1'ST PLACE IN WORLD RICHEST MAN - CARLOS SLIM HELU
Biodata | Chairman, Telmex | ||
| Age | : | 72 |
| Source of Wealth | : | telecom, self-made |
| Residence | : | Mexico City, Mexico |
| Country of Citizenship | : | Mexico |
| Education | : | Bachelor of Arts / Science, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico |
| Marital Status | : | Widowed |
| Children | : | 6 |
Carlos Slim Helu (born January 28, 1940) is a Mexican business magnate and philanthropist who as of 2011 is the richest man in the world, for the second year in a row. He is the chairman and chief executive of telecommunications companies Telmex and America Movil and has extensive holdings in other Mexican companies through his conglomerate, Grupo Carso SAB, as well as business interests elsewhere in the world.
America Movil, which in 2010 was Latin America's largest mobile-phone carrier, accounted for around US$49 billion of Slim's wealth by the end of 2010. His corporate holdings as of March 2011 have been estimated at US$74 billion.On March 29, 2007, Slim surpassed Warren Buffett as the world's second richest person with an estimated net worth of $53.1 billion compared to Buffet's $52.4 billion.On August 4, 2007, The Wall Street Journal ran a cover story profiling Slim. The article said, "While the market value of his stake in publicly traded companies could decline at any time, at the moment he is probably wealthier than Bill Gates". According to The Wall Street Journal, Slim credits part of his ability to "discover investment opportunities" early to the writings of his friend, futurist author Alvin Toffler.On August 8, 2007, Fortune reported that Slim had overtaken Gates as the world's richest man. Slim's estimated fortune soared to $59 billion, based on the value of his public holdings at the end of July.Bill Gates net worth was estimated to be at least $58 billion.On March 5, 2008, Forbes ranked Slim as the world's second-richest person, behind Warren Buffettand ahead of Bill Gates.On March 11, 2009, Forbes ranked Slim as the world's third-richest person, behind Gates and Buffettand ahead of Larry Ellison.On March 10, 2010, Forbes once again reported that Slim had overtaken Gates as the world's richest man, with a net worth of $53.5 billion. Bill Gates and Warren Buffett now have a net worth of $53 billion and $47 billion respectively. He was the first Mexican to top the list. It was the first time in 16 years that the person on top of the list was not from the United States. It was also the first time the person at the top of the list was from an "emerging economy."
In March 2011, Forbes stated that Slim had maintained his position as the wealthiest person in the world, with his fortune estimated at $74 billion.
2ND PLACE IN WORLD RICHEST MAN - BILL GATES
Biodata
| Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | ||
| Age | : | 56 |
| Source of Wealth | : | Microsoft, self-made |
| Residence | : | Medina, WA |
| Country of Citizenship | : | United States |
| Education | : | Drop Out, Harvard University |
| Marital Status | : | Married |
| Children | : | 3 |
William Henry "Bill" Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen. He is consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest people and was the wealthiest overall from 1995 to 2009, excluding 2008, when he was ranked third. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions of CEO and chief software architect, and remains the largest individual shareholder, with 6.4 percent of the common stock. He has also authored or co-authored several books.
Bill Gates is one of the best-known entrepreneurs of the personal computer revolution.Bill Gates has been criticized for his business tactics, which have been considered anti-competitive, an opinion which has in some cases been upheld by the courts. In the later stages of his career, Gates has pursued a number of philanthropic endeavors, donating large amounts of money to various charitable organizations and scientific research programs through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, established in 2000.
Bill Gates stepped down as chief executive officer of Microsoft in January 2000. He remained as chairman and created the position of chief software architect. In June 2006, Bill Gates announced that he would be transitioning from full-time work at Microsoft to part-time work, and full-time work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. He gradually transferred his duties to Ray Ozzie, chief software architect, and Craig Mundie, chief research and strategy officer. Gates' last full-time day at Microsoft was June 27, 2008. He remains at Microsoft as non-executive chairman.
Bill Gates was number one on the Forbes 400 list from 1993 through to 2007 and number one on Forbes list of The World's Richest People from 1995 to 2007 and 2009. In 1999, Gates's wealth briefly surpassed $101 billion, causing the media to call him a "centibillionaire". Since 2000, the nominal value of his Microsoft holdings has declined due to a fall in Microsoft's stock price after the dot-com bubble burst and the multi-billion dollar donations he has made to his charitable foundations. In a May 2006 interview, Gates commented that he wished that he were not the richest man in the worldbecause he disliked the attention it brought. Gates has several investments outside Microsoft, which in 2006 paid him a salary of $616,667 and $350,000 bonus totalling $966,667. He founded Corbis, a digital imaging company, in 1989. In 2004 he became a director of Berkshire Hathaway, the investment company headed by long-time friend Warren Buffett. In March 2010 Bill Gates was bumped down to the second wealthiest man behind Carlos Slim Helu.
3RD PLACE IN WORLD RICHEST MAN – WARREN EDWARD BUFFETT
Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. Often introduced as "legendary investor, Warren Buffett, he is the primary shareholder.He is consistently ranked among the world's wealthiest people.He was ranked as the world's wealthiest person in 2008 and is the third wealthiest person in the world as of 2011. Buffett is called the "Wizard of Omaha", "Oracle of Omaha" and is noted for his adherence to the value investing philosophy and for his personal frugality despite his immense wealth. Buffett is also a notable philanthropist, having pledged to give away 99 percent of his fortune to philanthropic causes, primarily via the Gates Foundation.
Early life
Buffett was born in 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska, the second of three children and only son of U.S. Representative Howard Buffett, a fierce critic of the interventionist New Deal domestic and foreign policy, and his wife Leila (née Stahl).
Buffett began his education at Rose Hill Elementary School in Omaha. In 1942, his father was elected to the first of four terms in the United States Congress, and after moving with his family to Washington, D.C., Warren finished elementary school, attended Alice Deal Junior High School, and graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1947, where his senior yearbook picture reads: "likes math; a future stock broker.
Even as a child, Buffett displayed an interest in making and saving money. He went door to door selling chewing gum, Coca-Cola, or weekly magazines. For a while, he worked in his grandfather's grocery store. While still in high school he was successful in making money by delivering newspapers, selling golf balls and stamps, and detailing cars, among other means. Filing his first income tax return in 1944, Buffett took a $35 deduction for the use of his bicycle and watch on his paper route.
In 1945, in his sophomore year of high school, Buffett and a friend spent $25 to purchase a used pinball machine, which they placed in the local barber shop. Within months, they owned several machines in different barber shops.
Education
Buffett entered college as a freshmen in 1947 at the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania and studied there for two years from 1947 to 1949.
In the year 1950, when he entered his junior year, he transferred to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln where at the age of nineteen, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in business administration.
After the completion of his undergraduate studies, Buffett enrolled at Columbia Business School after learning that Benjamin Graham (author of "The Intelligent Investor" – one of his favorite books on investing) and David Dodd, two well-known securities analysts, taught there.
He earned a Master of Science in economics from Columbia in 1951.
Buffett also attended the New York Institute of Finance
Recognition
In 1999, Buffett was named the top money manager of the Twentieth Century in a survey by the Carson Group, ahead of Peter Lynch andJohn Templeton.
In 2007, he was listed among Time's 100 Most Influential People in the world.[87] In 2011, President Barack Obamaawarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Most recently, Buffett, along with Bill Gates, was named the most influential global thinker in Foreign Policy's 2010 report.
Wealth
In 2008 he was ranked by Forbes as the richest person in the world with an estimated net worth of approximately US$62 billion.
In 2009, after donating billions of dollars to charity, Buffett was ranked as the second richest man in the United States with a net worth of US$37 billion with only Bill Gates ranked higher than Buffett.
His net worth is up to $47 billion in the past 12 months. Warren Buffett’s firm Berkshire Hathaway climbed more than 15% over the last year adding$3 billion to his to fortune.
Along with bridge partner Bill Gates, the Oracle of Omaha is coaxing America’s richest to pledge half their fortunes to charity.
“Too often a vast collection of possessions ends up possessing its owner. The asset I most value, aside from health, is interesting, diverse and long-standing friends.”
Buffett faked breathing problems when he was 12 so he could move back to Omaha from Washington, D.C., where his father was a freshman congressman. He had read every book about investing in stocks in the Omaha Public Library by the time he was 12.
He met value investor Benjamin Graham at Columbia; bought textile firm Berkshire Hathaway 1965, and transformed it into massive holding company: food, insurance, utilities, industrials. Buffett acquired railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $26 billion in 2009.
4TH PLACE IN WORLD RICHEST MAN - BERNARD ARNAULT
The Lord of Luxe easily retains title of richest European.
Fortune surged by $13.5 billion as shares of his luxury good outfit, LVMH, rose by more than half over the past year thanks to strong demand for luxuries like Dom Perignon champagne, Cognac Hennessy, Tag Heuer watches and Louis Vuitton accessories, particularly in Asian markets like Shanghai and Ho Chi Minh City. The group acquired 20% of Hermes last year.
In March the Bulgari family transferred its majority holding in its brand to LVMH in exchange for LVMH shares and board seats.
LVMH fired Christian Dior designer John Galliano after he apparently made anti-semitic remarks.
Renaissance man also owns yacht builder Royal Van Lent, a hotel in Courchevel; has stakes in French retailer Carrefour and French tour operator Go Voyages.
Férinel
After graduation, in 1971, he joined his father's company. In 1976, he convinced his father to liquidate the construction division of the company for 40 million French francs, and to change the focus of the company to real estate. Using the name Férinel, the new company developed a specialty holiday accommodation. Named director of company building in 1974, he became CEO in 1977. In 1979, he succeeded his father as president of the company. In 1981, Bernard Arnault emigrated to the United States and created Ferinel Inc. which developed condominiums in Florida.
Christian Dior
Three years later, when the French Socialists switched to a more conservative economic course, Bernard Arnault returned to France and became the CEO of Financière Agache, a luxury goods company. With the help of Antoine Bernheim, a senior partner of Lazard Frères et Cie., the Paris office of Lazard Frères & Co., and government subsidies conferred in exchange for a promise not to downsize, Bernard Arnault acquired Boussac, a textile company in turmoil. Boussac owned Christian Dior, the department store Le Bon Marché, the retail shop Conforama and the diapers industrial Peaudouce.
The Arnault family put up just $15 million of their own money, with Lazard supplying the rest of the reported $80 million purchase price.Following receipt of about 2 billion francs from the state in exchange of the promise to safeguard 16,000 jobs in the group, Bernard Arnault sent a letter to Laurent Fabius. In the letter he stated: “I will personally handle the management of DBSF and I will proceed to the setting up of the industrial and social plan as it was communicated to the administration.” Bernard Arnault sold nearly all the company's assets, keeping only the prestigious Christian Dior brand, and Le Bon Marché department store.
In 1987, shortly after the creation of LVMH, the new luxury group resulting from the merger between two companies, Mr Arnault exploited a growing conflict between Alain Chevalier, Moët Hennessy's CEO, and Henri Racamier, president of Louis Vuitton. Moët Hennessy held Moët & Chandon Champagne, Ruinart Champagne, Champagne Mercier, Canard-Duchêne and Hennessy cognac.
Louis Vuitton was the owner ofLouis Vuitton Malletier, Givenchy, Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne. The new group held property rights to Dior perfumes, which Bernard Arnault craved to incorporate into Dior Couture. He created a holding company of which he owned 60% and Guinness, who had a distribution agreement with Moët-Hennessy, owned 40%. Following the October 1987 stock market crash, he capitalized on the lower quoted price and soon owned 43% of LVMH. In 1988, the group was looking for other investors. Henri Racamier, CEO at that time, asked Bernard Arnault to invest in the company.
With more than 25% of shares, Bernard Arnault became one on the main shareholders of the group.
During this period, the management met difficulties because of the differences of view regarding the group’s strategic choices. Alain Chevalier was considering the sale of the wine and spirits department to other groups, whereas minor shareholder Henri Racamier wanted to restore Louis Vuitton’s independence. In this context, Bernard Arnault believed the group had to follow a unique direction and tried to take the leadership of LVMH. To take the control of the group, Bernard Arnault launched a takeover bid. In July 1988, he became LVMH’s first shareholder and, with the help of Lazare Bank and Crédit Lyonnais, majority shareholder in January 6, 1989. Alain Chevalier left the group and on the January 13th 1989, Bernard Arnault was unanimously elected chairman of the executive management board. Henri Recamier tried to cancel Bernard Arnault takeover bid. However, on 16 May 1989, French stock market regulator legitimated the operation.He then consolidated his position by purging executives from both companies and declared himself linchpin for the group’s future. He also appointed his father Jean Leon Arnault Chairman of the Supervisory board before officially taking over as Chairman & CEO in 1989.
Since then, Bernard Arnault led the company through an ambitious development plan, turning it into one of the largest luxury groups in the world, alongside Swiss luxury giant Richemont and French based PPR Group. In eleven years, LVMH value has been multiplied by fifteen. In the meantime, the sales and profit progressed by 500%. Bernard Arnault promoted the decisions decentralization concerning the brands of the group. The brands are now considered as firms with their own familial history.
Bernard Arnault thinks LVMH has “shared advantages”: the strongest brands help financing those that are growing. Bernard Arnault has a portfolio of major brands from the luxury sector for which the stability is secured. This solidity allows new acquisitions and the group development. Thanks to this strategy, Christian Lacroix could open his own fashion house.
In July 1988, Bernard Arnault acquired Céline. In 1993, LVMH acquired Berluti and Kenzo. In the same year, Bernard Arnault bought out the French economic newspaper La Tribune. He could not turn it around, in spite of the 150 million Euro of investment. He sold La Tribune in November 2007 in order to buy the other French economic newspaper Les Echos, for 240 million Euros.
In 1994, LVMH acquired the perfume firm Guerlain. In 1996, Bernard Arnault bought out Loewe and it was followed by Marc Jacobs andSephora in 1997. Were also integrated to the group: Thomas Pink in 1999, Emilio Pucci in 2000 and Fendi, DKNY and La Samaritaine in 2001.
Among other companies, Arnault also owned the art auction house Phillips de Pury & Company from 1999 to 2003. He also bought out the first French auctioneer Tajan.Between 1998 and 2001, he had a passion for new economy and invested in boo.com, Libertysurf and Zebank through his holding Europatweb. The March 2000 Internet krash and 9/11 attacks convinced him to leave the sector.
In the 1990s, Bernard Arnault decided to gather his activities in a unique building in New York in order to symbolize LVMH’s strength and grandeur in the United States. He chose Christian de Portzamparc to realize this project , in which he also committed himself.On December 8, 1999, LVMH tower was unveiled in front of Hillary Clinton.
In 2005, he became the richest man in France. According to the Forbes list of Billionaires 2006, he pushed in front of his fellow-countrywoman Liliane Bettencourt, with a $30 billion fortune. In 2007, he acquired 10.69% of France's largest supermarket retailer and the world's second largest food distributor, Carrefour through his Blue Capital, which is jointly owned by California property firm Colony Capital. In 2008, he invested into the yacht business and bought Princess Yachts for 253 million Euros. He then took control of Royal van Lent for an almost identical sum.
Awards
Bernard Arnault received the title of Commander of the French Legion of Honour on February 10, 2007. He was promoted to the dignity of Grand Officer of the French Legion of Honour on 14 July 2011.
5TH PLACE IN WORLD RICHEST MAN - LARRY ELLISON
Lawrence Joseph "Larry" Ellison (born August 17, 1944) is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation, one of the world's leading enterprise software companies. As of 2011, he is the third wealthiest American citizen, with an estimated worth of $33 billion.
In 2005, Oracle paid Larry Ellison a $975,000 salary, a $6,500,000 bonus, and other compensation of $955,100. In 2007, Larry Ellison earned a total compensation of $61,180,524, which included a base salary of $1,000,000, a cash bonus of $8,369,000, and options granted of $50,087,100. In 2008, he earned a total compensation of $84,598,700, which included a base salary of $1,000,000, a cash bonus of $10,779,000, no stocks granted, and options granted of $71,372,700. In the year ending May 31, 2009 he made $56.8 million. Early life
Larry Ellison was born in the Bronx, New York City, New York to Florence Spellman, an unwed 19-year-old of Jewish heritage and an Italian-American U.S. Air Force pilot, who was stationed abroad before Spellman realized that she had become pregnant by him. After Larry Ellison contracted pneumonia at the age of nine months, his mother determined that she was unable to care for him adequately, and arranged for him to be adopted by her aunt and uncle in Chicago. Lillian Spellman Ellison and Louis Ellison adopted him when he was nine months old. Lillian was the second wife of Louis Ellison, an immigrant who had arrived in the United States in 1905 from Russia. Larry Ellison did not meet his biological mother again until he was 48.
Ellison graduated from Eugene Field Elementary School on Chicago's north side in January, 1958 and attended Sullivan High School at least through the fall of 1959 before moving to South Shore.
He was raised in Reform Judaism. Ellison grew up in a two-bedroom apartment in Chicago's South Shore middle-class Jewish neighborhood. Ellison remembers his adoptive mother as warm and loving, in contrast to his austere, unsupportive, and often distant adoptive father, who adopted the name Ellison to honor his point of entry into the USA, Ellis Island. Louis, his adoptive father, was a modest government employee who had made a small fortune in Chicago real estate, only to lose it during the Great Depression.
Ellison was a bright but inattentive student. He left the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign at the end of his second year, after not taking his final exams because his adoptive mother had just died. After spending a summer in Northern California, where he lived with his friend Chuck Weiss, Ellison attended the University of Chicago for one term, where he first encountered computer design. In 1964, at 20 years of age, he moved to Northern California permanently.
Personal life
Ellison has been married and divorced four times. He was married to Add a Quinn from 1967 to 1974.
He was married to Nancy Wheeler Jenkins from 1977 to 1978. From 1983 to 1986, he was married to Barbara Boo the two children were born of this marriage, a son and daughter named David and Megan. Both Megan and David were executive producers of the 2010 Coen Brothers film True Grit.On 18 December 2003, Ellison married Melanie Craft, a romance novelist, at his Woodside estate. Ellison's late friend Steve Jobs, former CEO and co-founder of Apple, Inc, was the official wedding photographer, and Representative Tom Lantos officiated.
Ellison and Melanie Craft-Ellison divorced in September 2010.
6TH PLACE IN WORLD RICHEST MAN - LAKSHMI MITTAL
Lakshmi Mittal (born 15 June 1950) is an Indian steel magnate. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of Arcelor Mittal, the world’s largest steelmaking company.
Lakshmi Mittal is the richest man in India, Asia and the United Kingdom, and second in Europe and is presently the sixth richest individual in the world with a personal wealth of US$31.1 billion. He is the 44th "most powerful person" of the 68 individuals named in Forbes's Most Powerful People list. His daughter Vanisha Mittal's wedding was the most expensive in the recorded history of the world.
Lakshmi Mittal is an independent director of Goldman Sachs, member of Board of Directors to Goldman Sachs Media/Film IP Group, member of the Board of Directors of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, World Steel Association, Foreign Investment Council in Kazakhstan, the International Investment Council in South Africa, the Investors' Council to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the World Economic Forum's International Business Council, the World Steel Association's Executive Committee, the Presidential International Advisory Board of Mozambique and the International Iron and Steel Institutes Executive Committee.
In 2006, Financial Times named him "Person of the Year". In 2007, Time magazine included him in their "100 most influential persons in the world".
Early life and career
Lakshmi Narayan Mittal alias Lakshmi Niwas Mittal was born into a Marwari business family in Churu district of Rajasthan, India. His family moved from (Rajgarh)Sadulpur, Rajasthan to Calcutta in West Bengal. Mittal has two siblings (brothers) named Pramod Mittal and Vinod Mittal. He graduated from St. Xavier's College, Calcutta with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in business and accounting. While out of college, Mittal turned to his family’s steel business which he helped run until a falling out with his father, mother, and brother. After this Mittal branched into his own business with the purchase of a plant located in Indonesia in 1976. It was this purchase which led to the creation of Arcelor Mittal. His father, Mohan Lal Mittal, ran a steel business, Nippon Denro Ispat. Until the 1990s, the family's main assets in India were a cold-rolling mill for sheet steels in Nagpur and an alloy steels plant near Pune. Today, the family business, including a large integrated steel plant near Mumbai, is run by Lakshmi's brothers, Pramod and Vinod, but Lakshmi has no connection with it.
Mittal started his career working in the family's steel making business in India, and in 1976, when the family founded its own steel business, he set out to establish its international division, beginning with the buying of a run-down plant in Indonesia. Shortly afterwards he married Usha, the daughter of a well-to-do moneylender. In 1976, due to differences with his father, mother and brothers,branched out on his the LNM Group, and he has been responsible for the development of its businesses ever since. Mittal Steel is a global steel producer with operations in 14 countries
Personal life
His residence at 18-19 Kensington Palace Gardens--which was purchased from Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone in 2004 for £57 million (US$128 million)--made it the world's most expensive house at the time. Mittal's house in Kensington, London is decorated with marble taken from the same quarry that supplied the Taj Mahal. The extravagant show of wealth has been referred to as the "Taj Mittal". It has 12 bedrooms, an indoor pool, Turkish baths and parking for 20 cars.
Mittal bought No. 9A Palace Greens, Kensington Gardens, formerly the British Philippines embassy, at £70 million in 2008 for his daughter Vanisha Mittal Bhatia Bhatia who is married to Amit Bhatia a businessman and a philanthropist.
Mittal owns three prime properties collectively worth £500 million on the "Billionaire's Row" at Kensington Palace Gardens.
In 2005, he also bought a colonial bungalow for $30 million at No. 22, Aurangzeb Road in New Delhi, India, the most exclusive street in the city occupied by embassies and millionaires, and rebuilt it as a house
7TH PLACE IN WORLD RICHEST MAN - AMANCIO ORTEGA
Amancio Ortega (born March 28, 1936) is a Spanish fashion entrepreneur. His Birth of Place Busdongo de Arbas, Leon, Spain. Amancio Ortega's Marital Status : Married (2 Time), his 1st wife Rosalía Mera (divorced) and 2nd wife Flora Pérez Marcote (2001- Present). He have 3 Childrens and their name is Sandra Ortega Mera, Marcos Ortega Mera, Marta Ortega Pérez. Amancio Ortega's Parents is a Son of railroad worker and maid.
 RosalíaMera (1st Wife) |  Flora Pérez Marcote (2nd Wife) |  Sandra Ortega Mera (Children) |  Marcos Ortega Mera (Children) |  MartaOrtega Pérez (Children) |
Amancio Ortega Family Picture
Amancio Ortega is the founder, along with his then-wife Rosalia Mera, and chairman of the Inditex Group. He is ranked by Forbes as Spain's richest man; Europe's second richest man; and the seventh richest man in the world in 2011 . He currently lives with his second wife in a discreet apartment building in the centre of A Coruna.
Amancio Ortega arrived at La Coruna, Spain, at the age of 14, due to the job of his father, a railway worker. Starting as a gofer in various shirt stores in La Coruna, Galicia, in 1972 he founded Confecciones Goa (his initials in reverse), which made bathrobes. In 1975 he opened the first store in what would grow into the enormously popular chain of fashion stores called Zara. He owns 59.29% of the Inditex group (Industrias de Diseno Textil Sociedad Anonima) which includes the brands Zara, Massimo Dutti, Oysho, Zara Home, Kiddy's Class, Tempe, Stradivarius, Pull and Bear/Often and Bershka and has more than 92,000 employees.
Amancio Ortega keeps a very low profile and there are practically no photographs of him (except from one photo published at the Inditex website). He refuses to wear a tie, and likes to dress in blue jeans and T-shirts. He is said to take a very active part in the production and design process in the company.
When he made a public appearance in 2000 - as part of the warm-up prior to floating his company on the stock market in 2001 - it made headlines in the Spanish financial press. However, he has never given an interview, and his secrecy has led to the publication of books such as Amancio Ortega: DE CERO A ZARA (From Zero to Zara).
Amancio Ortega, announced his imminent retirement from the fast-fashion giant Inditex, parent company of the Zara chain, stating that he will ask Inditex vice-president and CEO Pablo Isla to take his place at the helm of the textile empire.
8TH PLACE IN WORLD RICHEST MAN - EIKE BATISTA
Eike Batista (born November 3, 1956), is a Brazilian entrepreneur and president of the EBX Group , which includes five companies that trade on the BOVESPA's Novo Mercado, a special segment of the Sao Paulo stock market where enterprises with the highest standards of corporate governance are listed. The EBX companies listed on the BOVESPA are: OGX (oil and gas), MPX (energy), LLX (logistics), MMX (mining) and OSX (offshore services and equipment).
Batista is one of seven children of businessman Eliezer Batista,[who was Minister of Mines and Energy in the João Goulart and Fernando Collor administrations and a former president of Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, then wholly a state enterprise, between 1961–1964 and 1979-1986. His mother, Jutta Fuhrken, was born in Germany and, from her, Batista says he learned self-esteem and discipline, attributes he considers crucial to his formation as an entrepreneur. After spending his childhood in Brazil, Batista and his family moved toEurope when he was a teenager, due to his father’s occupation. When he was 18 years old, his parents returned to Brazil, yet Batista remained abroad and began selling insurance policies door-to-door to make his living. In interviews, he often mentions that the "stress" and the lessons learned from this experience were essential for his education.
Eike Batista returned to Brazil in the early 1980s and focused his attention on the goldand diamond trades. He established himself as a salesman, contacting producers in the Amazon area and buyers in large metropolitan centers in Brazil and Europe. When he was 23 years old, he started a gold trading firm, called Autram Aurem, using the Inca Sun as the company trademark and symbol. A year and a half later, the company had earned US$ 6 million.
Batista married the model Luma de Oliveira in 1991, and divorced her in 2004. They had two boys, Olin and Thor. Batista enjoys running, swimming and practices marine sports. In the 90s, he was the Brazilian, U.S. and World Champion in the Super Offshore Powerboat class. In 2006, he covered the 220 nautical miles between Santos and Rio de Janeiro in 3h01m47s and beat the record for the course in his boat, the Spirit of Brazil. Eike Batistamaintains an active digital life, with a personal site with articles, videos and news about his companies. The digital channel that Batista has chosen as his primary means of personal communication is Twitter. His profile on Twitter, @eikebatista, has over 550,000 followers, who respond to his messages and interact with him. . In 2011, Batista released the book “The Heart of the Matter” (O X da Questão) which recounts his trajectory in the business world and offers tips on entrepreneurialism. Batista is fluent in five languages – Portuguese, German, English, French and Spanish.
9TH PLACE IN WORLD RICHEST MAN - MUKESH DHIRUBHAI AMBANI
Biodata
| Name | : | Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani |
| D.O.B | : | April 19, 1957 ( Mumbai, Maharashtra) |
| Education | : | Bachelor of Chemical Engineering from the University Department of Chemical Technology (UDCT) |
| Family | : | His father the late Dhirubhai Ambani, a Gujarati entrepreneur. His brother Anil Ambani heads other companies in the Reliance Group. The Ambani brothers had a well-publicized spat after their father’s death, which led to the Reliance Group being split between the two |
| Marriage | : | Mukesh Ambani is married to Nita Ambani. They have 3 children: Akash, Isha and Anant |
Achievements
Mukesh Ambani is an Indian business magnate. He is the chairman and managing director of Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries, the largest private sector enterprise in India listed in Fortune 500 magazine. His personal stake in Reliance Industries is 48%. On the 29th of August 2011, Reliance Industries regained its status as the most valued firm in India, after a heady contest with ONGC and Coal India Ltd., both public sector units as well as energy giants.
In 2010, he was named among the most powerful people in the world by Forbes in its list of "68 people who matter most" As of 2011, he is the second richest man in Asia and the ninth richest man in the world with a personal wealth of US$27 billion. In 2007, a strong rally in the Indian stock market and the appreciation of the Indian rupee boosted the market capitalisation of Reliance group companies, briefly making him the world's richest man.
He is a member of the board of directors of Bank of America Corporation and a present member of the international advisory board of the Council on Foreign Relations.
He joined Reliance Industries in 1981. He initiated Reliance's backward integration journey from textiles into polyester fibres and further into petrochemicals, petroleum refining and going up-stream into oil and gas exploration and production.
Mukesh Ambani set up one of the largest and most complex information and communications technology initiatives in the world in the form of Reliance Infocomm Limited (now Reliance Communications Limited).
Mukesh Ambani directed and led the creation of the world's largest grassroots petroleum refinery at Jamnagar, India, with a current capacity of 660,000 barrels per day (33 million tonnes per year) integrated with petrochemicals, power generation, port and related infrastructure.
 |  |  |  |
Dhirubai Ambani ”Father” | Anil Ambani ”Brother” | Mukesh Ambani | Mukesh Ambani “Family” |
10TH PLACE IN WORLD RICHEST MAN - CHRISTY WALTON
Biodata
| Name | : | Christy Walton |
| D.O.B | : | born 1955 |
| Marriage | : | Christy Walton is the widow of John T. Walton, who was a son of Sam Walton, the founder of Wal-Mart. After John's death in June 2005, she inherited his fortune of $15.7 billion. |
Achievements
She is the 4th richest person in the United States according to Forbes Magazine and the 10th richest person in the world, as well as the richest woman in the world. As of March 2011, she had an estimated net worth of US$26.5 billion, the bulk of which comes from her shares in Wal-Mart, but also from First Solar, in which her late husband invested. She currently resides in Jackson, Wyoming and has one son, Lukas.
Facesofphilanthropy.com references Conde Nast Portfolio magazine as ranking her the highest female philanthropist, according to the amount she gives as a percentage of her wealth. Between 2002 and 2006, she contributed billions from her then $16.3 billion net worth towards philanthropic efforts.
Non-profit organizations in which Walton is actively serving include the national association of trustees and staff, corporate giving officers, and individual donors - The Philanthropy Roundtable. The San Diego Natural History Museum where she is a board member, as well as the San Diego Zoological Society and the Mingei International Museum are also institutions in which she makes donations towards. In 2006, Walton also donated her own old Victorian home to the International Community Foundation - Center for Cross-Border Philanthropy, which was built in 1896 for former National City postmaster Oliver Noyes and is of historical significance. Since her donation, she has endowed $4 million towards the edifice's preservation.
Additionally, she supports her family's own charitable foundation, the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, which prioritizes education and benefits colleges such as the University of Arkansas, the College of Business Administration of the University of Arkansas, and several other colleges, community trusts, universities and foundations. In 2007, her family's foundation donated as much as $1.6 billion.
Family
The Walton family has been known as a billionaire family which holds in total 48% of Wal-Mart’s, the biggest American retailer, shares which worth $83.5 as per June 2011. Christy Walton is currently the biggest shareholder with $24.5 billion and ranked the highest in Forbes 2011 billionaire list.
Family
The Walton family has been known as a billionaire family which holds in total 48% of Wal-Mart’s, the biggest American retailer, shares which worth $83.5 as per June 2011. Christy Walton is currently the biggest shareholder with $24.5 billion and ranked the highest in Forbes 2011 billionaire list.Other than Christy Walton and family, there are four more prominent member of the Walton family. They are Jim, Rob, Alice, and Helen. Christy took over her husband’s place in 2005 when he died from an airplane crash. Helen then passed away on April 19, 2007, left the empire to Christy Walton and three prominent Walton family members. Each of them are never absent from Forbes billionaire list every year.
The Walton family tree starts with brothers Sam Walton and James “Bud” Walton. Sam Walton was the founder of Wal-Mart. The other family members then joined him including his wife and four children, Jim, John, Alice, and Rob Walton. Jim Walton has two children while Rob Walton has three children. Still the most famous Walton grandson is Luke Walton who is the only son of John and Christy Walton. Bud Walton, Sam Walton’s brother has two children, Ann and Nancy. Ann is married to Stanley Kroenke while Nancy Walton is married to Bill Laurie.
Per March 2010, the fortunes of Walton family are as below (taken from Wikipedia).
• Jim Walton US$20.7 billion.
• Christy Walton and family US$22.5 billion.
• Alice Walton US$20.6 billion.
• S. Robson Walton US$19.8 billion.
• Ann Walton Kroenke US$3.2 billion.
• Nancy Walton Laurie US$2.7 billion.
• John Walton US$2.5 billion.
• Jim Walton US$20.7 billion.
• Christy Walton and family US$22.5 billion.
• Alice Walton US$20.6 billion.
• S. Robson Walton US$19.8 billion.
• Ann Walton Kroenke US$3.2 billion.
• Nancy Walton Laurie US$2.7 billion.
• John Walton US$2.5 billion.
In total, they all have $92 billion of wealth with Christy Walton and family to be the richest with $22.5 billion.
