Jaroslav Haščák has returned to the Forbes ranking of the richest Slovaks. (source: TASR)
After several years, this year's edition of the Forbes ranking of the richest Slovaks released on Wednesday sees a change in the first place. Long-time leader Ivan Chrenko, the owner of the HB Reavis development group, has been replaced by Tomáš Chrenek, a steel and healthcare magnate and co-owner of the Moravia Steel group.
According to the business monthly, the total assets of 45 richest Slovaks amount to almost €19 billion, with a yearly increase of €4 billion. The assets of each of the top five exceeded €1 billion. The ranking features five women.
Joining the long-standing pair of billionaires Ivan Chrenko and Jaroslav Haščák are Tomáš Chrenek, Patrik Tkáč and Jozef Tkáč, as well as their long-time business partner Ivan Jakabovič.
10 richest Slovaks according to Forbes
1. Tomáš Chrenek: €2 billion
2. Jozef Tkáč and Patrik Tkáč: €1.89 billion
3. Jaroslav Haščák and family: €1.8 billion
4. Ivan Chrenko: €1.4 billion
5. Ivan Jakabovič: €1.16 billion
6. Miroslav Trnka: €790 million
7. Ján Hrubý and Elena Hrubá: €770 million
8. Peter Paško: €770 million
9. Martin Kúšik: €580 million
10. Milan Fiľo: €550 million
In the last year's edition, Tomáš Chrenek occupied fourth place. However, his gaining €1.15 billion in assets propelled him to the first place. Although he started doing business in steel industry which earned him his first millions, he has been successful recently in healthcare as well. He owns the Moravia Steel group. It operates in Czechia, Slovakia and Spain. The group includes 35 hospitals (Agel) and a network of polyclinics, pharmacies, laboratories, its own pharmaceutical production and medical schools.
The family and business duo of Jozef and son Patrik Tkáč strengthened their second position with the J&T Finance Group (J&T Banka and 365.bank), in which Jozef Tkáč holds the biggest share. Patrik Tkáč has become the chair of the board. With their business flourishing, their assets increased by almost a billion euros compared to previous year.
Part of the reason for their growth is that the range of businesses that can be assigned to them as the ultimate owner is slowly coming to surface.
Together with his family, Jaroslav Haščák, who recently returned to the top management of the Penta investment group (known for its Dr. Max pharmacies), rank third in the list. Last year, Haščák's wife represented the assets.
Ivan Chrenko dropped to the fourth place due to having a bad year. His assets fell by €300 million year-on-year, the biggest drop in this year's ranking, with the Covid-19 pandemic being the biggest reason, which severely undermined his developer group HB Reavis and decreased interest in of the office real estate market.
In early 2023, the group announced that was closing real estate projects in Slovakia.
The ranking also features former hockey players Marián Hossa, Zdeno Chára and Marián Gáborík, as well as former football player Marek Hamšík. The ranking was compiled on the same principles as all the global magazine’s rankings. The value of net worth is based on the price at which the companies can be sold if the shareholders so decide.
