LVMH’s Arnault testing his son, daughter

Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, is pitting his son Antoine against his daughter Delphine and assessing the suitability of each to be his eventual successor, according to

a Bloomberg report.

LVMH has more than 60 luxury brands in its portfolio. Bernard Arnault controls 46.5% of the voting rights and has said he expects a relative to succeed him, the article said.

Two years ago, Antoine became chairman of LVMH’s Berluti shoe company. In September, Delphine became executive vice president of Louis Vuitton.

Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Mario Ortelli told Bloomberg that Antoine is more extroverted, while Delphine is more of an introvert.

Delphine studied at Edhec Business School in France and at the London School of Economics. She joined LVMH in 2000 after working at McKinsey & Co. She was named to LVMH’s board in 2003. Delphine was deputy managing director of Christian Dior Couture for five years, during which time its sales rose 67% to €1.28 billion.

Antoine studied at Insead and HEC Montreal and joined LVMH in 2002. He became Louis Vuitton’s director of communications in 2006 and joined LVMH’s board the same year. (Source: Bloomberg, Sept. 30, 2013.)