Jorge Lankenau facts for kids

Jorge Lankenau Rocha (April 16, 1944 – June 16, 2012) was a Mexican businessman and banker. He was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León. He is best known for starting and leading Grupo Financiero Abaco, which was one of Mexico's most important financial groups in the 1990s.

Early Career and Business Ventures

Before starting his own company, Jorge Lankenau Rocha worked as a director at several banks. In 1984, he was a representative and vice president for Bank of America in Monterrey. The next year, in 1985, he teamed up with other investors to create Casa de Bolsa Abaco.

Lankenau owned many different businesses. He had one of Mexico's largest insurance companies, ABA Seguros. He also owned Agua Sport, a big water company. His financial group included Banca Confía, a Mexican bank, and "Rodman y Renshaw," an investment bank in Chicago. He even had a sportswear brand called ABA Sport. This brand sponsored many famous soccer teams like Rayados, Tigres UANL, Santos, Chivas, and even the Mexico National Soccer Team.

Growing a Financial Empire

In 1991, the Mexican government allowed private companies to own banks again. Jorge Lankenau Rocha and his group of investors won the chance to buy Banca Confía on August 4, 1991. This made it the first bank bought by investors from Nuevo León.

After getting Banca Confía, Lankenau started a big plan to make it grow. He used smart marketing and new ideas. Soon, Banca Confía's green logo was everywhere: on billboards, in newspapers, on TV, and even at soccer and baseball games. Banca Confía grew faster than any other bank during those years, reaching 300 branches by the end of 1992.

Supporting Sports and Community

Besides his business success, Lankenau Rocha was a big supporter of sports, art, culture, and fun activities. He bought the Club de Futbol Rayados de Monterrey, a soccer team, and was its president from 1991 to 1998. He helped make the Rayados one of the top teams in the Mexican Soccer League.

Because of the Rayados' success, his company, Ábaco, also sponsored the Mexican Soccer Team. They even trained at the Rayados' home fields. In December 1992, the Monterrey Chamber of Commerce gave him the "Pedro Maiz Arsuada" award for his business leadership and for helping the community.

Thanks to his support, Monterrey hosted the First Major League Baseball Series ever held outside the United States and Canada. This happened from August 16 to 18, 1996, with games between the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres. Jorge Lankenau Rocha was also one of the first Mexican business leaders to be featured on the cover of The Wall Street Journal in 1996. The newspaper praised his management style and strategy.

Later Life and Legacy

The story of the Ábaco Financial Group was even studied by the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey in 2011. This study helped students learn about how the group was formed, how it grew, and its strategies.

In 1997, Jorge Lankenau Rocha faced some legal challenges related to his business operations. He was held for a period and later released in 2005. He was found not guilty of many of the charges against him.

After experiencing a stroke in September 2009, Jorge Lankenau Rocha passed away on June 16, 2012, at the age of 68. He left a lasting impact on Mexican business, culture, and sports.