Tan, Sy, Zobel make it to Forbes billionaires’ list

Three leading Filipino businessmen whose names are synonymous with shopping malls, beer, banking and telecommunications remained on Forbes business magazine’s annual list of the world’s billionaires which was released yesterday.

Beer and tobacco magnate Lucio Tan ranked 451st of the 793 billionaires on the list. Forbes estimated Tan’s net worth at $1.7 billion (approximately P87.38 billion). Tan owns Fortune Tobacco, Asia Brewery and Philippine Airlines.

Henry Sy, the Philippines’ king of shopping malls, ranked 512th with an estimated net worth of $1.5 billion (approximately P77.1 billion). Aside from owning 23 shopping malls, Sy also has a stake in banking and real estate.

Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala ranked 606th in Forbes’ list with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion (approximately P66.82 billion). Zobel runs Ayala Corp., the oldest and largest conglomerate in the Philippines, which has interests in real estate, water and telecommunications, among others.

Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates was again the world’s richest man for the 12th year running. Gates grew wealthier, with his net worth rising to $50 billion from $46.5 billion.

Investor Warren Buffett, the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., again ranked second; his fortune fell by $2 billion to $42 billion.

The rest of the top 10 underwent a major reshuffling, with three familiar names dropping out of that select group: German supermarket company owner Karl Albrecht, Oracle Corp.’s Lawrence Ellison and Wal-Mart chairman S. Robson Walton.

Mexican telecom mogul Carlos Slim Helu moved up one notch to No. 3 with $30 billion, replacing Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal, who fell one place to No. 5 with $23.5 billion.

Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad of Sweden rose two slots to No. 4 with $28 billion.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen edged up to sixth place from No. 7, with a net worth of $22 billion. He was followed by France’s Bernard Arnault, chairman and chief executive of LVMH and The Christian Dior Group, with $21.5 billion; Arnault was new to the top 10.

Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud fell to eighth place from No. 5, with $20 billion; and Canadian publisher Kenneth Thomson and his family moved into the top 10, ranking No. 9 with $19.6 billion.

Hong Kong’s Li Ka-shing rose to No. 10 with $18.8 billion. Ka-shing is the chairman of Cheung Kong (Holdings) Ltd. and Hutchinson Whampoa Ltd.

The Walton family, which dominated the upper echelons of the Forbes list in recent years, tumbled in this year’s ranking as stock in the world’s largest retailer dropped more than 10 percent in the past year.

S. Robson Walton, known as Rob, who last year ranked 10th, fell to 19th with $15.8 billion. Christy Walton and Jim Walton tied for 17th with $15.9 billion each, while Alice Walton followed Rob Walton at $15.7 billion.

Helen Walton, mother of the clan, did not make it into the top 20, landing at No. 21 with $15.6 billion.

American good housekeeping guru Martha Stewart, who was new to the list last year, dropped off completely this year. Her fortune shrank from $1 billion to an estimated $500 million following her conviction for lying about a stock sale and her five-month prison term.

Investors in new industry sectors popped up on this year’s list, most notably those with holdings in alternative energy and online gaming.

Australian Shi Zhengrong, ranked No. 350, made his $2.2 billion fortune through his solar energy company out of China. India’s Tulsi Tanti, whose company owns Asia’s largest wind farm, arrived at No. 562 with $1.4 billion after his company went public in October.

J. DeLeon and Ruth Parasol, both of the United States and tied for No. 428, represented the online gaming industry with $1.8 billion each. Interestingly, most of their company’s revenue comes from the United States, where online gaming is illegal, Kroll said.

"Somehow, they have been able to skirt that," Forbes associate editor Luisa Kroll said.

Parasol is also one of the 10 new women to make the list and the only female newcomer to be self-made. Only six of the 78 female billionaires are self-made; most attained their wealth through marriage or inheritance.

The youngest billionaire is also female. Hind Hariri, daughter of slain Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, is 22 years old and eight months younger than Germany’s Prince Albert von Thurn und Taxis.

Among the women in the list is US talk show queen Oprah Winfrey who pulled in an extra $100 million over the year to rank 562nd overall with $1.4 billion.

The methodology of the rankings remains consistent with years past, Kroll said. The magazine confirmed the worth of an individual’s holdings in public companies by using the Feb. 13 closing stock price, and estimated the value of private companies by looking at comparable public firms in the industry and by consulting with experts in the field.

Forbes calculated the value of real estate by square footage minus any debt on the properties.

The number of billionaires around the world rose by 102 to a record 793 over the past year, and their combined wealth grew 18 percent to $2.6 trillion, according to Forbes.

"Why is the list growing? The answer is an obvious one… the global economy is growing," said Forbes editor in chief Steve Forbes.

"In the last five years the global economy has grown at rates not seen since the end of World War II. It is phenomenal and it’s been fueled by a commodities boom," Forbes said.

The magazine said strong markets around the world contributed to the surge in wealth. While US names accounted for nearly half of the fortunes on the roster, this year’s ranking was notable for the influx of newcomers from Brazil, India, Russia and other emerging economies.

"Making a billion just isn’t what it used to be," observed Kroll, who noted that the number of billionaires had grown by more than 300 in the past three years.

The 2006 roster counted billionaires from 49 countries, with the Czech Republic marking its first appearance, and New Zealand and Lebanon both returning after an absence of several years.

In the Asia Pacific region — home to 115 billionaires — the standout was India which added 10 new faces to total 23 on the list with a combined worth of $99 billion, 60 percent more last year.

China saw its presence in the rankings grow from just two billionaires.

The United States boasted 371 names on the list with a collective net worth of $1.1 trillion, while Europe’s 196 billionaires enjoyed a combined wealth of $802 billion. — ANC, AP, AFP