Who is Salma Hayek's billionaire husband? Here's all you need to know about François-Henri Pinault
Salma Hayek is all set to star in 'Like a Boss' where she essays the role of Claire Luna, a notorious titan of the cosmetics industry. Also starring Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne, the movie revolves around two best friends who set up their own cosmetics company but fall into a debt spiral.
Hayek, who is known for her stint in movies like 'Desperado' (1995), 'From Dusk till Dawn' (1996), 'Dogma' (1999) and her Oscar-nominated turn 'Frida' (2002), has been married to her mysterious billionaire husband François-Henri Pinault for over a decade. Together the couple makes a great pair and is known to steal eyeballs at social gatherings, but very little is known about the man who has been by her side since 2007.
A billionaire businessman, Pinault is the CEO and chairman of the luxury fashion group Kering since 2005, and president of Groupe Artémis since 2003. According to Forbes, the man is worth $34.8 billion. Of French descent, Pianult hails from an affluent family and his father François Pinault, one of the wealthiest men in the world, was the founder of Pinault SA, which later became Pinault-Printemps-Redoute, then PPR, and finally Kering.
The company's new name is a testimony to his Breton roots. 'Ker' means "home" in the region’s dialect, and sounds like "caring". In 2018, Pinault announced his plan to outperform Louis Vuitton with Gucci and confirmed his brand's exit from the sport and lifestyle sector to focus on its luxury segment. Kering has grown over the years as an umbrella to several big names like Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Brioni, Balenciaga, Alexander McQueen, Boucheron, and Pomellato.
Not only does he own fashion brands, but Pinault is also known to be a fashion connoisseur himself. Reportedly, he chipped in the transition of legendary fashion brand Balenciaga after Nicolas Ghesquière stepped down as creative director and appointed Alexander Wang. He also lent a hand in stabilizing Yves Saint Laurent when Hedi Slimane replaced Stefano Pilati. Not just that, he is fond of collecting watches and his luxury collection includes top brands like Piaget and Audemars Piguet.
If that wasn't enough, he has secured a spot in the wine business too as his family owns Château Latour, largely regarded as the top Bordeaux vineyard in the world, with a few bottles priced as high as $1 million. What people only dream of, Pinault seems to already have in his pockets. A few years back, he purchased the keys to the luxurious Vidal Sassoon’s Bel Air mansion in California for $16.5 million!
First married to Dorothée Lepère from 1996 to 2004, Pinault had two children from that marriage, son François and daughter Mathilde. He also dated supermodel Linda Evangelista from September 2005 to January 2006 and they had a son together, Augustin James Evangelista.
It was only in late April 2006 that he began dating Hayek. The very next year, the actress who began her career in Mexico was reported to be pregnant. Later that month, the pair who have a four-year age gap, announced their engagement. Their lovely daughter, Valentina, came into their lives on September 21, 2007, but the two exchanged vows a couple of years later on Valentines' Day in 2009 in Paris.
Two months later, on April 25, 2009, Hayek and Pinault renewed their wedding vows in the presence of their family and friends in Venice. The crazy rich couple has done much for charity too. Last year, after the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, blew up in flames, the family pledged $113 million to help rebuild one of the oldest Gothic cathedrals of the Middle Ages.