“What a waste of time!” », his loved ones sigh. Bernard Arnault, however, did not want to hear anything. The richest Frenchman in the world dreamed of this slightly outdated black coat embroidered with green silk olive leaves and this sword which marks the uniform of the academicians.
This campaign to seduce the 46 members of the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences whose votes he will solicit on Monday, December 2, in order to join their prestigious circle, he tackled it with the discipline and method that he uses. everything. Writing for each person a handwritten letter in his classic, loose handwriting, worked from his childhood at the top of the class. Binding himself to dozens of visits and even hearty lunches – hare à la royale and great wines – in the company of the most influential academicians, he who usually imposes a low-calorie diet on himself.
Curiously, the boss of LVMH is not content to be received around the world with the rank and honors of a head of state. At 75, he is still seeking distinctions and recognition. On November 20, he did not hesitate to make a round trip to Bangkok just for the pleasure of receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award from Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief and son of the creator of the financial magazine Forbeswhich, for more than a century, has drawn up the list of the big fortunes and the most successful.
Demonstration of power
A few months earlier, on March 13, it was with great pomp, under the gold of the Elysée, that Bernard Arnault received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, the highest distinction of the French Republic, from the hands of the head of state, Emmanuel Macron. A single glance at the assembly of guests, gathered in the banquet hall of the presidential palace, was enough to understand the exceptional power of the recipient.
We could meet the American multi-billionaire Elon Musk (Space X, Tesla and from the right, including Bruno Le Maire, Gérald Darmanin and Rachida Dati, as well as the socialist mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo. To add a glamorous touch, the star couple of the music industry Beyoncé and Jay-Z, long-time muses of the LVMH group brands, the artist Jeff Koons and Queen Rania of Jordan were also invited.
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