T hese days, some of his senior executives refer to him as "God". Like God, Bernard Arnault is omnipresent, respected and feared both inside and outside the LVMH luxury empire he has built over the past 25 years.

Yet he does not look like an empire builder. He is an enigmatic figure. On the one hand he is a politely distant, impeccably dressed, soft-spoken individual who likes to play classical works on the grand piano next to his office; on the other, he is considered one of the world's most ruthless and competitive business tycoons and by far the most successful in his sector.