François Pinault is a French businessman, the billionaire founder of the Kering Group (formerly PPR, Euronext: KER), a global luxury goods holding company, and the owner of the world-renowned Pinault Collection of modern art. Born in Les Champs-Géraux, France, in 1936, he grew up in the rural French countryside and began his career working for his family's timber business.

Pinault is a school dropout at the age of 16, choosing instead to enlist in the military during the Algerian war. After returning, he sold the family business and launched his first wood-trading company in 1963. His career is defined by his aggressive financial acquisitions, industrial asset stripping, and a late-career pivot to dominating the luxury fashion and global contemporary art markets.

François Pinault's strategic genius was his mastery of leveraged buyouts and asset accumulation across diverse sectors (timber, distribution, retail). In 1988, Pinault SA was taken public. The company was later renamed Pinault-Printemps-Redoute (PPR). His pivotal move was entering the luxury sector: in 1999, he purchased a controlling stake in the Gucci Group for $3 billion and acquired Yves Saint Laurent, laying the foundation for Kering's massive luxury empire.

In 2003, Pinault handed over the management of his companies to his son, François-Henri Pinault. The second half of his career focused on his profound passion for art: he founded the Pinault Collection and acquired major cultural landmarks in Venice (the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana) to house his collection (including works by Basquiat, Lichtenstein, and Richter). His political and cultural influence, alongside his immense wealth, cemented his status as a major global figure.

François Pinault's social impact is massive and cultural. His founding of the Pinault Collection and his commitment to restoring historic Venetian landmarks to house the art provide a massive structural contribution to global art and culture. He launched an artist residency program and the Pierre Daix Prize for outstanding books on art.

His structural contribution is tied to the successful globalization of French and Italian luxury brands (Kering), creating thousands of high-value jobs and preserving the heritage of luxury craftsmanship.

François Pinault maintains the distinguished, powerful style of a French luxury and art patriarch. His attire is consistently bespoke, favoring tailored suits. His aesthetic is one of serious authority, blending his industrial background with his profound cultural influence.

Residing in Paris, his luxury is the immense security and autonomy derived from his multi-billion euro fortune. His life is dedicated to strategic acquisition, high-level cultural patronage, and the management of one of the world's most influential luxury and art empires.