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Amancio GaonaSpanish entrepreneur
Date of Birth: 28.03.1936
Country:  Spain |
Content:
Amanсio Gaona - Founder of Inditex
Amanсio Ortega Gaona, the Spanish entrepreneur, is the founder and former chairman of the fashion group 'Inditex', most famous for its flagship brand 'Zara'. He currently resides in a multi-apartment building in Galicia, Spain, with his second wife. In early 2013, Gaona was ranked as the third richest person in the world by Forbes magazine, with a net worth of $57 billion. The Billionaires Index by 'Billionaires' agency placed Amanсio in the second position on March 22, 2013, with a total asset of $54.3 billion.
Early Life and Career
Amanсio Ortega Gaona was born on March 28, 1936, in Busdongo de Arbás, León, Spain. He moved to A Coruña at the age of fourteen due to his father's job as a railroad worker. As a teenager, Amanсio began working at a local shirtmaking workshop called 'Gala', where he started as a messenger boy. Interestingly, the workshop still exists on the same corner in A Coruña. In 1972, Gaona opened his own knitwear factory called 'Confecciones Goa' (Goa - his initials in reverse). The factory employed thousands of local women from sewing cooperatives. Initially, Gaona produced and sold quilted bathrobes. In 1975, he opened the first 'Zara' store. Originally, the entrepreneur wanted to name it 'Zorba' after his favorite movie 'Zorba the Greek', but due to naming rights issues, he had to find something new. By the 1980s, 'Zara' stores had spread throughout Galicia. Some claim that Ortega's rise was funded by drug money, a common practice in Galicia at that time. Today, the 'Zara' retailer is part of the 'Inditex' group, in which Amanсio owns 59.29% of the assets. The fashion group 'Inditex' also represents the interests of over 6000 stores of brands such as 'Massimo Dutti', 'Bershka', 'Oysho', 'Zara Home', 'Kiddy's Clas', 'Stradivarius', among others. The company has a total workforce of 92,000 employees.
Personal Life and Legacy
There is little information available about Amanсio's biography. Until 1999, his photographs were never published in any publications. He frequents the same coffee shop every day and has lunch with his employees in the company cafeteria. Gaona refuses to wear ties and typically appears in public wearing a simple blue blazer, white shirt, and gray trousers. None of his clothing items are from the 'Zara' brand. It is also known that the businessman actively participates in the production and creative process of his company. He made his first public appearance in 2000, which served as a warm-up before his announcement that his company planned to go public in 2001. This made him the favorite of the Spanish financial press at the time. However, Amanсio agreed to give interviews only to three magazines. His mysteriousness and desire to stay away from the media have led to the release of several books. One of them is titled 'Amancio Ortega: From Zero to Zara'. In 2011, Gaona announced his impending retirement from the 'Inditex' group. He also stated that he would ask Vice President and CEO Pablo Isla to take his place at the helm of the textile empire. Ortega has been married to Flora Pérez Marcote since 2001. Prior to that, he was married to Rosalía Mera. He has three children: Sandra and Marcos from his first marriage, and Marta from his second marriage.
