family

Rank #716

MEXICO•Fashion & Retail•Retail, media

Ricardo Salinas Pliego & family

Net Worth

$5.603B

0% (24h)

Ricardo Salinas Pliego is a prominent Mexican businessman, known for founding and leading Grupo Salinas. His estimated net worth is $5.5 billion as of September 2025. He is a key figure in the retail and media industries, with a career spanning several decades. Salinas Pliego's wealth stems from his ownership of Grupo Salinas, a conglomerate with interests in telecommunications, media, financial services, and retail. He is the chairman of TV Azteca, a major Spanish-language television network, and Grupo Elektra, a leading retail and financial services company. His career includes achievements in transforming Grupo Elektra and expanding into banking and telecommunications.

The Full Dossier

Early Life and Education

Ricardo Salinas Pliego was born in Mexico City on October 19, 1955. He studied accounting at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) and earned an MBA from Tulane University.

Rise to Success

Salinas Pliego began his career at Elektra in 1981. He became CEO of the company in 1987, and transformed it into Mexico's largest consumer-finance company by offering credit sales and financial products. He then expanded into the media and telecommunications sectors.

Key Business Strategies

A key strategy was building new markets by providing financial services to lower-middle-income consumers, previously ignored by other major Mexican businesses. This led to the creation of Banco Azteca, a banking arm that offers financial services to a wide range of customers. Salinas Pliego also played a significant role in the development of Mexico's telecommunications and media industries, through TV Azteca.

Philanthropy

Salinas Pliego founded Fundación Azteca in 1997, a non-profit organization that addresses social issues.

Career Timeline

2002

Founded Banco Azteca

Established Banco Azteca to serve lower-middle-class Mexicans.

1993

Founded TV Azteca

Acquired Imevision, which was then renamed TV Azteca.

1987

Became CEO of Elektra

Became CEO of Elektra, focusing the company on retail and consumer finance.

1981

Joined Elektra

Began working at Elektra as import manager.

1979

Completed MBA

Completed his MBA at Tulane University.

1977

Graduated as a CPA

Graduated as a CPA from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) with honors.

Philanthropic Impact

Social WelfareUndisclosed

Fundación Azteca

Addresses social issues in healthcare, education, and the environment.

Child WelfareUndisclosed

Juguetón

Annual toy drive distributing millions of toys.