Carlos Slim
Born 1940 · Age 85
Mexican business magnate, investor and philanthropist. Founder and controlling shareholder of conglomerate Grupo Carso; major holdings in telecommunications (Telmex, Telcel, América Móvil), finance, real estate, retail and philanthropy. Ranked world's richest person 2010–2013.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Mexico City
Carlos Slim Helú born to Julián Slim Haddad and Linda Helú Atta in Mexico City; family of Lebanese Maronite origin.
First government bond investment
At age 11 Slim invested in a government savings bond and learned concept of compound interest.
First stock purchase
At age 12 he bought shares of a Mexican bank — his first stock investment.
Father (Julián Slim) dies
Death of Julián Slim Haddad when Carlos was 13; family and early business lessons influenced Carlos's career.
Became shareholder in Mexico's largest bank
By age 15 Slim had become a shareholder in Mexico's largest bank (reported in biographies).
Works for father's company
At 17 he earned 200 pesos a week working for his father's company — early business experience.
Graduated UNAM (Civil Engineering) & began trading
Graduated as civil engineer from the National Autonomous University of Mexico; taught algebra and linear programming while studying; launched career as a stock trader.
Acquired Jarritos del Sur
Acquired Jarritos del Sur, a Mexican bottling and soft drink company — early expansion into consumer goods.
Founded Inversora Bursátil (stock brokerage)
Incorporated Inversora Bursátil and became its chairman; profits from ventures that year reported as US$400,000 enabling the creation of the brokerage.
Established Inmuebles Carso (real estate)
Founded Inmuebles Carso, a Mexican real estate agency and holding company; early building block of Grupo Carso.
Married Soumaya Domit
Married Soumaya Domit Gemayel; their names later used to form the 'Carso' name (Carlos + Soumaya).
Founded Promotora del Hogar & GM Maquinaria
Started Promotora del Hogar (residential real estate) and GM Maquinaria (construction equipment trading/rental).
Launched additional businesses
Three new companies began operations: Bienes Raíces Mexicanos, Nacional de Arrendamientos, and Invest Mentor Mexicana.
Pedregales del Sur starts operations
Pedregales del Sur S.A. began operations; by this period Slim had launched/ acquired several more businesses across industries.
Acquired 60% of Galas de México
Bought a majority stake in Galas de México, a printer of labels and calendars, and improved operations.
Formed Grupo Galas (later Grupo Carso)
Consolidated many of his holdings into Grupo Galas, which became the nucleus of Grupo Carso (industry, construction, mining, retail, food, tobacco).
Invested heavily during Mexico debt crisis
During the 1982 economic contraction he bought many Mexican companies at depressed valuations (Reynolds Aluminio, General Tire, Sanborns, Cigatam, others).
Acquired Seguros de México for US$13M
Paid US$13 million for Seguros de México; later folded into Seguros Inbursa and Grupo Financiero Inbursa; stake grew in value dramatically by 2007.
Entrepreneurial Merit Medal of Honor (Mexico's Chamber of Commerce)
Received the Entrepreneurial Merit Medal of Honor (1985) from Mexico's Chamber of Commerce.
Expanded acquisitions (Sanborns, Hershey stake, others)
Grupo Carso added Sanborns (retail/restaurant), 50% stake in Hershey's Mexican arm, Bimex hotels, and other industrial assets.
Founded Fundación Carlos Slim Helú (philanthropy)
Established Fundación Carlos Slim Helú focused on education, health and human capital development across Mexico and Latin America.
Acquired Empresas Nacobre & Química Fluor
Acquisitions included Nacobre (copper manufacturer) and Química Fluor (chemical maker) as consolidation of industrial holdings.
Grupo Carso floated (IPO) & consortium buys Telmex
Grupo Carso went public; Grupo Carso (with France Télécom and Southwestern Bell) acquired the privatized Telephones of Mexico (Telmex). Carso Global Telecom created and Telcel (Radiomóvil Dipsa) developed into major mobile carrier.
Acquired Hoteles Calinda (now OSTAR)
Purchased Hoteles Calinda hotel chain, later OSTAR Grupo Hotelero.
Increased stakes in General Tire and Grupo Aluminio
Raised holdings to majority interests in General Tire's Mexican arm and in Grupo Aluminio (aluminum business).
Established Museo Soumaya
Founded Museo Soumaya (named for his wife) to house an extensive private art collection; later moved to a new building opened in 2011.
Golden Plate Award (American Academy of Achievement)
Awarded the Golden Plate Award by the American Academy of Achievement (1994).
Founded Fundación Telmex
Established Fundación Telmex, a major philanthropic vehicle supporting education, health, sports and social programs; later endowed with large assets (reported US$4B by 2007).
Split Grupo Carso into three companies
Reorganized Grupo Carso into Carso Global Telecom, Grupo Carso and Invercorporación to separate core business lines.
Acquired Mexican arm of Sears Roebuck
Bought Sears Mexico, expanding retail holdings.
Personal: heart surgery; wife Soumaya dies; CICSA and other moves
Underwent heart surgery; his wife Soumaya Domit died. In 1999 Grupo Carso created Carso Infraestructura y Construcción (CICSA); also acquired Pastelería Francesa El Globo and took interest in TracFone.
América Telecom / América Móvil incorporated; América Móvil NYSE listing
América Telecom (holding for América Móvil) incorporated; Telmex spun off international cellular division which listed as América Móvil (NYSE listing cited around US$15 billion). Fundación del Centro Histórico de la Ciudad de México also created.
Latin Trade: CEO of the Year
Named CEO of the year in 2003 by Latin Trade magazine.
Large investments in US retailers & Telmex USA activity
Purchased stakes in Barnes & Noble, OfficeMax, Office Depot, Circuit City, Borders, CompUSA; established Telmex USA and a stake in TracFone (U.S.).
Latin Trade: CEO of the Decade
Named CEO of the decade (2004) by Latin Trade magazine.
Invested in Volaris and founded IDEAL
Invested in low-cost Mexican airline Volaris and founded IDEAL (Impulsora del Desarrollo y el Empleo en América Latina), a construction/infrastructure promoter.
Sold Cigatam stake to Philip Morris for US$1.1B; sold Porcelanite for US$800M
After building Cigatam stake to 50.1%, sold a large portion to Altria/Philip Morris for US$1.1 billion; also sold Porcelanite (tile-maker) for US$800 million. Grupo Carso's aggregate value estimated at US$150 billion in 2007.
CompUSA remaining stores liquidation announced (Dec 8, 2007)
Grupo Carso announced remaining 103 CompUSA stores would be liquidated or sold, winding down the retail chain in the U.S.
Nominated to RAND Corporation executive board
Named a member of the Executive Board of RAND Corporation (nonprofit research organization).
National Order of the Cedar (Lebanon)
Awarded the National Order of the Cedar by the Lebanese government in recognition of philanthropy (2008).
Bought 6.4% stake in The New York Times Company (~US$27M)
Acquired a 6.4% stake in The New York Times Company; stake subsequently increased in later years.
Purchased NYC Duke-Semans mansion (reported 2010)
Bought a Fifth Avenue mansion (Duke-Semans mansion) for US$44 million (2010 purchase).
Ranked world's richest person by Forbes (start of 2010–2013 run)
Forbes ranked Slim as the world's richest person (period 2010–2013 with fluctuations).
Forbes: Net worth reported US$53.5B (Mar 2010)
Forbes reported Slim overtook Bill Gates as richest person with US$53.5 billion.
Sorolla Medal (Hispanic Society of America)
Fundación Carlos Slim awarded the Sorolla Medal (2011) for contributions to arts and culture.
Forbes: Net worth reported US$74B (Mar 2011)
Forbes reported Slim maintained position as wealthiest person with estimated fortune of US$74 billion.
Museum Soumaya new building inauguration (2011)
Inauguration of Museo Soumaya's new striking Plaza Carso building (attendance included President of Mexico and Nobel laureates).
América Móvil acquires Olympic broadcast rights for Latin America (Sochi 2014, Brazil 2016)
América Móvil purchased broadcast rights for Sochi 2014 and Brazil 2016 Olympics for Latin America.
Co-founded Ora TV with Larry King
In March 2012 Slim co-founded Ora TV, a digital on-demand network that produced shows including Larry King Now.
Honorary doctorate (George Washington University)
Received an honorary doctorate in public service from George Washington University (May 20, 2012).
Bought 30% stakes in soccer teams Pachuca and León
Through América Móvil Slim bought 30% stakes (and broadcast rights) in Pachuca and León football teams; later bought second-division Estudiantes Tecos (Dec 2012).
Acquired Estudiantes Tecos (second-division)
In December 2012 Slim bought all shares of Estudiantes Tecos, a second-division Mexican soccer team.
Net worth per Forbes: US$73B (Mar 2013)
Forbes reported Slim's net worth at about US$73 billion (Mar 2013).
Invested US$40M in Shazam (July 2013) and US$60M in Mobli (Nov 2013)
América Móvil invested US$40M in Shazam to help expansion into Latin America; Slim invested US$60M in visual-mobile startup Mobli.
Opened Inbursa Aquarium (May 2014)
In May 2014 Slim opened the Inbursa Aquarium, described as Latin America's largest aquarium.
Forbes: Net worth reclaimed US$79.6B (15 Jul 2014)
Forbes reported Slim reclaimed the world's richest spot with a fortune of US$79.6 billion (July 2014); Forbes later listed him at US$81.6B in Sep 2014.
Took control (major stake) of Telekom Austria
On 23 April 2014 Slim took control of Telekom Austria under a 10-year agreement; América Móvil to spend up to US$2B to buy minority shareholders and invest up to €1B.
Invested in Spanish assets (Bankia, Realia) and real-estate buys
In 2015 Slim's Inmobiliaria Carso announced purchases of stakes in Bankia and a 25% stake in Spanish real estate firm Realia; broader purchases in Spain pursued.
Formed Carso Oil & Gas (15 Apr 2015 reported)
Announced formation of Carso Oil & Gas; initial listed assets reported at 3.5 billion pesos (~US$230M).
Purchased Marquette Building (Detroit) & PepsiCo HQ (Somers, NY) for US$87M
In April 2015 Slim bought the Marquette Building in Detroit and PepsiCo Americas Beverages headquarters in Somers, NY for a combined ~$87M (PepsiCo HQ cited at US$87M).
Net worth reported US$48.1B (Dec 2016)
Bloomberg/Forbes reported his net worth at US$48.1 billion in December 2016 (effect of market/regulatory changes).
Reported net worth US$54.5B (2017) & NYT stake sale
Net worth reported at US$54.5B in 2017. Also reported sale of half of his New York Times shares in 2017 (he had been largest holder of NYT Class A shares earlier).
Net worth reported at least US$58.1B; recognized as top Mexican philanthropist
Forbes reported his net worth ~US$58.1B in 2019; Forbes also listed him among the world's most generous philanthropists outside the US.
Awarded Medal of Honor by Carlos III University of Madrid
Carlos III University of Madrid decorated Carlos Slim with a Medal of Honor (Oct 30, 2019).
COVID-19 philanthropic response & major donations
Carso Group and foundations mobilized resources: announced infrastructure for hospitals, donated MX$1,000 million (June 8) and later MX$90M (Oct 12); partnered with AstraZeneca to provide vaccine across Latin America (Aug 12).
Donated MX$90M to extend COVID-19 unit (Oct 12, 2020)
Additional MX$90 million donation to extend COVID-19 Temporary Unit operations through December 2020.
Forbes: Net worth reported US$73.3B (2021)
Forbes listed his net worth at approximately US$73.3 billion in 2021.
Opened National Biodiversity Pavilion with UNAM
UNAM and Carlos Slim Foundation opened the National Biodiversity Pavilion (Oct 5, 2021) to host UNAM Biology Institute collections.
UIT recognized Carlos Slim Foundation and América Móvil for health-care tech (Jun 6, 2022)
International Telecommunication Union recognized his organizations for healthcare technology innovations.
Received Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Sophia Award for Excellence
Awarded the Sophia Award for Excellence (April 1, 2022) recognizing philanthropic and cultural contributions.
Humanitarian response to Hurricane Otis (Oct 2023)
Carlos Slim and Telmex/Telcel foundations coordinated distribution of humanitarian aid (26 tons) and pledged reconstruction support for Acapulco after Hurricane Otis.
Received Vasco de Quiroga Award
Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Mexico granted the Vasco de Quiroga Award for promoting business opportunities between Spain and Mexico.
Grupo Carso / Zamajal acquisition: 49.9% of Talos Energy
Grupo Carso announced acquisition of 49.9% of Talos Energy by subsidiary Zamajal (announced Sep 27, 2023).
Bloomberg: Net worth reached approx. US$106B (May 2024)
Achievement profile reported Bloomberg wealth index estimate of about US$106 billion in May 2024 (Bloomberg/Achievement mentions May 2024).
Active public engagements & awards (2024)
Series of conferences, awards and honors in 2024: multiple lectures (ITAM, Nearshoring Summit), Doctor Honoris Causa (Anahuac Univ.), Italy–Mexico 2024 Prize, Juan Sánchez Navarro Award and humanitarian responses in 2024.
Acquired ~3% stake in BT plc (~£400M)
On 12 June 2024 Slim acquired a roughly 3% stake in British telecom BT worth approx. £400 million.
BT stake boosted to 4.3%
By September 2024 his stake in BT was reported boosted to about 4.3%.
Bloomberg ranking (July 2025) — 18th-richest, net worth US$99.1B
As of July 2025 the Bloomberg Billionaires Index ranked Carlos Slim as the 18th-richest person in the world with estimated net worth of US$99.1 billion and richest in Latin America.
Key Achievement Ages
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