Education
Pinault enrolled in the College Saint-Martin school, in Rennes, in 1947, but then he dropped out.
Pinault enrolled in the College Saint-Martin school, in Rennes, in 1947, but then he dropped out.
François Pinault is Managing Partner of Financière Pinault.
He started his first business in the timber trade in 1963 in Rennes.
In 1988, he floated Pinault S.A. on the stock exchange and progressively steered the company’s business towards specialised retail.
In 1992, François Pinault founded Artémis, designed as a vehicle to invest in high-growth potential companies in completely different sectors from those of Pinault-Printemps-Redoute. PPR entered the luxury market in 1999 when it acquired an equity interest in Gucci Group.
In 2003, François Pinault handed over the reins of his company to his son, François-Henri Pinault, who subsequently became Chairman of Artémis.
Quotes from others about the person
"He gives of himself with a real passion, a true conviction, and an amazing capacity to get things done fast", Bernard Henri-Levy.
,François Pinault is twice-married, with three children. His son François-Henri Pinault is groomed his successor.