of Groupe Artémis, which has a portfolio of valuable assets.

Controversy

Francois-Henri Pinault has faced some controversy in his personal and professional life. One of the most notable ones was his paternity dispute with Linda Evangelista, who claimed that he was the father of her son, Augustin, who was born in 2006.

Pinault initially denied it but later acknowledged his paternity and reached a settlement with her in 2012.

The case attracted a lot of media attention and raised questions about his relationship with Salma Hayek, who was pregnant with his daughter at the same time.

Another controversy that Pinault faced was the tax evasion investigation by the Italian authorities, who accused him and his father of dodging taxes on their luxury brands, such as Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, using a complex scheme of offshore companies and trusts.

The case was settled in 2019 when Pinault agreed to pay $1.4 billion to the Italian government, the largest tax settlement in the country’s history.

Social Media

Francois-Henri Pinault is not very active on social media, but he has some accounts that he occasionally uses to share his views and activities. His social media handles are:

• Instagram: @fhp
• Twitter: @fhpinault
• LinkedIn: Francois-Henri Pinault