Eike Batista Biography
Born in the year 1956, Eike Batista was the seventh richest person in the world and is also widely known to be the richest man in Brazil, until the month of June this year, when the billionaire lost as staggering $15.5 billion at the stock markets. Mr. Batista was born to Eliezer Batista da Silva, a Brazilian and Jutta Fuhrken a German and was one of the seven children the couple had. Since an early age, Eike Batista displayed his attraction towards independence and hence managed to create a global empire that as of now values a staggering $30 billion. Mr. Batista’s father Eliezer Batista da Silva held quite a respectable position in the Brazilian government, where he served as the Minister of Mines and Energy under both João Goulart and Fernando Collor governments. During his teenage years, Eike Batista moved to Europe along with his family, where he spent time in Geneva, Düsseldorf, and Brussels and then enrolled in the RWTH Aachen University, pursuing metallurgical engineering. At the age of 18, Eike decided to stay in Europe, while his family moved back to Brazil and started working as an insurance policies salesman.
In the beginning of 1980s, Eike Batista returned to Brazil and immediately established himself as vendor for gold and diamonds. Shortly thereafter, Eike Batista formed his very first company in the form of Autram Aurem, a gold trading firm that amassed a fortune of $6 million in just a year and a half of its inception. Soon, Eike Batista began expanding his empire and formed the EBX Group, wherein he established the world’s first alluvial gold mining plant in the Amazon. The multi-billion dollar empire is comprised of several large companies, such as the likes of MMX (mining), OSX (offshore services and equipment), OGX (oil and gas), LLX (logistics).and MPX (energy). By the time Mr. Batista celebrated his 29th birthday, he had already acquired the position of CEO of TVX Gold and during the entire period of 1980 to 2000, Eike transformed the mining industry with the launch of eight gold mines in Brazil and Canada, along with a silver mine in Chile and the generation of an astounding $20 billion value for his combined ventures. The EBX Group is central to the success of Eike Batista and as per reports has already announced investments worth a whopping $15.5 billion during 2011 to 2012 in Brazil. The company is headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and has separate offices in New York, Chile and Colombia. While providing employment to over 20,000 people, EBX Group is also undertaking various initiatives in the fields of sports, hospitality, gastronomy, health etc. in Rio de Janeiro.
In his personal life, Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista is an adventurous individual possessing an innate love for athletics and water sports. Of his many hobbies, the few that the billionaire enjoys the most are swimming, running and powerboat racing. His love for marine sports so heightened that Eike is known to have won the Brazilian, U.S. and World championships in powerboat racing in the 1990s, while participating in the Super Offshore Powerboat racing event. Then in the year 2006, Eike Batista once again made headlines in the world of water sports, when he broke record for a boat run between Santos and Rio de Janeiro, wherein he completed the entire course spanning 407 km in just a little over three hours in his boat, the Spirit of Brazil. The richest man in Brazil, Eike Batista is also known to be extremely tech savvy, with a personal website that features articles, news and videos related to the EBX Group companies. Mr. Batista is also quite active on social networks, wherein his primary choice of communication is Twitter. His Twitter account has an astonishing 550,000 followers, who are constantly apprised of just about every event that happens in the billionaire’s life. Eike Batista is quite a learned personality, with fluent proficiency in in five international languages including, Portuguese, German, English, French and Spanish, while the in the year 2012, Eike even launched his self-authored book entitled “The X Factor: The Path of Brazil’s Greatest Entrepreneur.” Mr. Batista was married to renowned Brazilian model and carnival queen Luma de Oliveira, whom the former met for the first in the year 1990, during the Super Offshore Powerboat competition. Shortly, in the year 1991, both Eike and Ms. Oliveira eloped and tied the matrimonial knot. The couple had two boys, Thor Batista de Oliveira and Olin Batista de Oliveira. For nearly 14 years, the couple led happy and fulfilled life, before their mutual separation in the year 2004.
Besides his thirst for adventure and immaculate business skills, Eike Batista is also well renowned in philanthropy circles, as the billionaire has provided funding for numerous projects including child welfare and national interests. Earlier this year, Eike Batista provided a much needed financial assistance to the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee in the form of a $6.8 million donation to ensure that the city meets all the requirements for its bid for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. Competing against other metropolitan cities, such as the likes of Tokyo, Madrid and Chicago, Rio de Janeiro received a significant boost with this aid, which was on top of the $4.5 million previously donated by Mr. Batista in the month of April this year. In the year 2009, Eike Batista teamed with the iconic ‘Queen of Pop’ Madonna to set a new Brazilian children’s charity called, ‘Success for Kids’. During a lavish dinner hosted by Mr. Batista and attended by Rio de Janeiro Governor Sergio Cabral and Mayor Eduardo Paes, Madonna laid out her plans for her children’s charity project and while the singer had generated $3 million in funds, her aim was to reach for $10 million. This is where Eike Batista stepped in and pledged to fulfill the gap with the generous donation of a staggering $7 million. Success For Kids will be aimed at providing education to impoverished youngsters and the organization has aimed to start with 10 schools, while later expanding the number of schools to 150 in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo.
Eike Batista
Current Position: CEO, EBX Group
Age: 55
Nationality: Brazil
Source of Wealth: EBX Group
Net Worth: $30 Billion
Education: RWTH Aachen University (Drop-Out)
Marital Status: Divorced
Children: 2
Eike Batista Cars
1.  Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren
Price: $1.2 Million
What to do when you have a fabulously stunning luxury home in the heart of Rio de Janeiro? Get a luxury sports car to complete the equation and that’s exactly what Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista has done. To complement his gorgeous luxury Rio house, he splashed an incredible $1.2 million on a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren sports car with just about every accessory and modification available. Designed and developed by German luxury car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz as a collaborative effort with U.K based McLaren Automotive, the SLR McLaren is a perfect amalgamation of gorgeous design, opulent features and high performance specifications. The Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren that carries a base price of $455,000 is powered by a 5.4 L supercharged V8 engine producing a mind boggling 617 hp, which enables the SLR McLaren to reach a top speed of 207 mph. Furthermore, this mammoth power plant is tethered to a 5-Speed Auto w/Speedshift System that allows the SLR McLaren to achieve an acceleration of 0 to 60 mph in just 3.8 seconds. Unlike other auto enthusiasts who would jump at a chance to sit behind the wheels of the SLR McLaren, Mr. Batista has parked his luxury sports car in the living of his Jardim Botanico mansion.
Eike Batista Yachts
1.  Pershing 115 ‘Spirit du Brazil’
Price: $19 Million
Designed and developed by Italy based Pershing S.p.A. shipyard, Pershing 115 or more lovingly known as the ‘Spirit du Brazil’ is a luxury superyacht owned by Brazilian billionaire Eike Batista. Carrying a significant price tag of $19 million, the Pershing 115 boasts of new age technological superiority, along with bespoke comforts and an elegant design. The most unique aspect of Spirit du Brazil is its propulsion system that is powered by twin MTU engines that when combined with the additional thrust generated by two Kamewa Rolls Royce hydro-jets are capable of producing an astounding 7400 hp. The Pershing 115 boasts of a top speed of 40 knots and is comprised of a new generation Vericor TF50 gas turbine. On the inside, this luxury superyacht comes with interiors fashioned by the renowned Italian fashion house, Fendi, wherein the vessel features special wood and frise sycamore maple crafted furniture and warm LED lighting. The Pershing 115 can easily accommodate up to nine guests in four lavish guest staterooms, along with a crew of five that can easily reside in the three spacious crew rooms aboard the yacht.
Eike Batista Private Jets
1.  Gulfstream G550
Price: $50 Million
 
Designed and developed by Gulfstream Aerospace, the Gulfstream G550 is a fascinating luxury private jet that has been inspired by the company’s extremely popular Gulfstream V business jet. As against the Gulfstream V, the G550 boasts of an extended long range and has been incorporated with an advance cockpit, as well as avionics. The Gulfstream G550 is powered by two Rolls-Royce BR710 turbofan engines generating 15,385 lbf of thrust, which enables the G550 to attain a maximum speed of Mach 0.88 (585 mph) and a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 (582 mph). Furthermore, the Gulfstream G550 is capable achieving a maximum service ceiling of 51,000 feet, while providing a range of 12,500 km. Also, the G550 is one of the few luxury business jets that have been incorporated with h a military grade heads up display (HUD) system. The Gulfstream G550 is a powerful, elegant and a feature packed luxury jet that can accommodate up to 19 passengers and a crew of two pilots, along with two attendants.
2.  Embraer Legacy 600
Price: $26 Million
Hailed as one of the most exclusive luxury private jets in the world, Embraer Legacy 600 sits proudly in the luxury business jet fleet of Brazil’s richest man, Eike Batista. This bespoke private jet has been designed and developed taking inspiration from the Embraer ERJ 145 commercial aircraft and is comprised of state of the art avionics, along with luxurious interiors and amenities. The Legacy 600 was officially brought to the world at the Farnborough Airshow in the year 2000 and is widely considered to be one of the most successful private in the category of small to mid-sized business jets. The Embraer Legacy 600 is powered by two Rolls-Royce AE 3007/A1P turbofan engines that enable the aircraft to achieve a top speed of 518 mph, while the maximum range of Legacy 600 is known to be 6,060 km with a service ceiling of 41,000 feet. The particular Embraer Legacy 600 in service of Eike Batista has been heavily modified from the inside to bring the very best of luxury and opulence to the billionaire. The Legacy 600 features reclining seats, a 17 inch widescreen LCD monitor. Two DVD players that are equally complemented with a state of the art surround sound system with two sub-woofers. Furthermore, there is also present a separate baggage compartment and floodlights for the cockpit of the aircraft.
3.  Citation 7
Price: $12 Million
Designed and developed by the Cessna Aircraft Company, Citation 7 or Citation VII is a luxury private jet that belongs to the Cessna Citation aircraft family, comprised of Citation III, VI, VII and X. The Citation VII was officially certified as well as introduced in the year 1992, while this luxury business jet is the only plane in the Citation series, besides Citation X to still be manufactured and sold as brand new aircraft. The Citation VII differs from the predecessors in various aspects, including the use of new powerful engines and enhanced high performance. The Citation VII is powered by two AlliedSignal TFE7314R2S turbofan engines that enable the aircraft to attain a top speed of 881km/h, while delivering a maximum range of 4110 km with six passengers aboard, along with a crew of two.
Eike Batista Getaways
1.  Marina da Glória
 
Located near the carnival city of Rio de Janeiro is one of the most famous marinas in Brazil, Marina da Gloria. Widely considered to be the most convenient marina to gain access to Rio de Janeiro, Marina da Gloria serves as foremost tourist attraction that offers travelers with ethnic sights, sounds and delicacies of Brazil. The Marina da Gloria is also revered for its close proximity to the Flamengo Park, which is the largest leisure area of Rio de Janeiro and plays hosts to a variety of sporting events, music events and other festivals. One of the highlights of Marina da Gloria is the ‘Restaurante Barracuda’, which is known to be in operation for the last thirty years and is the only restaurant in the entire marina. Furthermore, the entry to this location is dotted with small businesses that offers boat charting and diving equipment services for water sport enthusiasts. The entire marina provides breathtaking views of the surrounding Guanabara Bay, while the marina itself is situated quite close to Santos Dumont Airport. However, the entire Marina da Gloria is more famous for the numerous luxury yachts of the rich and the famous, where in these wealthy individuals make a stop at this world renowned location to revel in the colors of South America.
