Kilian Hennessy

Kilian Hennessy (French pronunciation: [kiljɑ̃ ɛnɛsi]; 19 February 1907 – 1 October 2010) was a French business magnate of Irish extraction, and co-patriarch, with his first cousin Maurice, of the Hennessy cognac company.

[1] He became the CEO of Hennessy during the 1970s and spearheaded the 1971 merger with the Moët et Chandon champagne company.

[1] The merger resulted in the creation of Moët Hennessy, which in turn became a part of the new LVMH in 1987, becoming Moët-Hennessy • Louis Vuitton.

Hennessy remained a member of the luxury group's advisory board until his death in 2010.

[1] Hennessy's grandson, who shares his name, founded a niche perfume line called By Kilian; in 2016, the younger Hennessy sold the line to Estée Lauder rather than LVMH.