Karl Albrecht

Name: Karl Albrecht

Industry: Retailing

Birth Date: February 20, 1920

Fortune: Self made

Net Worth: US $ 27 billion (source: Forbes)

Karl and Theo Albrecht were raised in modest circumstances in Essen, Germany. Their father was employed as a miner and later as a baker’s assistant. Their mother had a small grocery store in the worker’s quarter of Schonnebeck. Karl worked in a delicatessen shop. Karl also served in the German Army during World War II. After the end of World War II, the brothers took over their mother's business (1946). The first Aldi (Albrecht-Discount) was opened in 1961.
Aldi's operations were later divided between the brothers, with Karl taking control of the more profitable Aldi Süd (South), and Theo managing Aldi Nord (North).

Because Karl Albrecht has withdrawn himself from public life, little is known about him. He is married, and Forbes magazine reports that he has two children, neither of whom are employed by Aldi. Both Albrecht brothers reportedly live today in Essen, Germany. He is a fan of golf, and plays at his personal golf course, the Öschberghof, which he built in 1976. He also raises orchids.

In 1994, Karl Albrecht removed himself from the daily operations of Aldi Süd and took the position of chairman of the board. At the beginning of 2002, he also relinquished this position, thereby completely ceding control of the firm. Today, the business is no longer run by any of Karl Albrecht’s family members.

Richard Branson

Name:Richard Branson
Date Of Birth: July 18,1950
Nationality: British
Famous for: Founding the Virgin brand

Richard Branson is a flamboyant British entrepreneur . His internationally recognized brand "Virgin" is splashed across everything from credit cards, to airlines and music "megastores". Branson is continuously seeking new business opportunities and He loves accepting new challenges . His first entrepreneurial stinct began when at the age of 16 years He published a school magazine . Branson did not go on to graduate school but in 1970 the now famous Virgin brand had its beginnings in the form of a discount records mail order venture that he and his friend Nik Powell worked on. He loves adventure . Since 1985 he has been getting his adrenaline rushes through world record breaking attempts by boat and hot air balloon. Several distance and speed records have been attempted and achieved, but his attempt to circumnavigate the world alone in a hor air baloon has not yet ben realized.
Virgin has created more than 200 branded companies worldwide, employing approximately 50,000 people, in 29 countries. Revenues around the world in 2006 exceeded £10 billion (approx. US$20 billion. Virgin brands include Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Mobiles, VirginBooks, VirginCredit Cards, VirginHolidays , V2 music , Virgin Galatic. Lately Richard is eyeing an airport. Virgin has also developed a space ship. Virgin alatic spaceship aims at providing space travel to masses Virgin has become one of the most favourite brands of U.k.

Oleg Deripaska

Name: Oleg Deripaska
Source: Russian Aluminum
Birth Date: January 2, 1968
Net worth: US $ 28 billion (Source: Forbes)
Residence: Russia

Deripaska is the sole owner and a Chairman of the Supervisory board of Basic Element, a diversified investment company established in 1997 with assets in Russia and abroad. Basic Element's main assets are concentrated in six sectors - Energy, Resources, Manufacturing, Financial Services, Construction and Aviation. The major assets include UC Rusal, the world’s largest aluminium and alumina producer, GAZ Group automotive company, Soyuz Bank, Ingosstrakh insurance company, Aviacor aircraft manufacturer, SMR mining company, Continental Management Timber Industrial Company, Glavstroy and Transstroy] construction companies, stakes in Strabag (25%) and Switzerland based Fahrni (100%). In 2007, Basic Element's consolidated revenues exceeded USD26 billion. The market value of the Company's assets is estimated at USD45 billion. Basic Element employs 300,000 people and owns companies in Russia, the CIS countries.

Deripaska is one of 16 global business leaders who drafted CEO Climate Policy Recommendations to G8 Leaders, a document outlining international business community's proposals to effectively tackle global warming. The proposals were signed by more than 100 of the world's leading corporations and handed to Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda on June 20, 2008. The process was coordinated by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development.

In 2004, Deripaska was appointed by the President of Russia to represent the country in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council (ABAC). He has held the position of Chairman of ABAC Russia since 2007.

Deripaska is Vice President of the [Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Chairman of the Executive Board of the Russian National Committee of the International Chamber of Commerce] and a member of the Competitiveness and Entrepreneurship Council, an agency of the Russian Government.

In 1999, Deripaska was awarded the Order of Friendship of Peoples by President Boris Yeltsin.

RATAN TATA

Name: Ratan Tata
Date of Birth: December 28,1937
Nationality: Indian
Academics: B.SC( Architecture) degree with structural engineering, Cornell university USA
Advanced Management program at Harvard business school, USA
Profile: Chairman of the Board/director
Tata Motors Limited ADR
Ratan Tata joined the Tata Group in 1962. As Chairman of Tata Industries Limited since 1981, he was responsible for transforming the company into a Group strategy think-tank and a promoter of new ventures in high technology businesses. In 1991, Mr Tata was appointed Chairman of Tata Sons Limited, the holding company of the Tata Entities and currently holds the chairmanships of major Tata companies. Mr Tata is on the Central Board of the Reserve Bank of India, a Member of the Prime Ministers Council on Trade and Industry besides being a member of various global councils.Mr. Tata was honoured with Padma vibhushan by Government of India in 2008.Earlier, in 2000, he had been awarded the Padma Bhushan. He has also been conferred an honorary doctorate in business administration by the Ohio State University, an honorary doctorate in technology by the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, an honorary doctorate in science by the University of Warwick, and an honorary fellowship by the London School of Economics. He is on the company board since last 19 years and held the executive place for last 13 years. He was instrumental in development of an Indian car Indica which besides creating a record of sorts, is one of the leading products in its category in the car market. Tata company under his able leadership has also come up with Tata Nano a $2500 car.
He is one of those businessman who have defied the age factor and have set an examples for young generation to folloe their footsteps. ( Sources )
For other information on Mr . Tata (source)

KP Singh

Name: KP Singh

Born: On August 15, 1931

Industry: Real Estate

Residence: Delhi, India & Australia

Net worth: $ 30 billion (Source: Forbes)

K.P. Singh charted a distinguished and inimitable career, reflected in the establishment of India’s largest real estate company. Today, under his leadership, DLF Limited has established an unrivalled position in real estate industry with an enviable portfolio in terms of scale of delivery, bandwidth of range of products and development potential. Mr. K. P. Singh has conceived and pioneered initiatives, which are today, recognised as benchmarks in the real estate sector. He has been the visionary in steering DLF’s growth as a multi-dimensional, diversified, multi-billion dollar conglomerate. DLF has now become the world’s largest real estate company in terms of revenues, earnings, market capitalisation and developable area. A graduate in science, Mr. K.P. Singh pursued Aeronautical Engineering in UK, being subsequently selected to the Indian Army by British Officers Services Selection Board, UK. He was commissioned into the renowned cavalry regiment of ‘The Deccan Horse’ of the Indian Army. In 1960, he joined American Universal Electric Company and soon after its merger with DLF Universal Limited in 1979, he took over as the Managing Director of this new company.

ARUN SARIN

Name: Arun Sarin
Date Of Birth: october 21,1954
Academics: Indian Institute of Technology, 1975
MS in Engineering ,1978
MBA from University Of California, Berkley , 1978
Job Profile: was the CEO of Vodafone group plc.
Fame: Europe's Highest Paid CEO


Arun sarin was born on october 21, 1954 in Panchmari , Madhya pradesh , India. He was the CEO of World's largestmobile phone company ( by Revenue ) Britan's Vodafone group plc. He announced his resignation as CEO of vodafone on june29,2008.He started his career as a management consultant before moving, in 1984, to Pacific Telesis Group in San Francisco. Commencing in corporate development, he was instrumental in the company acquiring the first cellular licences in the US as well as winning the first cellular licence in Germany and a PCN licence in the UK. He was appointed CFO and Chief Strategy Officer at Pacific Bell, before moving on to become Vice President and General Manager, San Francisco Bay Area Telephone Company.Following the demerger from Pacific Telesis of the mobile and paging businesses to form AirTouch Communications, He was appointed Senior Vice President Corporate Strategy and Development where he was instrumentak in merger with the US West wireless business. On becoming President and CEO, AirTouch International, He was responsible for the acquisition of wireless licences in several overseas territories and establishing the management teams of these new ventures. He then became President and CEO of AirTouch Communications where he was responsible for managing the cellular and paging operations in 14 countries and was a key negotiator in the successful acquisition of AirTouch by Vodafone Group Plc. Within the combined business, Vodafone AirTouch Plc, he was CEO US/Asia Pacific region, managing the Group’s operations in the US, Asia and Australasia. In addition, he headed the Global Technology division, responsible for the introduction of wireless internet services. In 2000, with the successful merger of Vodafone AirTouch’s US businesses with those of Bell Atlantic and GTE to form Verizon Wireless, Arun, whilst maintaining a non-executive directorship of Vodafone AirTouch Plc, became CEO of Infospace.
In 2001 he joined Accel-KKR telecom here he oversaw the acquisition of canada's yellow pages business. In 2003 he became the CEO designate of vodafoen group and then became the chief executive officer on july 30th, 2003. He was a Non executive director of GAP inc, Charles schwab coropration and Cisco Systems inc. During his tenure with vodafone he was focused on emerging markets as India, Turkey and Romania. vodafone made a successful bid of US $11.1 billion for 67% stake in indian cellular operator , HUTCH, now it has ben rebranded as Vodafone.Vodafone says it expects sales of £39.8 billion ($78.6 billion) to £40.7 billion ($80.4 billion), in 2009, with adjusted operating profit of £11 billion ($21.7 billion) to £11.5 billion ($22.7 billion). The company had also reported strong results in the third quarter. ( source Forbes ). He was pioneer in providing value added services for the mobile phone users. on may27,2008 Vodafone announced that its CEO Arun Sarin will resign after a tenure of five years with company, He will be succeded by his deputy and former head of European business Vittorio colao.
Sarin left Vodafone in better shape than when he joined it. His surprise resignation overshadowed the company's return to full-year profitability also announced on May 27, with Vodafone posting net profits of $13.2 billion for the year ending Mar. 31, compared with a loss of more than $10 billion the previous year due to writedowns. Sales rose 14%, to $70 billion. And during Sarin's tenure, Vodafone's global customer base has more than doubled, from 120 million to 260 million today. (Source Businessweek ). Vodafone is rite now #12 among the Uk largest companies with sales of $51.0 billion and profit of $38.0 billion. Arun Sarin has been instrumental in the rise of vodafone group.

Mukesh Ambani

Name: Mukesh Dhirubhai Ambani
Born: April 19, 1957 in Yemen
Residence: Mumbai, India
Industry: Petrochemical
Occupation: Chairman of Reliance Group of Companies
Net Worth: US $ 43 billion (source: Forbers)


Mukesh Ambani, the chairman of Reliance Industries was born on April 19, 1957 in Yemen. He is the world's fifth richest man in the world and richest in Asia, with a net worth of approximately US $ 43 billion. His Company Reliance Industries is the India's largest private sector enterprise and a Fortune 500 company. His personal stake in Reliance Industries is 48%.


Mukesh and younger brother Anil are sons of the late founder of Reliance Industries, Dhirubhai Ambani. Mukesh also owns the Indian Premier League team Mumbai Indians.

Mukesh Ambani completed his graduation with a bachelors degree in chemical engineering from the University Institute of Chemical Technology (UDCT), Mumbai. Mukesh later pursued an MBA (he did not complete the course) from Stanford University.

Mukesh Ambani joined Reliance in 1981 and initiated Reliance's backward integration from textiles into polyester fibres and further into petrochemicals. In this process, he directed the creation of 60 new, world-class manufacturing facilities involving diverse technologies that have raised Reliance's manufacturing capacities from less than a million tonnes to twelve million tonnes per year.

He directed and led the creation of the world's largest grassroots petroleum refinery at Jamnagar, Gujarat, India, with a present capacity of 660,000 barrels per day (33 million tonnes per year) integrated with petrochemicals, power generation, port and related infrastructure, at an investment of Rs 100000 crore (nearly $26 billion USD).

References
The World's Billionaires - Forbes Magazine

FORTUNE Global 500 2006: Countries
"The World's Billionaires". Forbes (2007-03-08). Retrieved on 2007-03-09. "Year 2007 ."
"The World's Billionaires". Forbes (2008-03-05). Retrieved on 2008-05-14. "Year 2008"
"Is MDA really an MBA". Telhelka (2005-01-01). Retrieved on 2008-05-14.
http://www.cfr.org/bios/10798/mukesh_d_ambani.html
http://www.cfr.org/about/people/international_advisory_board.html