Romania’s Michael Schmidt is among the world’s top entrepreneurs according to FORBES magazine.
The publication picked out Mr. Schmid and his talks to add McLaren to his Schmidt Premium Cars, which sells BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce across Central and Eastern Europe.
“My model is simple: to expand permanently, in either crisis or good times,” he says.
For 30 years, Mr. Schmidt has been a top name in Romania’s expanding luxury car business in Romania. The Transylvanian-born entrepreneur created a car empire through his MHS Holding group, and has businesses in Romania, Germany, Austria and Spain. With a turnover of around €650 million in 2023 and steady growth, he has continued to strengthen its pole position in importing vehicles, marketing and service.
Across the planet, the licensed editions of Forbes magazine span five continents, 25 languages and 13 time zones. They all share the same mission: celebrating entrepreneurial capitalism in all its forms. Here’s a global perspective on the business landscape in real time.
Here are some of the world’s other top entrepreneurs.
ARGENTINA
Forbes Argentina calls Diego Fenoglio “the Argentine Willy Wonka.” In 1996, he opened chocolatier Rapanui; it now has 11 stores in Argentina and a factory in Spain that bring in nearly $15 million in revenue.
CHINA
Jing Hong
Gaocheng Capital
Gaocheng Capital founding partner Jing Hong, 48, debuts on the annual Forbes Midas List of the world’s top VCs. Her investments focus on technology and innovation that shift China away from labor-intensive work.
ITALY
U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush have worn silk ties from E. Marinella, a Naples-based brand opened in 1914 and now run by the founder’s grandson Maurizio and great-grandson Alessandro.
JAPAN
Yasunori Furukawa founded Oxide in 2000 to make crystalline proponents for batteries, lasers and semiconductors. It had revenue of nearly $28 million in 2019 and is on Forbes Japan’s roster of Small Giants.
SOUTH KOREA
Gim Seong-gon, worth $1.1 billion, debuts among the nation’s richest. The son of a
farmer, he founded CS Wind in 1988, which this year acquired a Pueblo, Colorado, wind turbine plan for $150 million.
Entrepreneur Michael Schmidt given award for contribution to auto industry, developing Transylvania
