Early Life
Michal Solowow was born on July 11, 1962, in Kielce, Poland. As a teenager, he developed an interest in amateur rally driving. He graduated from the IV Liceum Ogólnokształcące im. Hanki Sawickiej in Kielce and later studied at the Kielce University of Technology. In the 1980s, he earned money working in the West, which enabled him to establish his construction enterprise, Mitex, in Kielce.
Rise to Success
After the political and economic transformation in the early 1990s, Mitex became one of the larger companies in the regional construction market. Solowow then became an active investor on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. He founded the Max food retail chain in 1992 and NOMI, the first DIY retail chain in Poland, in 1994. He later founded Echo Investment, a real estate development company in 1994. Solowow bought shares in Dwory, a chemical company, and expanded it through debt financing. He diversified into ceramic tiles, wood floors, and real estate.
Key Business Strategies
Solowow is the sole shareholder of Synthos (chemical industry), Cersanit (sanitary ceramics and tiles), and Barlinek (producer of floorboards). He transformed from a major Warsaw Stock Exchange investor to a top private entrepreneur and the largest Polish private investor abroad. He manages his assets through several funds. He gave up direct management roles but remains an active investor, primarily in the private equity market.
Philanthropy
Solowow's daughter, Karolina Sołowow, runs a charitable foundation called "Fabryki Marzeń" (Factories of Dreams) that supports disadvantaged youth.