Lakshmi Mittal biography
The Story of the Steel Tycoon

As Europe's richest man and the fifth richest on Earth, Indian-born British steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal has won many credentials for his entrepreneurial work, of which winning the Financial Times' Person of the Year in 2006 is probably the pick of the bunch. The Lakshmi biography is certainly impressive, as this article will tell you more.

You don't get to be the CEO and Chairman of a company like Mittal Steel by chance, and Lakshmi's million dollar fortune is demonstrative of this. Born in Rajasthan, India, in June 1950, he started in the industry that he was eventually to dominate on a globally recognised scale by helping out in the family steel making business, alongside his father and siblings.

From here, he took the steel business that the family founded in 1976 to the next level - a real turning point in the Lakshmi Mittal biography - by taking a run-down Indonesian plant and marking the beginning of the company's international grip - the same hold that is evident in today's world.

More than 30 years on, and Mittal Steel is the largest steel making company in the world, despite the fact that Lakshmi no longer runs the business with his family, after parting ways from them in 1994.

Mittal Steel is famous all around the world and this adds to the achievements that are seen within the Lakshmi Mittal biography. Developing integrated steel mills and using innovative materials such as direct reduced iron for steel making is what Mittal does best - and ultimately, what has made him a fortune.

But it's not just talent alone that saw him be awarded the status of European Businessman of the Year from Fortune magazine in 2004. There are many personal qualities that are required to reach such amazing heights and, admittedly, a little bit of luck mixed in there too.

Determination, flair, dedication, nerve and passion played a vital role in his ascent to success. His commitment has certainly been rewarded with visible successes, as the company now operates in 14 different countries and is the first name to come to mind when thinking about the steel making industry.

The 1996 Steel maker of the Year Award winner has put some of his money to charitable uses and is well known as an internationally operating philanthropist.

He enforced $9 million into the setup of the Mittal Champions Trust, which enabled 10 Indian athletes with great potential to rise through the ranks. This followed a disappointing 2004 Summer Olympics effort by the national team - something which Mittal wanted to change using his well-earned cash.

In addition to this effort, he matched the £1 million made by the hit BBC television show The Apprentice in 2007 for Comic Relief. It seems probable that his portfolio of work - to do with steel making, and philanthropy - will continue to grow in the future, thus making the Lakshmi Mittal biography very, very interesting. Because of how Mittal is a key player on the world stage, his influence can be seemingly unrivalled.

Resources

• The Lakshmi Mittal biography at Wikipedia