#15 Roman Abramovich

Reuters/Eliana Aponte
Age: 41

Fortune: self made

Source: oil

Net Worth: $23.5 bil

Country Of Citizenship: Russia

Residence: Moscow , Russia, Europe & Russia

Industry: Diversified

Marital Status: married, 5 children

Education: Drop Out

Orphaned as a child, Abramovich dropped out of college, then made a fortune in a series of controversial oil export deals in early 1990s. His fortune took off in 1995 when he teamed up with Boris Berezovsky (now also a billionaire) to take over oil giant Sibneft at a fraction of its market value. (When Berezovsky fled Russia in 2000 to escape fraud charges, he sold out to Abramovich.) In 2003 to 2004 he sold stake in Russian Aluminum to fellow billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who is now ranked 9th in the world. In 2005 Abramovich liquidated his biggest asset, selling 72.6% stake in Sibneft to gas titan Gazprom for $13 billion. In 2006 he bought stake in the country's largest steelmaker, Evraz Group, and early in 2008, a piece of Highland Gold, a U.K. mining company with operations in Russia. He also spent some of his cash buying U.K. soccer club, Chelsea. He recently finalized divorce from the mother of his five children, Irina, but largely stays out of public eye, except for occasional spottings with rumored girlfriend Daria Zhukova.

http://www.forbes.com