This year Brazil, Russia, India and China have 108 billionaires out of 214. One of fourmembers of the 2011 Forbes list belongs to one of these 4 countries. China produced 115 billionaires this year whereas Russia- 101. Beforehand only U.S. had ever produced more than 100 billionaires. Let’s find out who became the top 10 richest people this year.
Carlos Slim (71), Mexico city, Mexico
Title: Chairman of Telmex.
Net worth: $63.3 B
Education: Bachelor of Arts / Science, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
The Mexican billionaire owns shares in more than 200 companies primarily in retail- Saks, media- The New York Times, tobacco- Philip Morris and telecommunications. In the nearest future Slim is planning to make investments in Colombia.
Bill Gates (56), Medina, WA, US
Title: Co-Chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
New Worth: $59 B
Education: Drop Out, Harvard University
Computer technologies genius and the world’s second richest man is facing his middle age crisis unlike other men do. He forced all his strength on creating, promoting and distributing vaccines. They are supposed to have a huge impact on the health of humanity. His major objective is eliminating infectious diseases that cause people’s death. Hope he will succeed in his good intentions.
Warren Buffett (81), Omaha, NE, US
Title: Ceo, Berkshire Hathaway
Net worth: $39 B
Education: Master of Science, Columbia University; Bachelor of Arts / Science, University of Nebraska Lincoln
Recently Buffet raised big discussions around the tax size. He noticed that his secretary pays a higher tax than he does proposing “it’s time for our government to get serious about shared sacrifice.” It was picked up by Obama who proposed a “Buffet tax” that supposes paying less tax for middle-class than for millionaires. During the 2011 Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway acquired specialty chemical maker Lubrizol for $10 billion.
Bernard Arnault (62), Paris, France
Net Worth: $41 B
Title: Chairman, Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy (LVMH)
Education: Bachelor of Arts / Science, Ecole Polytechnique de Paris
Arnault is Europe’s richest man. He earned his capital on selling and creating luxury goods.
Larry Ellison (67), Woodside, CA, US
Net worth:$33 B
Title: CEO, Oracle
Education: Drop Out, University of Illinois at Urbana; Drop Out, University of Chicago
Lary Elisson seems to be spending more time in court rather than ruling business. Oracle has been battling German software company SAP over software theft and competed HP over Elisson’s hiring HP’s former chief Mark Hurd. But despite all of that, Oracle stock was not hurt, a 15% increase from a previous year. Elisson donated millions to medicine and education and afterward joined the Giving Pledge at Buffet’s behest in 2010.
Lakshmi Mittal, 61, London, United Kingdom
Title: Chairman, ArcelorMittal
Net Worth: 19.2 B
Education: Bachelor of Arts / Science, St Xavier”s College Calcutta
ArcelorMittal is world’s largest steelmaker with a net worth $6.9 B, which kept the 40% due to the surging cost. In January the company expanded by buying Canadian miner Baffinland Iron Mines. Later in August ArcelorMittal partnered with Peabody Energy in order to purchase Australia’s Macarthur Coal for $4.9 B.
Amancio Ortega (75), La Coruna, Spain
Net Worth: $31B
Title: Chairman of Inditex
Amancio Ortega is a chairman of Inditex- the $15.8 billion sales fashion company as of January 2011, which operates several brands such as Zara, Massimo Dutti and Stradivarius with 5,000 stores in 77 countries. Ortega gets 87% of his earning from the share in publicly traded company. Amancion Ortega also owns properties in Florida, Madrid, London and Lisbon, a steak in soccer league and even a horse-jumping circuit. Besides that, Ortega has interest in gas, tourism and banks.
A son of a railway worker, he started his career as a gofer in clothes store. With his wife (by that time) Rosalia Mera he started making gowns and lingerie in their living room.
Eike Batista (54), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Net worth: $30B
Education: Drop out, RWTH Aachen University
Brazil’s richest man is directed on foreign investments. He announced for this year an opening of an office in New York and plans to list some of his companies on London Stock Exchange. Batista’s holding company FBX controls mining, shipbuilding, energy, logistics, tourism and entertainment businesses. In February EBX took control of Canadian gold outfit Ventana. Two-thirds of his earning comes from OGX- oil-and-gas exploration company that he found in 2007.
Batista started his career in gold trading and mining as a president of the mining giant Companhia Vale do Rio Doce . He is a son of former Brazil’s mining minister.
Mukesh Ambani (54), Mumbai, India
Net Worth: $22.6 B
Title: Chairman, Reliance Industries
Education: Drop Out, Stanford University; Bachelor of Science in Engineering, University of Bombay
Ambani’s Reliance Industries signed a $7.2million deal with BP that obtained 30% of its oil-and-gas blocks in India.
Christy Walton (56), Jackson, NY, US
Net Worth: $24.5 B
Christy Walton, the richest woman in the world, is a Wal-Mart widow. The Wal Mart retailer was found by Christy Walton’s father-in-law Sam Walton and his brother James in 1962. Since the last year Christy Walton received almost $300 million in Wal-Mart dividends. She also fortunes nearly $2.7 billion from her husband’s late investments in First Solar.
