Amancio Ortega

Amancio Ortega: Spanish entrepreneur, founder of Inditex

Amancio Ortega Gaona was born on March 28, 1936, in Busdongo de Arbas, León, Spain. He came from a working-class family and grew up under modest conditions. At the age of 13, he started working as a messenger boy in a shirt shop and later became a manager in one of the stores.

In 1975, Ortega opened the first store called Zara in La Coruña with his first wife, Rosalía Mera. Later, the Zara store developed into the mega-corporation Inditex, which includes brands such as Zara, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Zara Home, Stradivarius, and Uterque. Today, the Inditex group operates 6,750 stores in 88 countries worldwide.

Ortega also invests in real estate, the gas industry, tourism, and banking. He holds shares in the football league and other areas of public life.

According to Forbes magazine, Amancio Ortega has been among the three richest people in the world since 2013. His fortune was estimated at 83.3 billion USD in July 2017.

Ortega is known for his modest lifestyle. He wears simple suits and avoids ties. Ortega is also very active in charities. In 2001, he founded the Amancio Ortega Foundation, which promotes research, education, and science. The billionaire has also donated substantial sums to support charitable organizations and health care systems in various countries.

Amancio Ortega has two children from his first marriage and a daughter from his second marriage, who works at Inditex. He is also an avid equestrian.

In 2020, Ortega's fortune was estimated at 55.1 billion USD, making him, according to Forbes, the sixth richest person in the world.