Amancio Ortega Gaona
Amancio Ortega Gaona ( born March 28, 1936 in Padrón, A Coruna Province ) is an entrepreneur in the clothing sector and is regarded as the richest man in Spain. With his then- wife Rosalía Mera, he founded the current company Inditex Group ( Industrias de Diseño Textil ), whose majority shareholder and CEO he is. The best-known companies in this group is the fashion chain Zara. Forbes magazine leads him in 2013 as third on the list of the richest people in the world with an estimated net worth of 57 billion U.S. dollars (2011: 13th place with U.S. $ 31 billion; 2012 7th place with 31 billion). Ortega is thus considered the richest Europeans.
Career
Ortega is the son of a railway employee. His career began at age 14 as a henchman in a clothing store in La Coruña. 1963 took his activities as a textile entrepreneur its beginning: First, Ortega was manufacturer of bathrobes. In 1972 he founded the company Confecciones GOA ( his initials backwards), the first company in today's Inditex Group. The company grew steadily and began to export to various European countries.
In 1975, the first Zara store was opened in the city of A Coruña. As a result, a chain of stores throughout Spain originated. In 1988, the first branch abroad, in Porto, furnished. In 1989 a branch in New York, 1990, in Paris. In Germany, the first Zara store was opened in 1999. Today there are over 1,700 Zara stores in Europe, North and South America, Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Africa.
Due to the increasing trade volumes and the expansion of the business the company Inditex Group was founded in 1985. In addition to Zara owns the brands Massimo Dutti, Pull & Bear, Stradivarius, Bershka, Oysho and more to Inditex. According to the company Inditex Group had a turnover of 15.9 billion euros and 120,000 employees in 2012. The eight retail chains the group have therefore more than 6,000 stores in 86 countries / markets.
In addition to the textile industry Ortega is entrepreneurially active inter alia in the real estate and financial sectors, the motor trade and investment fund management.
Private life
Ortega is after the divorce from his first wife in 1986, his second wife, Flora Pérez Marcote, a former staff member in one of his factories, married. Both live in such seclusion in A Coruña, that his face was for many years the biggest secrets of the Spanish business world. There are hardly any photos of him. When he appeared in public in preparation for the IPO of his company (2001) in 2000, he made headlines in the Spanish financial press. Nevertheless, he has been given no interviews.
The entrepreneur has a son from his first marriage, who was born severely disabled. Ortega therefore promoted in 1986 the establishment of Paideia, an institution that helps children and young people with disabilities. This was led up to her death of his first wife. In 2001, Amancio Ortega Foundation was a private non-profit intentions established. Your task is to promote activities in culture, research, science and education.
Furthermore, Ortega should not wear ties and prefer jeans. He is regarded as a supporter of equestrian sport, cars and painting.
In October 2012 Amancio Ortega has 20 million euros to the Spanish Catholic aid organization Caritas donated to the grip of the economic crisis disadvantaged under the arms. With the action, the money should be used in particular for food, medicine, shelter and school books. The act called the world from a great echo.