SpainFounded it
Amancio Ortega
Amancio Ortega founded Inditex, the owner of Zara, and controls about 59% of it through his holding companies, which also hold property and infrastructure stakes bought with his dividends.
- Forbes estimate
- $142B
- Forbes, 6 Oct 2026
- Forbes rank
- No. 10
- 1 Mar 2026
- Stake in Inditex
- 59.294%
- Net worth, Bloomberg
- $126B
- Bloomberg, 9 Oct 2026
- Born
- 28 Mar 1936
- Busdongo de Arbas, Spain
- Education
- No university
- Left school at 12 to work
- Giving Pledge
- Not a signer
Where the fortune sits
Inditex stock, held through Pontegadea Inversiones and Partler
Inditex
fashion retail (Zara), founded 1985
59.294% of the votes
Indirect, through Pontegadea Inversiones and Partler Participaciones (9.284% through Partler)
Inditex Group Annual Report 2025 (corporate governance report), 31 Jan 2026
Non-executive proprietary director
Other holdings
Pontegadea
His investment holding company; he is its chief executive
Telxius
30% through Pontegadea (Telefónica holds 70%); telecom infrastructure
Q-Park
20% through Pontegadea; car parks
Commercial property in Europe and North America
Forbes: he reinvests more than $400 million a year in dividends, mainly in real estate
Where Amancio stands among 73
Everyone on the site, grouped by their answer. Amancio Ortega is outlined.
How the fortune started
Founded it
Founded it 42
Inherited and grew it 12
Built it up 8
Inherited it 6
Through marriage 5
Industry
Fashion and beauty
Fashion and beauty 4
Technology 24
Finance 10
Several industries 9
Metals and mining 6
Retail 4
Media 3
Food and drink 3
Shipping 3
Crypto 2
Oil, gas and chemicals 2
Healthcare 1
Casinos and resorts 1
Property and sports 1
Giving Pledge
Not a signer
Not a signer 61
Signed 11
Not stated 1
Education
No university
No university 5
Bachelor's degree 27
Graduate degree 24
Left university without a degree 6
Not stated 11
Role today
Chair, board or owner
Chair, board or owner 25
Runs the company 32
Founder, no executive role 8
No role 4
Retired 4
The person
- Born
- 28 Mar 1936Busdongo de Arbas, Spain
- Citizenship
- Spain
- Lives in
- A Coruña, Spain
- Education
- No universityLeft school at 12 to work
- Parents
- Born into a working family; began working in the textile trade at a very young age
What they give
- Giving Pledge
- Not a signer
- Foundation
- Fundación Amancio OrtegaCreated in 2001; works in education and social welfare
- Lifetime giving
- Not stated
Role and record
- Role now
- On the boardNon-executive director of Inditex; chief executive of Pontegadea
- Successor
- His daughter Marta Ortega Pérez, non-executive chair of Inditex since April 1, 2022
- Public office
- None found
- Legal record
- 2013, Supreme Court of SpainThe Supreme Court rejected his final appeal in a dispute with tax auditors, leaving him to pay 33 million euros in back taxes for 2001 to 2003.
