He is the founder and former chairman of Inditex fashion group, best known for its chains of Zara and Bershka clothing and accessories shops.

[1] As of September 2024, Ortega had a net worth of $134.3 billion, making him the second-wealthiest person in Europe after Bernard Arnault and the 11th-wealthiest in the world.

[15] He also donated 300 million euros to fight cancer across Spain, which were invested in the purchase of 440 machines to detect the disease.

As a result of this, the number of Spanish public hospitals equipped with stereotactic radiotherapy machines has risen from 20 to 70.

[17] Recently, news indicate that he has bought the Troy Block complex, known to the public as one of the buildings where Amazon Seattle has its headquarters.

Ortega is the executive chairman of Pontegadea, and real estate assets in his portfolio include Manhattan’s Haughwout Building and Southeast Financial Center.

Regarding real estate assets, this is concentrated in Madrid and Barcelona, located on the axis of the main business streets of both cities, where it has more than twenty properties distributed along Paseo de la Castellana, Serrano, Recoletos, Ortega y Gasset (Madrid) and on Paseo de Gracia or via Laietana (Barcelona).

Internationally, he also owns properties in five other major European capitals (Paris, Berlin, Rome, Lisbon and London).

In July 2021, it acquired the same percentage of the also energy company Red Eléctrica and 12% of Redes Energéticas Nacionais, operators of the Spanish and Portuguese electricity grids respectively.