Otto Happel
$3.17B
as of 10/04/24
About Otto Happel
Otto Happel, who studied engineering, inherited his father's dust-removal business and turned it into thermal engineering firm GEA.
In 1999, he sold his 50.1% GEA stake to Germany's MG Technologies for around $775 million in cash and kept a 10% interest in the combined group.
In 2005, the company renamed itself GEA Group. Happel cashed out in 2006, selling his remaining stake to institutional investors for $700 million.
In 2015, he attended the World Economic Forum in his role as chairman of the Swiss private wealth management firm Luserve AG.
Personal stats
Citizenship
GermanySource of wealth
EngineeringResidence
Luzerne, SwitzerlandMarital status
MarriedBirth date
02/09/48 (age 76)Number of children
6Self-made
inherited and growingOtto Happel’s fortune is worth
53K
troy ounces of gold
49K
median U.S. household
32K
median U.S. income
0.063%
U.S. credit card volume
0.013%
GDP of the United States
0.009%
United States debt
Net worth history
Annual ranking
Did you know?
A foundation in his name supports projects in the developing world.
Net worth over time
Real-time ranking
Images © Forbes.com. All rights reserved.