Charles Koch

Co-owner and CEO of the biggest private firm “Koch Industries Inc” in the US; Charles Koch is an eminent business magnate, who made his fortune by transforming his father’s moderately successful oil company into a diversified petroleum products trading company with presence in nearly 60 countries. Known as a person with extraordinary management skills, Charles managed and expanded the inherited business to almost 2,600 times the inherited size. The Koch Industries CEO is the 18th richest man in the world and a munificent philanthropist.

Born in Kansas, the son of Late Fred Koch graduated from the prestigious “Massachusetts Institute of Technology” and started helping his father in his oil company named “Rock Island Oil and Refining Company”. After taking over the business reign in 1967, Charles transformed his father’s oil refining firm to a diversified petroleum products company “Koch Industries Inc”, with estimated annual revenue of $40 billion. The company’s expansion included opening facilities in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, and China, acquiring 37,000 miles of oil and gas pipeline and diversifying in areas of pollution control equipment and technologies, forest and consumer products, minerals and fertilizers. Profits from “Koch Industries Inc” provided a flurry of wealth for Charles making him one of the most powerful billionaires in the US.  The eminent business tycoon has a net worth of $25 billion and is one of richest man in the planet. The billionaire’s plush home in Palm Desert, California is his additional pricey asset apart from his highly successful firm. Charles has also held several director positions in other companies like Intrust Financial Corp, Georgia Pasfic Corp and Invista.

Charles received many prestigious awards from different Universities and organizations during his lifetime and was also rated one of the most influential people of 2011. The Koch Industries CEO has also made financial support for a number of charitable organizations like “Institute for Humane Studies”, “American Civil Liberties Union”, “Bill of Rights Institute”, “Cato Institute” and “Mercatus Center”. The 76 year old business man is married and has two children.