He extracted his first million from lawless goldmines deep in the Amazon jungle and went on to become Brazil's richest man, a smooth-talking mining and energy tycoon who keeps a Mercedes-Benz SLR in his sitting room as a symbol of his $27bn (£17bn) empire.
Now, with Rio de Janeiro gearing up for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics, Brazilian entrepreneur Eike Batista has set himself two new goals: to help transform his adoptive beachside home into one of the world's most dynamic and affluent cities, and to become the richest man on Earth.
"Mister Carlos Slim has to invent a new race kart to catch up," said the 53-year-old, referring to the Mexican telecoms billionaire rated by Forbes as the world's wealthiest person. Batista is currently eighth.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Brazil's richest man: the possibilities for Rio's transformation are limitless | World news | The Guardian
Author: Tom Phillips
