Jan Kulczyk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jan Kulczyk
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| Born | 24 June 1950 Bydgoszcz, Poland
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| Died | 29 July 2015 (aged 65) Vienna, Austria
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| Resting place | Jeżycki Cemetery, Poznań, Poland |
| Education | Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań University of Economics |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Spouse(s) | Grażyna Kulczyk |
| Children | Sebastian Kulczyk Dominika Kulczyk |
| Parent(s) | Henryk Kulczyk |
Jan Jerzy Kulczyk (born June 24, 1950 – died July 29, 2015) was a very successful Polish businessman. He was known for being a billionaire, which means he had a huge amount of money. Jan Kulczyk started and owned two big companies: Kulczyk Holding and Kulczyk Investments.
Kulczyk Holding was based in Warsaw, Poland. Kulczyk Investments was an international company. It had its main office in Luxembourg and other offices in London and Kyiv, Ukraine. At the time of his death, Forbes magazine said that Jan Kulczyk was the richest person in Poland.
Contents
Jan Kulczyk's School Days
Jan Kulczyk finished high school in Bydgoszcz in 1968. He then went to university in Poznań. He studied law at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. He also studied foreign trade at the Poznań University of Economics and Business.
In 1975, he earned a special degree in political science and international law. He also worked as a researcher. He studied topics related to Germany at an institute in Poznań.
Building a Business Empire
In 1981, Jan Kulczyk started his very first company. He used money from his father, Henryk, to begin. This company was called Interkulpol. It was one of the first companies in Poland to trade internationally after World War II.
A few years later, in 1988, Kulczyk became the official dealer for Volkswagen cars in Poland. One of his first big deals was selling 3,000 Volkswagen cars. These cars went to the Polish police and security services in the early 1990s. This deal was worth a lot of money.
In 1991, he founded Kulczyk Holding. This company later became a joint-stock company in 1993. Jan Kulczyk was the chairman of its supervisory board.
His companies invested in many different areas. These included:
- Telekomunikacja Polska: This was a big phone company in Poland. His company owned a part of it from 2000 to 2005.
- Polska Telefonia Cyfrowa: This was a mobile phone company. He had a share in it from 1993 to 1999.
- TUiR Warta Property Insurance Company: This was an insurance company. He owned a large part of it from 1996 to 2006.
- PTE Warta Pension Manager: This company managed pensions. He owned half of it from 2000 to 2005.
- PKN Orlen: This is a large Polish oil company. He owned a small part of it from 2001 to 2005.
In 2007, Jan Kulczyk changed his main company. Kulczyk Holding Group became Kulczyk Investment House. Later, it was simply known as Kulczyk Investments.
Global Investments
Kulczyk Investments put money into many different industries. These included energy, oil, gas, roads, buildings, and even beer! For example, his company owned a part of Neconde Energy Limited. This company produces oil in Nigeria. They also invested in companies that look for oil and gas in places like Ukraine, Tunisia, and Romania.
His company also invested in mining projects in Africa. They explored for natural resources in Afghanistan and other parts of Central Asia and Africa.
In 2010, Kulczyk started a new company with Silverstein Properties Inc. It was called Kulczyk Silverstein Properties. This company focused on building large commercial properties in Central Europe.
In 2009, his company traded a part of a Polish beer company for a share in SABMiller. SABMiller was the second-biggest beer producer in the world.
Kulczyk Investments also owned parts of companies that manage highways in Poland. These included Autostrada Wielkopolska and Autostrada Wielkopolska II. He also owned a large share in a transport company called Pekaes SA.
His company also created Polenergia. This was Poland's first private energy group. It produced and traded energy from different sources. In 2011, the Kulczyk Group bought the Nowa Sarzyna Power Plant.
After Jan Kulczyk passed away in July 2015, his children took over his businesses. His daughter, Dominika Kulczyk, became responsible for international relations and social projects. His son, Sebastian Kulczyk, became the CEO of Kulczyk Investments in December 2013. He also took his father's place on the board of Ciech S.A. in 2015.
Helping Others and More
Jan Kulczyk was involved in many activities beyond business. He helped start the Polish Business Roundtable. This is a group for important business leaders in Poland. He was also the Honorary Chairman of the German – Polish Chamber of Commerce.
He was a member of the Green Cross International Board of Directors. This organization works on protecting the environment. He became the chairman of this board in 2007.
He also supported scientific research at the Adam Mickiewicz University. He was a long-time member of the board for the National Museum of Poznań. He also helped the Peres Center for Peace.
In 2010, he started the CEED Institute. This group helps Central and Eastern European countries grow and develop.
In 2012, he made a very large donation. He gave 20 million Polish Zloty (about 4.76 million euros) to the Museum of the History of Polish Jews. This money helped create the museum's main exhibition. It was the biggest single donation ever made in Poland at that time.
In 2014, he created the Council of Polish Investors in Africa. This group helps Polish companies do business in African countries. Many big Polish companies are part of this council.
His Family and Passing
Jan Kulczyk was divorced from his wife, Grażyna Kulczyk. They had two children together: Dominika (born in 1977) and Sebastian (born in 1980). After his divorce, he had a long-term partner named Joanna Przetakiewicz.
Before he died, Jan Kulczyk had a new home built in St. Moritz, Switzerland. This house was finished after his death. It was later sold for a very high price, making it the most expensive house in Switzerland.
Jan Kulczyk passed away on July 29, 2015. He died in a hospital in Vienna, Austria, due to problems after surgery. He was buried in his family's tomb in Poznań, next to his father.
Poland's Richest Person
Jan Kulczyk was known for being the richest man in Poland for many years. In 2012, Forbes magazine said he was the richest Pole. They estimated his wealth at 8.9 billion Polish Zloty (about 2.1 billion euros). Another magazine, Wprost, also ranked him as the richest.
In 2013, the American Forbes magazine listed him as the 384th wealthiest person in the world. His fortune was estimated at $3.5 billion. This made him the highest-ranked Pole among the world's billionaires.
He was ranked as the richest Pole 13 times by Wprost magazine. In 2015, Forbes ranked him as the 418th richest man globally, with $4 billion.
Awards and Honors
- Irena Sendler Award (2015)
- Officer's Cross of the Order Polonia Restituta (2015)
- Honorary Pearl of the Polish Economy in Economy category (2013)
- Friend of Nigeria (2013)
- Friend of Africa (2013)
- Patron of Culture Title (2012)
- Commander's Cross of the Order Polonia Restituta (1998)
- Kisiel Prize (1992)
Images for kids
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A robot, symbolizing technology and innovation, areas Jan Kulczyk invested in.
See also
In Spanish: Jan Kulczyk para niños
