No. 1 : Bernard Arnault
Chairman &
CEO LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessey), Chairman of Christian Dior S.A
Net Worth: $41
billion – As of March 2011
Age: 62 , Citizenship:
France
World : No. 4
World : No. 4
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. 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.
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No. 2 : Amancio Ortega
Co-founder of
the Inditex Group (Zara, Massimo Dutti, etc)
Net Worth: $31
billion – As of March 2011
Age: 74, Citizenship:
Spain
Amancio Ortega
Gaona, best known as Amancio Ortega, was born on March 28, 1936 in Leon, Spain.
His father worked on the railroad while his mother helped support the family by
working as a maid. At the age of 13, Ortega began working for a shirtmaker as a
delivery boy in La Coruna, Galicia, the center of the Iberian textile industry.
He worked for a variety of stores and tailors and studied how products and
costs changed as they traveled from the manufacturer to the consumer. As a
result, he became focused on the importance of getting products directly to the
consumer without a middle man.
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No. 3 : Karl Albrecht
Co-founder of
ALDI Discount Stores chains (ALDI Einkauf GmbH & Co. oHG)
Net Worth:
$25.5 billion – As of March 2011
Age: 91, Citizenship: Germany
Age: 91, Citizenship: Germany
In 1961, Aldi's
operations were divided between the brothers, with Karl taking control of the
more profitable Aldi Süd (South), and Theo managing Aldi Nord (North).
In 1994, Karl
Albrecht removed himself from the daily operations of Aldi Süd and took the
position of chairman of the board. At the beginning of 2002, he also
relinquished this position, thereby completely ceding control of the firm.
Today, the business is no longer run by any of Karl Albrecht’s family members.
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No. 4 : Stefan Persson
Chairman of
Hennes & Mauritz
Net Worth:
$24.5 billion – As of March 2011
Age: 63, Citizenship:
Sweden
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Vladimir Lisin is
a proletarian success story. First job was as a mechanic in a coal mine. After
college in Siberia worked as steelworker. In 1991, when his boss was appointed
minister of metallurgy, Lisin came with him to Moscow. In 1992 he joined up
with tough group of traders called Trans-World Group; they came to dominate
Russia's aluminum and steel exports. He managed the factories, and when the
partners went their separate ways in 2000, Lisin got majority stake in Russia's
giant Novolipetsk steel mill as his share. Constructed one of the largest
shooting-range complexes in Europe—Lisya Nora, which is close to Moscow.
Publishes the loss-making newspaper Gazeta; last summer bought the
business-news radio station Business FM.
No. 5 : Vladimir Lisin
Chairman of
Novolipetsk Steel
Net Worth: $24
billion– As of March 2011
Age: 54, Citizenship:
Russia
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Bettencourt was
born in Paris, France, the only child of Eugène Schueller, the founder of
L'Oréal, one of the world's largest cosmetics and beauty companies. Her mother
died in 1927 when Liliane was 5 years old, and she formed a close bond with her
father, who later married Liliane's British governess. At the age of 15, she
joined her father’s company as an apprentice, mixing cosmetics and labelling
bottles of shampoo.
Michele Ferrero
(born 26 April 1925) is the owner of the eponymous chocolate maker Ferrero SpA.
Ferrero, who was born in Dogliani, Italy, is Italy's richest person, with a personal
wealth of $18 billion, surpassing Silvio Berlusconi in March 2008. Brands
include Nutella, Mon Chéri, Kinder Chocolate, Ferrero Rocher, Tic Tacs and
Kinder Eggs.
Prokhorov was
born in Moscow, the son of Tamara and Dmitri Prokhorov. He has one sibling, an
elder sister, Irina. His maternal grandmother, Anna Belkina, was a prominent
microbiologist who during the war stayed in Moscow to make vaccines while
Tamara was moved east to safety. Prokhorov's father's parents were relatively
wealthy kulaks but "his father lost everything and was forced to flee from
one part of Siberia and restart life in another". Dmitry was trained as
a lawyer and handled international relations for the Soviet Committee of
Physical Culture and Sport. Tamara was a materials engineer at the Institute
for Chemical Machine-Building.In his job, Dmitri had the rare privilege of
traveling abroad. Tamara worked as an engineer for a research group at the
institute specializing in plastics. They died within a year of each other from
heart disease when they were in their late 50s and Prokhorov was in his early
20s.Prokhorov remained in their flat, which he shared with his divorced
sister and her daughter. He became the breadwinner of the family, has never
married and his sister, who "runs his philanthropic organizations, an
erudite literary magazine, and a publishing house, ... lives in a wing of his
mansion west of Moscow".
Vladimir
Olegovich Potanin (Владимир Олегович Потанин in Russian; born January 3, 1961)
is a Russian businessman and oligarch. His partner has been for many years
Mikhail Prokhorov. He acquired his wealth notably through the controversial
loans-for-shares program in Russia.
Alisher
Burkhanovich Usmanov (Uzbek: Alisher Usmonov, Алишер Усмонов) (born 9 September
1953, Chust, Namangan Province, Uzbek SSR, USSR) is an Uzbek-born Russian
business magnate. According to the 2011 edition of Forbes magazine, the
oligarch is one of Russia's richest men, with a fortune estimated at US$18.1
billion, and the world's 28th richest person.
No. 6 : Liliane Bettencourt
Principal
shareholder of L'Oréal
Net Worth:
$23.5 billion – As of March 2011
Age: 88, Citizenship:
France
In 1950, she
married French politician André Bettencourt, who served as a cabinet minister
in French governments of the 1960s and 1970s and rose to become deputy chairman
of L’Oréal. Bettencourt had been a member of La Cagoule, a violent French
fascist group that Liliane's father had funded and supported in the 1930s and
that collaborated with the Nazis during World War II. After the war, her
husband, like other members of La Cagoule, was given refuge at L'Oréal despite
his politically inconvenient past.[5] Eventually, the Bettencourts settled in
an Art Moderne mansion built in 1951 on rue de Delabordère in
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France.[6] They had one daughter, Françoise, who was born on
10 July 1953.
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No. 7 : Michele Ferrero
Owner of
Ferrero SpA
Net Worth: $18
billion – As of March 2011
Age: 84, Citizenship: Italy
Age: 84, Citizenship: Italy
He is known as zecretive
chocolate chief mulled jumping into bid over British rival Cadbury; backed off
in January. Richest man in Italy owns privately held Ferrero which runs 18
factories, more than 21,000 employees worldwide. Introduced Gran Soleil, a
ready-to-freeze dessert that is stored at room temperature; after shaking and
placing in freezer for several hours, turns into an ice cream-like substance.
Reportedly told Italian media that Gran Soleil will be bigger than Nutella. Lives
in Monte Carlo, Monaco; sons live in Belgium.
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No. 8 : Mikhail Prokhorov
Former Chairman
of Norlisk Nickel, Polyus Gold. Former President of ONEXIM Bankr Russia
Net Worth: $18
billion – As of March 2011
Age: 55, Citizenship: Russia
Age: 55, Citizenship: Russia
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No. 9 : Vladimir Potanin
Owner of
Rosbank Russia. Shareholder of Norlisk Nickel.
Net Worth:
$17.8 billion – As of March 2011
Age: 50, Citizenship: Russia
Age: 50, Citizenship: Russia
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No. 10 : Alisher Usmanov
President of
Metalloinvest. Co-owner Megafon Russia. Shareholder of Arsenal FC
Net Worth:
$17.7 billion – As of March 2011
Age: 57, Citizenship: United States
Age: 57, Citizenship: United States
Alisher
Burkhanovich Usmanov (Uzbek: Alisher Usmonov, Алишер Усмонов) (born 9 September
1953, Chust, Namangan Province, Uzbek SSR, USSR) is an Uzbek-born Russian
business magnate. According to the 2011 edition of Forbes magazine, the
oligarch is one of Russia's richest men, with a fortune estimated at US$18.1
billion, and the world's 28th richest person.
He has accrued
his wealth from mining, lumber and investment. He is the majority shareholder
of Metalloinvest, a Russian industrial conglomerate, which he founded to manage
Gazprom's metals interests.
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