top 10 richest person in the world 2009

8/8/2019 Top 10 Richest Person in the World 2009

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Top 10 Richest Person In The World 2009

Do you knowwho is the richest person in the world ?.

William Gates III

Rank: 1 Net Worth: $40.0 bil, Fortune: self made

Software visionary regains title as the worlds richest man despite losing $18 billion in the past12 months. Stepped down from day-to-day duties at Microsoft last summer to devote his talents

and riches to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Organizations assets were $30 billion inJanuary; annual letter lauds endowment manager Michael Larson for limiting last years losses to20%. Gates decided to increase donations in 2009 to $3.8 billion, up 15% from 2008. Dedicatedto fighting hunger in developing countries, improving education in Americas high schools anddeveloping vaccines against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. Appointed Microsoft Office veteranJeffrey Raikes chief exec of Gates Foundation in September. Gates remains Microsoft chairman.Sells shares each quarter, redeploys proceeds via investment vehicle Cascade; more than half offortune invested outside Microsoft. Stock down 45% in past 12 months. "Creative capitalist"wants companies to match profit making with doing good.

Warren Buffett



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Last year Americas most beloved investor was the worlds richest man . This year he has tosettle for second place after losing $25 billion in 12 months. Shares of Berkshire Hathaway down45% since last March. Injected billions of dollars into Goldman Sachs, GE in exchange forpreferred stock last fall; propped up insurance firm Swiss Re in February with $2.6 billioninfusion. Admits he made some "dumb" investment mistakes in 2008. Upbeat about Americasfuture: "Our economic system has worked extraordinarily well over time. It has unleashedhuman potential as no other system has, and it will continue to do so." Scoffs at Wall Streetsover-reliance on "history-based" models: "If merely looking up past financial data would tell youwhat the future holds, the Forbes 400 would consist of librarians." Son of Nebraska politiciandelivered newspapers as a boy. Filed first tax return at age 13, claiming $35 deduction forbicycle. Studied under value investing guru Benjamin Graham at Columbia. Took over textile

firm Berkshire Hathaway 1965. Today holding company invested in insurance (Geico, GeneralRe), jewelry (Borsheims), utilities (MidAmerican Energy), food (Dairy Queen, Sees Candies).Also has noncontrolling stakes in Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Wells Fargo.

Carlos Slim Helu & family



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Economic downturn and plunging peso shaved $25 billion from the fortune of Latin Americasrichest man. Global recession testing his ability to live up to the principles he sets for hisemployees: "Maintain austerity in times of fat cows." Son of a Lebanese immigrant bought fixedline operator Telefonos de Mexico (Telmex) in 1990; now controls 90% of Mexicos telephonelandlines. Would be a billionaire based on his dividends alone. Biggest holding: $16 billion stake

in America Movil, Latin Americas largest mobile phone company with 173 million customers.America Movil and Telmex reportedly planning to jointly invest $4 billion to bolster telecominfrastructure in Latin America. Buying up cheap media, energy and retail assets. Last year tookstakes in New York Times Co., former billionaire Anthony OReillys Independent News &Media and Bronco Drilling; also increased position in Saks. Baseball statistics aficionado, artcollector

Lawrence Ellison


Database titan continues to engulf the competition; Oracle has racked up 49 acquisitions in thepast 4 years. Bought BEA Systems for $8.5 billion last year. Still sitting on $7 billion in cash.Revenues up 11% to $10.9 billion in the six months ended November 30; profits also up 11% to$2.4 billion. Stock down 25% in past 12 months. Invested $125 million in Web software outfitNetsuite; took public in 2007, stock has fallen 80% since. His shares still worth $300 million.Chicago native studied physics at U. of Chicago, didnt graduate. Started Oracle in 1977. Public

1986, a day before Microsoft. Owns 453-foot Rising Sun; built a smaller leisure boat becausesuperyacht is hard to park. Squabbling in court with Swiss boating billionaire Ernesto Bertarelliover terms of next Americas Cup. Recently unveiled hulking 90-foot trimaran he intends to useto win it.


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Ingvar Kamprad & family


Peddled matches, fish, pens, Christmas cards and other items by bicycle as a teenager. Startedselling furniture in 1947. Opened first Ikea store 50 years ago; storess name is a combination ofinitials of his first and last name, his family farm and the nearest village. Retired in 1986;companys "senior adviser" still reportedly works tirelessly on his brand. Discount retailer nowsells 9,500 items in 36 countries; prints catalog in 27 languages. Revenues up 7% to $27.4 billionin fiscal year 2008. Opened tenth store in China this February; planning to open first inDominican Republic later this year. Three sons all work at the company. Thrifty entrepreneurflies economy class, frequents cheap restaurants and furnishes his home mostly with Ikeaproducts.

Karl Albrecht

Rank: 6 Net Worth: $21.5 bil, Fortune:self made

Source:Aldi , Age:89, Country Of Citizenship:Germany,Residence:Mulheim an der Ruhr

Industry:Retail.

Germanys richest person owns discount supermarket giant Aldi Sud. Retailer faring well amideconomic downturn; analysts expect its 2008 sales to be up 9.4% to $33.7 billion. Sales in theU.S. up estimated 20% last year to $7 billion. Plans to open 75 U.S. stores in 2009, includingfirst in New York City. With younger brother, Theo, transformed their mothers corner grocerystore into Aldi after World War II. Brothers split ownership in 1961; Karl took the stores insouthern Germany, plus the rights to the brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S. Theo got


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northern Germany and the rest of Europe. Retired from daily operations. Fiercely private: littleknown about him other than that he apparently raises orchids and plays golf.

Mukesh Ambani

Rank: 7 Net Worth: $19.5 bil, Fortune: inherited and growing

Oversees Reliance Industries, Indias most valuable company by market cap despite stock falling40% in past year. Merging his Reliance Petroleum with flagship Reliance Industries. As part ofdeal, will exercise right to buy back Chevrons 5% stake in Reliance Petroleum at $1.20 persharethe same price at which he sold it 3 years ago. Today the stock trades for $1.80 a share.

Increased stake in Reliance Industries in October; paid $3.4 billion to convert 120 millionpreferential warrants into shares. Reliance Petroleum refinery on Indias western coast beganoperating in December despite falling global demand and declining margins. Late fatherDhirubhai founded Reliance and built it into a massive conglomerate. After he died Mukesh andhis brother, Anil, ran the family business together for a brief time. But siblings feuded overcontrol; mother eventually brokered split of assets. Brothers may be looking to bury hatchet;played joint hosts at mothers recent 75th-birthday bash. Has yet to move into his 27-story homethat hes building at a reported cost of $1 billion. Ardent fan of Bollywood films. Wife, Nita,oversees school named after his father.

LakshmiMittal

Rank: 8 Net Worth: $19.3 bil, Fortune: inherited and growing


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Indian immigrant heads worlds largest steel company; ArcelorMittal was formed via hostiletakeover 3 years ago. Stock in company makes up bulk of his fortune; shares at a 4-year low withsteel prices down 75% since last summer. Company forced to pay heavy fines after a Frenchantitrust investigation found 10 companies guilty of price-fixing in European steel markets.Arcelor posted $2.6 billion loss in most recent quarter; announced plans to slow acquisitions, cutcapital expenditures, pay down debt. Started in family steel business in the 1970s, branched outon his own in 1994. Initially bought up steel mills on the cheap in Eastern Europe. Companybought 19.9% stake in Australias Macarthur Coal last year. Also owns pieces of MumbaisIndiabulls Group, Londons RAB Capital; owns stake in, sits on board of Goldman Sachs. Holdssubstantial cash; owns 12-bedroom mansion in Londons posh Kensington neighborhood.

Theo Albrecht

Rank: 9 Net Worth:Net Worth:$18.8 bil, Fortune:self made


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Source:Aldi, Trader Joes, Age:87, Country Of Citizenship:Germany

Residence:Foehr, Industry:Retail

Runs discount supermarket group Aldi Nord; firm holding up amid economic downturn. Salesexpected to hit $31 billion in 2008. After World War II he and older brother Karl transformedtheir mothers corner grocery into Aldi. Brothers split ownership in 1961; Karl took the stores insouthern Germany, plus the rights to the brand in the U.K., Australia and the U.S. Theo got thenorthern Germany stores and the rest of Europe. Unable to operate Aldi stores in U.S., Theodeveloped discount food store Trader Joes; now has more than 320 U.S. stores. Also owns stakein Supervalu. Became a recluse after being kidnapped for 17 days in 1971; said to collect oldtypewriters; loves golf.

Amancio Ortega

e="Georgia">Rank: 10, Net Worth: $18.3 bil ,Fortune: self made


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Railway workers son started as a gofer in a shirt store. With then-wife Rosalia Mera, also now abillionaire, started making dressing gowns and lingerie in their living room. Business becameone of worlds most successful apparel manufacturers. Today Inditex has more than 4,000 storesin 71 countries. Sales: $12.3 billion. Ortega is chairman. Company exported its cheap chic Zarastores to 4 new markets last year: Ukraine, South Korea, Montenegro and Honduras. Stock up1% in past 12 months, but fortune down because of weak euro. Also has personal investments ingas, tourism, banks and real estate. Owns properties in Madrid, Paris, London, Lisbon, plus aluxury hotel and apartment complex in Miami, a horse-jumping circuit, and an interest in asoccer league. Shuns neckties and fanfare. Daughter Marta works for Inditex; recent speculationsuggests she is being groomed to eventually replace her father.More on The Worlds Billionaires

top 10 richest person in the world 2009

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