The TASTEMAKER

f you’ve ever sipped a glass of Hennessy or Dom Pérignon, coveted a Louis Vuitton bag or a pair of Berluti shoes, or strapped on a Hublot or TAG Heuer watch, you’ve felt the infiuence of Bernard Arnault, the billionaire French businessman who has quietly shaped the tastes of the entire world. A man of exceptional vision who started out as an engineer in his family’s construction €rm, in 1989 the Paris-based €nancier, investor and art collector became the majority shareholder, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, the world's leading luxury goods company, and has remained so ever since. With a net worth of nearly $70 billion, he is now the fourth richest man in the world (as of press time) according to , which calculated his personal fortune increased by over $30 billion in one year alone, thanks to a 13% spike in LVMH’s revenue. The unprecedented €rm is made up of 70 different brands divided into six sectors: wines and spirits, luxury retailing,