Ranked number 7 on the Forbes Billionaires list, Brazil’s richest man, Eike Batista, says he one day hopes to move beyond Mexico’s Carlos Slim to become the richest man in the world. The self-made entrepreneur dropped out of college and generated his wealth through mining and oil.
Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes said Mr. Batista has helped shape the city’s renaissance, bringing vital investment, and even helping clench the 2016 Olympic bid. “His initiatives, besides helping fund a children’s hospital, include the revitalization of the city’s Marinda da Glória, which will be home to the Olympic sailing events, and the establishment of Escola Social de Vôlei, a nonprofit organization that promotes social inclusion in the favelas through sports,” said Mr. Paes, who wrote Batista’s entry for TIME.
