Delphine Arnault, chairman and CEO of Christian Dior, received an honorary doctorate in business administration from Ewha Womans University on Thursday.
She was recognized for her achievements in managing the global fashion industry and her contributions to cultivating the next generation of female talent.
A large number of business leaders attended the ceremony, including Chung Eui-sun, chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, Shin Dong-bin, chairman of Lotte Group, Hyun Jung-dong, chairman of Hyundai Group, and Lee Boo-jin, president of Hotel Shilla.
President Lee Hyang-sook awarded Arnault the degree in recognition of her contributions to managing the global fashion industry and cultivating the next generation of female talent.
In her acceptance speech, Arnault said, "Korea has long been an important market for Dior and remains so without change," adding that "there is no single right answer or model for leadership."
Dior has partnered with Ewha Womans University since 2022 to develop female talent. Of the 79th domestic university students who received Dior mentoring, approximately two-thirds are from Ewha Womans University.
These students have won or advanced to the finals of the entrepreneurship competition in Dior’s female talent development program, 'Women@Dior,' for two consecutive years recently.
CEO Arnault is the eldest daughter of Bernard Arnault, Chairman of Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH). She served as Senior Vice President of Louis Vuitton from 2013 to 2023 and currently holds the position of the first female Chairman and CEO in Dior’s history.
In May, she accompanied her father on his visit to Korea, touring Shinsegae Department Store’s main branch and Lotte Department Store’s Jamsil branch. Chairman Shin and Vice President Shin also attended the Jamsil branch.
Chairman Hyun is a graduate of Ewha Womans University and served as a director of the school corporation Ewhahakdang from 2017 to 2025. Hotel Shilla has maintained ties with LVMH since Louis Vuitton opened its first store in Korea at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul in 1991. President Lee is known to have maintained a close relationship with CEO Arnault for nearly 30 years.
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