Kilian Hennessy (; 19 February 1907 – 1 October 2010) was a French

business magnate A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

extraction, and co-

patriarch The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and in certai ...

, with Maurice his first cousin, of the

Hennessy Jas Hennessy & Co., commonly known simply as Hennessy (), is a French producer of cognac, which has its headquarters in Cognac, France. It is one of the "big four" cognac houses, along with Martell, Courvoisier, and Rémy Martin, who together ma ...

cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cog ...

company. Kilian Hennessy, the son of

Jean Hennessy Jean Patrick Hennessy (26 April 1874 – 4 November 1944) was a French politician. Hennessy was born at Cherves-Richemont in the Charente département, son of Maurice Hennessy and his wife Jeanne, née Foussat. His family, of Irish origin, w ...

and Marguerite de Mun, was a direct, fifth generation descendant of

Richard Hennessy Richard Hennessy ( ga, Ristéard Ó h-Aonghusa; 1724 — 8 October 1800) was an Irish military officer and businessman, best known for founding the Hennessy cognac dynasty, which is today a luxury brand and one of the most prominent in the wor ...

, who founded

in 1765. He became the

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of Hennessy during the 1970s and spearheaded the 1971

merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of companies, other business organizations, or their operating units are transferred to or consolidated with another company or business organization. As an aspect ...

with the Moët et Chandon

champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

company. The merger resulted in the creation of

Moët Hennessy LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house ...

, which in turn became a part of the new

LVMH LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French holding multinational corporation and conglomerate specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. The company was formed in 1987 through the merger of fashion house ...

in 1987, becoming Moët-Hennessy • Louis Vuitton. Hennessy remained a member of the luxury group's

advisory board An advisory board is a body that provides non-binding strategic advice to the management of a corporation, organization, or foundation. The informal nature of an advisory board gives greater flexibility in structure and management compared to th ...

until his death in 2010. Hennessy’s grandson, who shared his name, founded a

niche perfume Niche perfume is an alternative to mass perfume production. Niche is limited by the clientele and therefore with a limited sale range, thus the goal of niche houses is not to sell as much as possible. These companies are generally smaller than the ...

line called By Kilian; in 2016, the younger Hennessy sold the line to Estée Lauder rather than LVMH.

Death

Hennessy died in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

on 1 October 2010, at the age of 103. He was a resident of

Saint-Brice, Charente Saint-Brice () is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. It is named after Saint Brice of Tours. Population Personalities *Kilian Hennessy - Patriarch of the Hennessy cognac house Twin towns * Radda in Chianti, Ital ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

References

French centenarians Men centenarians 1907 births 2010 deaths French chief executives French people of Irish descent People from Charente Hennessy family {{Ireland-business-bio-stub