jeff juwana
Moderator
Co-founder of Zara, an international clothing giant and Spain’s richest woman, Rosalia Mera has died at the age of 69.
According to the Spanish media, Mera suffered a stroke during vacation on the Mediterranean island of Menorca before she died in a private hospital in La Coruna. Zara’s parent company, Inditex said, "The group wishes to send its sincere condolences to Mera's loved ones and friends at this extremely difficult time, after the loss of a person who contributed so much to the origins and development of the company."
Born on the 28th day of January, 1944 in La Coruna in Spain’s Galicia region, Rosalia Mera Goyenechea began her career as a seamstress at age 11, when she dropped out of school to work as a tailor in a clothing shop. She married Amaancio Ortega and nine years later opened the first Zara store in La Coruna. The company expanded worldwide and over the years, Mera helped build the company into one of the world's biggest retailers. She and Ortega went on to found Inditex, which also owns the Massimo Dutti and Bershka brands.
Mera and Ortega separated in 1986. They have two children, Sandra and Marcos.
In 1986, Mera co-founded Paideia Galiza Foundation, based in her hometown, La Coruna. The organization helps people with physical and mental disabilities -- like her son Marcos, who was born with a mental disability -- to find jobs and it also provides training and education workshops. The foundation was not immediately available for comment.
According to Forbes, Mera's net worth was $6.1 billion as of March 2013. Ortega, 77, remains Inditex's majority shareholder. He is listed by Forbes as the fourth-richest man in the world with a net worth of $57 billion.
According to the Spanish media, Mera suffered a stroke during vacation on the Mediterranean island of Menorca before she died in a private hospital in La Coruna. Zara’s parent company, Inditex said, "The group wishes to send its sincere condolences to Mera's loved ones and friends at this extremely difficult time, after the loss of a person who contributed so much to the origins and development of the company."
Born on the 28th day of January, 1944 in La Coruna in Spain’s Galicia region, Rosalia Mera Goyenechea began her career as a seamstress at age 11, when she dropped out of school to work as a tailor in a clothing shop. She married Amaancio Ortega and nine years later opened the first Zara store in La Coruna. The company expanded worldwide and over the years, Mera helped build the company into one of the world's biggest retailers. She and Ortega went on to found Inditex, which also owns the Massimo Dutti and Bershka brands.
Mera and Ortega separated in 1986. They have two children, Sandra and Marcos.
In 1986, Mera co-founded Paideia Galiza Foundation, based in her hometown, La Coruna. The organization helps people with physical and mental disabilities -- like her son Marcos, who was born with a mental disability -- to find jobs and it also provides training and education workshops. The foundation was not immediately available for comment.
According to Forbes, Mera's net worth was $6.1 billion as of March 2013. Ortega, 77, remains Inditex's majority shareholder. He is listed by Forbes as the fourth-richest man in the world with a net worth of $57 billion.
