Amancio Ortega’s Biography

Amancio Ortega is an important Spanish business owner. He was born in 1936 in León
(Spain). His father was railway worker in León. Then he moved to Tolosa (Guipúzcoa)
with three months old because his father was appointed station boss. He lived there
until twelve years old. Ortega family moved to Galicia, new destination of his father
and there would set up Enterprise Zara.

He got married twice. His first wife was Rosalía Mera with who had two children and in
2001 he got married to Flora Pérez and they had a daughter.

His career in the textile industry start at age of fourteen years in La Coruña (Spain) like
employed in two famous shops of clothes. In 1963, he created the company
Confecciones GOA, SA dedicated to production of bathrobes.

In 1975 opened first shop of Zara in a central street of La Coruña it would sell clothes
for man, woman and child

In 1988, with his shop in Oport (Portugal) start his international expansion.

In 2011, Amancio announce to his employees through a letter that he leave the
presidency Inditex Group

According to the Forbes magazine, the 23 october 2015 Amancio Ortega stood
momentarily ahead of Bill Gates as the richest person in the world. Something similar
would happen again for a few minutes on september 7, 2016

In 2001 it has created Amancio Ortega Fundation that it is private non-profit institution
that try to promote different kind of activities, fundamentally in the area of education
and social assistance

In March 2017, the fundation announced the most donation till the date: 320 million
euros to public health to battle the cancer.