François-Henri Pinault
Born 1962 · Age 63
French businessman; son of François Pinault. Chairman & CEO of Kering, president of Groupe Artémis; led transformation from retail group PPR into luxury group Kering; philanthropist and patron of culture.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Rennes, France
François-Henri Pinault was born in Rennes, son of François Pinault and Louise Gautier.
Co-founded Soft Computing (during studies)
While a student at HEC, he co-founded the CRM company Soft Computing with fellow students (served later as co-founder and board member).
Internship at Hewlett-Packard, Paris
Interned at Hewlett-Packard in Paris as a database-software developer during his studies.
Graduated HEC Paris
Graduated from HEC School of Management (HEC Paris).
Completed national military service (Los Angeles)
Completed military service at the French Consulate in Los Angeles; studied fashion and new technology sectors while posted there.
Joined Pinault Distribution (PPR)
Began his career at Pinault Distribution (later PPR), the family retail group.
Promoted to manager of buying department
Promoted within Pinault Distribution to manager of the buying department.
Head manager of France Bois Industries
Appointed head manager of France Bois Industries inside the group.
Head manager of Pinault Distribution
Became head manager of Pinault Distribution.
Became President of CFAO
Appointed president of CFAO (specialized distribution in Africa) within the group.
Married Dorothée Lepère
Married Dorothée Lepère; the couple had two children (a son and a daughter).
Appointed CEO of Fnac
Named CEO of Fnac, the books/electronics retailer owned by the group.
Family acquires Stade Rennais F.C.
The Pinault family purchased the Rennes football club (Stade Rennais); the family has owned it since 1998.
Appointed Deputy CEO of PPR (digital strategy)
Named Deputy CEO of PPR with responsibility for the group's digital strategy (per Kering biography).
Named Vice-President of PPR and President of Groupe Artémis
Became vice-president of PPR and president of the family holding Groupe Artémis (Artémis controls wines, Christie's, Pinault Collection, news magazine Le Point, and other assets).
Divorced Dorothée Lepère
Divorced his first wife, Dorothée Lepère; they had two children together.
Appointed President & CEO of Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR)
Took the reins of his father's retail conglomerate PPR and began transforming the group toward luxury.
Relationship with Linda Evangelista (Sept 2005–Jan 2006)
Public relationship with supermodel Linda Evangelista; they later had a son (born Oct 2006).
Awarded Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur
Received the French national distinction Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur (2006 decree).
Began dating Salma Hayek
Started a relationship with actress/producer Salma Hayek (April 2006).
Birth of son with Linda Evangelista
A son was born in October 2006 (child of Pinault and Linda Evangelista).
Birth of daughter with Salma Hayek
His daughter with Salma Hayek was born on 21 September 2007.
Established Kering Foundation
Launched the Kering Foundation to support women's rights and combat violence against women.
Financed documentary 'Home' by Yann Arthus-Bertrand
Financed the documentary 'Home' (2009), showing aerial shots of Earth and highlighting environmental threats.
Married Salma Hayek
Married actress and producer Salma Hayek in Paris (14 February 2009); renewed vows in Venice in April 2009.
Merged PPR with Gucci Group (major consolidation)
Led the merger/consolidation of PPR with the Gucci group as part of the transformation toward luxury (2011 consolidation).
Implemented Environmental Profit & Loss accounting (EP&L)
Rolled out the EP&L method across Kering brands to account for environmental impacts (early 2010s rollout).
Launched Kering Eyewear
Established Kering Eyewear as the group's eyewear manufacturing arm.
PPR renamed Kering
Concluded the group's transformation by changing PPR's name to Kering (June 2013), signaling focus on luxury.
Launched 'Women in Motion' with Cannes Film Festival
Started the Women in Motion program in partnership with the Cannes Film Festival to raise awareness of women in film.
Named to Vanity Fair Hall of Fame
Received recognition by Vanity Fair and was nominated to its Hall of Fame (2016).
Kering top sustainable corporation (Corporate Knights Global 100)
Kering named top sustainable textile, apparel and luxury goods corporation in the Corporate Knights Global 100 index (January 2018).
Fortune: #8 Businessperson of the Year
Ranked #8 Businessperson of the Year by Fortune (2018).
Recognized among top CEOs globally (Barron's & HBR)
Listed by Barron's among the '30 best CEOs' and ranked 3rd of the '100 best CEOs worldwide' by Harvard Business Review (2019).
Celebrated Stade Rennais' Coupe de France victory
Marked Stade Rennais F.C.'s first Coupe de France victory since the family's acquisition (celebration in 2019).
Pinault family donates to Notre-Dame restoration
Via Groupe Artémis, the Pinault family pledged/donated €100–€113 million toward Notre-Dame de Paris repairs after the April 2019 fire.
Mandated to set up the Fashion Pact at G7
Mandated by French President Emmanuel Macron to set up the Fashion Pact at the G7 summit (August 2019); 56 fashion firms signed to reduce environmental impact.
Awarded Fiorino d'Oro (Florence)
Received the Fiorino d'Oro, the highest award of the city of Florence (2020).
Artémis acquires majority stake in CAA (estimated)
Through Groupe Artémis, led the acquisition of a majority stake in Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for an estimated $7 billion (reported Sept 2023).
Kering Eyewear 2023 sales milestone
Kering Eyewear reached €1.5 billion in sales in 2023 (ten years after its 2013 launch).
Kering revenue around $20B; 'trying year'
Kering's revenue stalled around $20 billion in 2023; company described 2023 as a trying year.
Challenges: Pinault family wealth estimate
French magazine Challenges estimated the Pinault family wealth at €31.2 billion (2023).
Forbes family wealth estimate (referenced)
Forbes estimated the Pinault family's wealth at $25.7 billion (2024 reference in the biography).
Kering directorship renewed at AGM
At Kering's Annual General Meeting on 24 April 2025, François-Henri Pinault's directorship was renewed.
Key Achievement Ages
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