Portrait of Michael Otto

Rank #580

Michael Otto

Net worth $6.8B

Retail, real estate · Germany

Born
Apr 12, 1943
Age
83
Source
Retail, real estate
Residence
Hamburg
Citizenship
Germany
Marital status
Married
Children
2
Education
Doctorate, University of Hamburg; Doctorate, University of Munich

Net worth over time

Biography

  • Michael Otto inherited shares in the retail empire his late father, Werner Otto, founded as a mail-order business in Hamburg in 1949.
  • As chief executive, he ran his family's Otto Group for 26 years until 2007. He is now chairman of its supervisory board.
  • With revenues exceeding $15 billion, Otto Group has more than 40 companies in retail (including Crate and Barrel), real estate and financial services.
  • Michael's stepmother Maren and her children Alexander and Katharina -- all billionaires -- also own stakes in Otto Group.
  • Separate from Michael, they own ECE Group, a real estate company focused on shopping centers, and a stake in office property firm Paramount Group.
  • Michael's son, Benjamin, announced he wouldn't be following his dad's footsteps and become chief executive. He is managing partner instead.
  • Michael's half-sister, Katharina Otto-Bernstein, writes and produces art movies in the U.S.