Michal Solowow

$5.74 B

Ranked #701 in World

About Michal Solowow

Michał Sołowow, a Polish billionaire businessman and rally driver, is the wealthiest person in Poland with an estimated wealth of approximately 15,509 bn złoty. He is the sole shareholder of Synthos, Cersanit, and Barlinek, and manages his assets through various funds. Sołowow's business empire started with the creation of Mitex construction enterprise in Kielce after earning money in the West. He diversified his business into various sectors and remains an active investor. Additionally, Sołowow had a successful rally career and owns a residence in Masłów. His daughter runs a charitable foundation supporting disadvantaged youth.

Born

July 11, 1962

Age

63 years

Source Of Wealth

Investments

Industries

Finance & Investments

Citizenship

Poland

Residence

Kielce

Michał Sołowow was born on July 11, 1962, in Kielce, Poland. His early years and childhood were spent in the city, where he developed an interest in amateur rally driving as a teenager.

Michal Solowow: Family

Michał Sołowow is married and has a daughter, Karolina Sołowow, born in 1986. Karolina runs a charitable foundation called "Fabryki Marzeń" ("Factories of Dreams") that supports disadvantaged youth.

Michal Solowow: Career Highlights

Michał Sołowow's career highlights include:

Becoming a successful businessman and rally driver.
Building an industrial group with 18 production plants in 8 countries, selling products in over 60 countries on six continents, and employing over 16,000 people.
Becoming the wealthiest person in Poland for four consecutive years, with an estimated wealth of approximately 15,509 billion złoty (2021).
Transforming from a major Warsaw Stock Exchange investor to one of the country's top private entrepreneurs and the largest Polish private investor abroad.
Serving as the sole shareholder of Synthos (chemical industry), Cersanit (sanitary ceramics and tiles), and Barlinek (producer of floorboards).

Michal Solowow: Companies

Michał Sołowow's business empire includes several companies, including:

Synthos S.A. (chemical industry): One of the largest Polish chemical companies, manufacturing synthetic rubber, latex, styrene materials, and vinyl dispersions.
Cersanit S.A. (sanitary ceramics and tiles): Largest ceramic tiles producer in Poland and second largest in Europe, with significant market shares in Poland, Germany, Romania, and Ukraine.
Barlinek S.A. (producer of floorboards): One of the largest manufacturers of natural wooden flooring systems globally, exporting to 75 countries on 6 continents.
Komfort (carpets and linings retail chain).
Homla (interior decoration retail chain).
Nexterio (home decor).
Corab (largest manufacturer and distributor of elements for photovoltaics installations in Poland).
WP Systems (maintenance services for offshore wind farms).
Syntos Green Energy (part of Synthos Group, responsible for new energy projects - offshore wind, nuclear, hydrogen).
New Era Materials (composite materials from epoxy resins).

3DGence (manufacturer of 3D printers).
Genicore (manufacturer of ovens for composite materials production).
OncoArendi (R&D of particles for drug production for inflammatory diseases and cancer; WSE-listed).
ExploRNA Therapeutics (R&D of mRNA modification technologies).
LifeFLow (R&D of non-invasive coronography technologies).
Tikrow (online temporary work platform).
GETCAR (car leasing).
North Food (operator of restaurant chains in Poland and the United Kingdom).
Yamly (start-up company, producer, and distributor of plant-based foods).

Michal Solowow: Major Achievements

Michał Sołowow's major achievements include:

Building a successful business empire with a global reach.
Becoming one of the wealthiest people in Poland and a prominent figure in the business world.
Achieving notable results in his rally driving career, including European vice-champion, vice-champion of Poland, and second vice-champion of both European and Polish championships.

Michal Solowow: Awards & Achievements

Michał Sołowow has received numerous awards and recognitions for his business achievements, including:

Forbes' list of the richest Poles (multiple times).
Businessman of the Year award from the Polish Confederation of Private Employers Lewiatan (2006).
Honorary doctorate from the Kielce University of Technology (2012).
Golden Cross of Merit from the President of Poland (2014).
Commander's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta from the President of Poland (2021).

Michal Solowow: Personal Life & Legacy

Michał Sołowow resides in Masłów, a village near Kielce, Poland. He is known for his philanthropic activities and support for various social and cultural initiatives. His legacy lies in his successful business ventures, contributions to the Polish economy, and commitment to social responsibility.

Michal Solowow: Trivia

Some interesting facts about Michał Sołowow include:

He started his business career by working in the West in the 1980s, which enabled him to establish his construction enterprise, Mitex, in Kielce.
Mitex became one of the larger companies in the regional construction market after the political and economic transformation in Poland in the early 1990s.

Sołowow became an active investor on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, buying shares in the chemical company Dwory (now Synthos) and expanding it through debt financing.
He diversified his investments into various sectors, including ceramic tiles, wood floors, real estate, new technologies, and biotechnology.
Sołowow gradually gave up direct management roles but remains an active investor, primarily in the private equity market.
He entered into an agreement with US-Japanese GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy for the potential construction of a nuclear power plant in Poland using small modular reactors (SMR) BWRX-300 technology through Synthos Green Energy S.A.
Sołowow manages his assets through several funds, including Black Forest SICAV-SIF fund, FTF Columbus Fund, FTF Galleon, and Magellan Pro-Equity Fund I S.A.
He makes investments via IPOPEMA 112 FIZAN fund in companies such as Genicore and OncoArendi Therapeutics.

Wealth History

Timeline

11 July 1962

Michał Sołowow is born in Kielce, Poland.

1980s

Sołowow earns money working in the West, enabling him to create Mitex construction enterprise in Kielce.

Early 1990s

Mitex becomes one of the bigger companies on the regional construction market after the political and economic transformation.

1992

Sołowow founds Max, a food retail chain.

1994

Sołowow founds NOMI, the first DIY retail chain in Poland.

1994

Sołowow founds Echo Investment, a real estate development company.

1996

Sołowow sells Max to Dutch group Ahold.

1999

Sołowow sells NOMI to Kingfisher plc.

2000

Sołowow sells a minority stake in Exbud to Swedish Skanska.

2001

Sołowow sells a minority stake in Viscoplast to 3M.

2001

Sołowow starts his professional rally career, sponsored by his companies Synthos and Cersanit.

2002

Sołowow sells Mitex to French group Eiffage.

2003

Sołowow buys UltraPack S.A., a producer of corrugated board packagings.

2004

Sołowow becomes the second vice-champion of Poland in rally driving.

2005

Sołowow becomes the second vice-champion of Poland in rally driving.

2005

Sołowow sells Echo Dnia/Słowo Ludu to Norwegian Orkla.

2006

Sołowow becomes the vice-champion of Poland in rally driving.

2006

Sołowow becomes the second vice-champion of Europe in rally driving.

2007

Sołowow sells UltraPack S.A. to British multinational packaging group Mondi.

2008

Sołowow becomes the European vice-champion in rally driving.

2009

Sołowow becomes the European vice-champion in rally driving.

2010

Sołowow becomes the vice-champion of Poland in rally driving.

2010

Sołowow becomes the second vice-champion of Europe in rally driving.

2012

Sołowow becomes the European vice-champion in rally driving.

2015

Sołowow sells shares in Echo Investment to Oaktree and PIMCO.

2015

Sołowow suspends his rally career.

2020

Sołowow resumes his rally career.

2021

Sołowow is estimated to have a wealth of approximately 15,509 bn złoty, making him the wealthiest person in Poland for the fourth consecutive year.

Michal Solowow : FAQs

What is Michal Solowow's current net worth?

Michal Solowow's current net worth is $5.74 billion.

What is Michal Solowow's current global rank among billionaires?

Michal Solowow holds the 701st position globally among billionaires.

What is Michal Solowow's current ranking within the Poland?

Michal Solowow holds the 1st position in Poland.

What was the change in Michal Solowow's net worth compared to the previous year?

Michal Solowow's net worth decreased by 8.33 billion dollars compared to the previous year 2025, when his net worth was 14.06 billion dollars.

What is the recent change in Michal Solowow's net worth?

Michal Solowow's net worth decreased by 0.1 million dollars recently, with his net worth standing at 5.74 billion dollars.

What are Michal Solowow's main sources of wealth?

Michal Solowow's main source of income comes from Investments.

In which industry does Michal Solowow primarily operate?

Michal Solowow is primarily involved in the Finance & Investments industry.

How old is Michal Solowow?

Michal Solowow is 63 years old.

How many children does Michal Solowow have?

Michal Solowow has 1 children.

What is Michał Sołowow known for?

Michał Sołowow is known as a Polish billionaire businessman and rally driver.

How many production plants does Michał Sołowow's industrial group have?

Michał Sołowow's industrial group has 18 production plants in 8 countries.

What is the estimated wealth of Michał Sołowow?

The estimated wealth of Michał Sołowow is approximately 15,509 bn złoty (2021), making him the wealthiest person in Poland for the fourth consecutive year.

Which companies is Michał Sołowow the sole shareholder of?

Michał Sołowow is the sole shareholder of Synthos (chemical industry), Cersanit (sanitary ceramics and tiles), and Barlinek (producer of floorboards).

What is the name of Michał Sołowow's daughter and what does she do?

Michał Sołowow's daughter is Karolina Sołowow and she runs a charitable foundation called 'Fabryki Marzeń' ('Factories of Dreams') supporting disadvantaged youth.