Businesswoman and Philantropist. Rosalía Mera Goyenechea started her career in a clothing shop after leaving school at eleven. Together with her then-husband, Amancio Ortega Gaona, she co-founded Zara in 1975, a renowned global fashion retail brand under the umbrella of Inditex, a holding company they established. Apart from her contributions to fashion, Mera invested in various ventures, including companies focusing on newborn fingerprinting kits and researching cancer-fighting compounds from ocean-origin bioactive elements. Despite divorcing Ortega in 1986, she retained a substantial 7% stake in Inditex, accumulating a net worth surpassing $6 billion, ranking her as the world's wealthiest self-made female entrepreneur by 2013. Mera's interests extended to philanthropy and advocacy, evident in her founding of the Paideia Foundation, aimed at supporting marginalized groups. She was also vocal in her opposition to restrictive abortion laws and austerity measures in Spain. Her unexpected passing in August 2013 deeply impacted the business world, leaving behind a legacy as a trailblazer in fashion entrepreneurship and social activism. Following her demise, her daughter, Sandra Ortega Mera, inherited her wealth, becoming Spain's richest woman. Rosalía Mera's enduring legacy remains a testament to her pioneering role in fashion entrepreneurship and her commitment to social causes.
Businesswoman and Philantropist. Rosalía Mera Goyenechea started her career in a clothing shop after leaving school at eleven. Together with her then-husband, Amancio Ortega Gaona, she co-founded Zara in 1975, a renowned global fashion retail brand under the umbrella of Inditex, a holding company they established. Apart from her contributions to fashion, Mera invested in various ventures, including companies focusing on newborn fingerprinting kits and researching cancer-fighting compounds from ocean-origin bioactive elements. Despite divorcing Ortega in 1986, she retained a substantial 7% stake in Inditex, accumulating a net worth surpassing $6 billion, ranking her as the world's wealthiest self-made female entrepreneur by 2013. Mera's interests extended to philanthropy and advocacy, evident in her founding of the Paideia Foundation, aimed at supporting marginalized groups. She was also vocal in her opposition to restrictive abortion laws and austerity measures in Spain. Her unexpected passing in August 2013 deeply impacted the business world, leaving behind a legacy as a trailblazer in fashion entrepreneurship and social activism. Following her demise, her daughter, Sandra Ortega Mera, inherited her wealth, becoming Spain's richest woman. Rosalía Mera's enduring legacy remains a testament to her pioneering role in fashion entrepreneurship and her commitment to social causes.
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