The Most Famous

BUSINESSPEOPLE from France

This page contains a list of the greatest French Businesspeople. The pantheon dataset contains 847 Businesspeople, 36 of which were born in France. This makes France the birth place of the 4th most number of Businesspeople behind United Kingdom, and Germany.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary French Businesspeople of all time. This list of famous French Businesspeople is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of French Businesspeople.

1. Pierre de Coubertin (1863 - 1937)

With an HPI of 77.70, Pierre de Coubertin is the most famous French Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 90 different languages on wikipedia.

Charles Pierre de Frédy, Baron de Coubertin (French: [ʃaʁl pjɛʁ də fʁedi baʁɔ̃ də kubɛʁtɛ̃]; born Pierre de Frédy; 1 January 1863 – 2 September 1937), also known as Pierre de Coubertin and Baron de Coubertin, was a French educator and historian, co-founder of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and its second president. He is known as the father of the modern Olympic Games. He was particularly active in promoting the introduction of sport in French schools. Born into a French aristocratic family, Coubertin became an academic and studied a broad range of topics, most notably education and history. He graduated with a degree in law and public affairs from the Institute of Political Studies of Paris (Sciences Po). It was at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris that he came up with the idea of reviving the Olympic Games. The Pierre de Coubertin World Trophy and the Pierre de Coubertin Medal are named in his honour.

2. Bernard Arnault (b. 1949)

With an HPI of 72.97, Bernard Arnault is the 2nd most famous French Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 55 different languages.

Bernard Jean Étienne Arnault (French: [bɛʁnaʁ ʒɑ̃ etjɛn aʁno]; born 5 March 1949) is a French businessman, investor and art collector. He is the founder, chairman and CEO of LVMH, the world's largest luxury goods company. Arnault is one of the richest individuals in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$199.7 billion as of September 2024, according to Forbes and US$208 billion according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Arnault was raised in a devoutly Catholic household. He pursued Engineering at École polytechnique, graduating in 1971. He began his career in his father's company, Ferret-Savinel, shifting its focus to real estate, which laid the groundwork for his future career in the luxury goods market. Arnault's entry into the luxury sector was marked by his strategic acquisition in 1984 of the financially-struggling textile and retail conglomerate Boussac Saint-Frères, which included the prestigious fashion house Christian Dior. His aggressive business strategies earned him the nickname "The Terminator", as he revitalized Dior and sold off other assets for profit. In 1987, he played a key role in the creation of LVMH (an acronym for Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), a global luxury goods company, by merging Louis Vuitton with Moët Hennessy. Through a series of strategic acquisitions and investments, Arnault built LVMH into a leading company in the luxury industry, overseeing significant growth and expansion into various sectors, including fashion, jewelry, watches, and wine. Arnault's influence extends beyond LVMH, with investments in web companies and philanthropic endeavors, particularly in the arts. He has been involved in notable real estate and yacht ventures. His leadership has led to LVMH becoming the largest company by market capitalization in the eurozone. Despite controversies, including his attempt to become a Belgian citizen, Arnault's business acumen has solidified his status as a key figure in the global luxury market.

3. Jules Rimet (1873 - 1956)

With an HPI of 69.53, Jules Rimet is the 3rd most famous French Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 58 different languages.

Jules Rimet (French pronunciation: [ʒyl ʁimɛ]; 14 October 1873 – 16 October 1956) was a French football administrator who was the 3rd President of FIFA, serving from 1921 to 1954. He is FIFA's longest-serving president, in office for 33 years. He also served as the president of the French Football Federation from 1919 to 1942, and again from 1944 to 1949. On Rimet's initiative, the first FIFA World Cup was held in 1930. The Jules Rimet Trophy was named in his honour. He also founded French club Red Star, known as Red Star Club Français upon its creation in 1897.

4. Liliane Bettencourt (1922 - 2017)

With an HPI of 69.43, Liliane Bettencourt is the 4th most famous French Businessperson. Her biography has been translated into 38 different languages.

Liliane Henriette Charlotte Bettencourt (French pronunciation: [liljan ɑ̃ʁjɛt ʃaʁlɔt bɛtɑ̃kuʁ]; née Schueller; 21 October 1922 – 21 September 2017) was a French heiress, socialite and businesswoman. She was a board member and one of the principal shareholders of L'Oréal. At the time of her death, she was the richest woman, and the 14th richest person in the world, with a net worth of US$44.3 billion.

5. Louis Vuitton (1821 - 1892)

With an HPI of 63.87, Louis Vuitton is the 5th most famous French Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Louis Vuitton (French: [lwi vɥitɔ̃] ; 4 August 1821 – 27 February 1892) was a French fashion designer and businessman. He was the founder of the Louis Vuitton brand of leather goods now owned by LVMH. Prior to this, he had been appointed as trunk-maker to Empress Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III.

6. Christophe Plantin (1520 - 1589)

With an HPI of 61.69, Christophe Plantin is the 6th most famous French Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Christophe Plantin (Dutch: Christoffel Plantijn; c. 1520 – 1 July 1589) was a French Renaissance humanist and book printer and publisher who resided and worked in Antwerp. He established in Antwerp one of the most prominent publishing houses of his time, the Plantin Press. It played a significant role in making Antwerp a leading centre of book publishing in Europe. The publishing house was continued by his successors until 1867.

7. François Pinault (b. 1936)

With an HPI of 60.68, François Pinault is the 7th most famous French Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

François Pinault (born 21 August 1936) is a French billionaire businessman, founder of the luxury group Kering and the investment holding company Artémis. Pinault started his business in the timber industry in the early 1960s. Taken public in 1988, his company invested in specialty store chains and changed its name to Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR). By the end of 1999, PPR shifted towards luxury and fashion. In 2003, he passed on the management of his companies to his elder son François-Henri to follow his passion for contemporary art. In 2024, Forbes estimated Pinault's net worth at $31.6 billion, ranking him as the 54th-richest person in the world.

8. Armand Peugeot (1849 - 1915)

With an HPI of 60.09, Armand Peugeot is the 8th most famous French Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Armand Peugeot (French: [aʁmɑ̃ pøʒo]; 18 February 1849 – 4 February 1915) was a French industrialist, pioneer of the automobile industry and the man who transformed Peugeot into a manufacturer of bicycles and, later, of automobiles. He was accepted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 1999.

9. Eugène Schueller (1881 - 1957)

With an HPI of 59.45, Eugène Schueller is the 9th most famous French Businessperson. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Eugène Paul Louis Schueller (20 March 1881 – 23 August 1957) was a French chemist and entrepreneur who was the founder of L'Oréal, the world's leading company in cosmetics and beauty.

10. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers (b. 1953)

With an HPI of 59.07, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is the 10th most famous French Businessperson. Her biography has been translated into 25 different languages.

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers (French: [fʁɑ̃swaz bɛtɑ̃kuʁ mɛjɛʁs]; born 10 July 1953) is a French businesswoman, philanthropist, writer, billionaire heiress, and the richest woman in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$71.1billion as of November 2024, according to Forbes. She is the only child and heir of Liliane Bettencourt, and the granddaughter of Eugène Schueller, founder of L'Oréal. Her mother died in September 2017, after which her fortune tripled with her investments through her family holding company, Téthys Invest, and the high valuation of L'Oréal shares on the stock exchange.

People

Pantheon has 45 people classified as French businesspeople born between 1520 and 1985. Of these 45, 17 (37.78%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living French businesspeople include Bernard Arnault, François Pinault, and Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. The most famous deceased French businesspeople include Pierre de Coubertin, Jules Rimet, and Liliane Bettencourt. As of April 2024, 9 new French businesspeople have been added to Pantheon including Éleuthère Irénée du Pont, Madame Clicquot Ponsardin, and François Coty.