30 Unknown Facts About The Seventh World’s Richest Person - Carlos Slim

Carlos Slim Helú, a Mexican business magnate, investor, and philanthropist, was ranked as the richest person in the world from 2010 to 2013. Here are 30 interesting facts about him:

1. World's 7th richest person hails from a developing country where nearly 17 percent of the population is poor and the average per capita income per year is less than $17500.
2. According to the economist Celso Garrido from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, the shortage of jobs in Mexico is because of Slim’s domination over many companies that prevent small companies from growing.
3. He became centre of controversy when he attempted to buy-out Dutch landline and mobile telephone company “KPN” in 2013. Citing the Dutch National Security, the deal was called off with some political intervention.
4. Fundacion Telmex was established in 1995 to which Slim donated $4 billion as base asset for the development of Carso Institute of Health, Education and Sport.
5. It was difficult to verify the claims by Slim about his donation to the Telmex foundation as the Mexican Foundations are not required to reveal their financial information. However, Telmex was one of the main sponsors for the F1 Team Sauber in 2011.
6. Slim’s Telmex foundation organised a sports event named Copa Telmex that created a Guinness World Record in 2007 and 2008. It created the record for more number of participants for any tournament around the world.
7. In 2011 Forbes had listed Slim at 5th among the World’s Biggest Givers. He had donated $2 billion in 2006 and another $2 billion in 2010 to his Fundacion Carlos Slim helu that sponsors the museums.
8. In 2011 he was linked to Drug trafficking by one of the DEA Agent. Diego Enrique Osorno, Mexican reporter and writer wrote in his book that many Mexican presidents were afraid of talking about Slim.
9. He lives in a 6 bedroom house in Mexico City which has been his residence for 40 years.
10. He opened a museum “Museo Soumaya” in 2011 that was named after his late wife Soumaya Domit. The museum contains 66000 art pieces that includes works by Leonardo da Vinci and Pablo Picasso, sculptures by Auguste Rodin, Salvador Dali Collections and many more.
11. Through the Clinton Initiative he donated $100 million to perform around 50000 cataract surgeries in Peru. His other projects include funds for development of small and medium business in Columbia and digital education for Mexican students.
12. Since 2001 he is the chair of the council for Restoration of historic Downtown of Mexico City. It all started when he paired with ex-broadcaster Jacobo Zabludowsky and found the organisation Mexico City Historic Centre Foundation for the town’s people to live and enjoy there.
13. Although he is well versed in using computer, he prefers to have hand written notes. He has all his financial data neatly written and maintained in a notebook rather than on a computer.
14. He had a heart surgery in 1999, the same year his wife died. However it’s not clear if the two incidents are related.
15. He made his first stock purchase in 1952 when he was just 12. He bought shares of a Mexican bank. He even became a shareholder in Mexico’s largest bank by the age of 15.
16. He was married to Soumaya Domit from 1967 to 1999 till her death. She was the main person responsible for creation of a legal framework for Organ Donation.
17. He was taught the art of business and trade by his father Julian Slim who had established his own small business empire by the time junior was born. Julian Slim was a very popular businessman in those days as his way of business was considered ahead of his time.
18. He started his own stock brokerage Inversora Bursatil in 1965 with the help of his profits from investments reaching $ 400000 US dollars. He was working as a 14 hour a day, stock trader before that.
19. He has 3 sons: Carlos, Antonio and Patrick and 3 daughters: Soumaya, Vanessa and Johanna. He always acquires shares on behalf of him and his children thus creating a family business empire.
20. During 1982, when many Mexican Banks started struggling and foreign investors were scurrying, he found that to be the ideal time to buy many companies at depressed value. His entire career he has been buying companies at depressed values and reselling them at an attractive price.
21. According to Slim, his knowledge in Linear Programming and his Mathematical ability gave him edge over others while reading financial statements. He has an Engineering degree to his name.
22. His first business acquisition in Europe was in 2014 when he signed a 10 year agreement to control the biggest Austrian Telecom company “Telecom Austria” that has telecommunication in Belarus, Bulgaria and Croatia.
23. There was running joke going around in the Mexican business scene that “There was nothing left to acquire in Mexico”. May be due to that he started to purchasing large shares form the US firms such as Branes & Noble, Office Depot, Borders and others in 2003.
24. During the recession in 2008 the print based media companies were taking heavy toll. He took the opportunity to buy 6.4% stake in New York Times valued at $27 million. He later increased it to 17.4% by 2016.
25. In 2012 he launched Ora TV, on Demand television network funded by America Movil and partnered with TV host Larry King. It produced shows such as “Larry King Now”, “Recessionista” and “Jesse Ventura Uncensored” after King left CNN.
26. The same year he also bought 30% stake in the Mexican soccer team “Leon” and “Pachuca” including the television rights for the Leon matches.
27. He owns the Duke Seamans mansion in New York that comprises of 12 bedrooms, 14 bathrooms and a doctor’s office. He bought the 20000 square feet house in 2010 for 44 million Dollars.
28. He formed his own oil company “Carso Oil & Gas” in 2015. Due to this the oil sector was open to private investors where it was previously held by state run Oil Company.
29. In September 2015 he announced the expansion of fashion line for young women named “Philosophy Jr. Studio” across the globe. However the fashion collection and style were not made public.
30. In the year 2004, he was honoured with the “CEO of the Decade” award by Latin Trade magazine.
31. Carlos Slim Net Worth:  Slim’s net worth is estimated to be $75.5 billion.