Jan Kulczyk, Poland’s richest man and the founder and president of investment empire Kulczyk Holding, who made his fortune during Poland’s economic transformations, has died from complications following surgery, the company said Wednesday.
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“Tonight, as a result of post-operative complications, Jan Kulczyk died at the age of 65 years”, Kulczyk Holding SA said in a statement, adding that he was “Poland’s largest entrepreneur”.
For years, Kulczyk, a lawyer and manager by education, led lists of the richest Poles and was reputed for his courage and imagination in business decisions. A source said that Kulczyk’s death was unexpected and the result of a “routine” medical treatment conducted outside Poland.
Kulczyk, whose assets are worth 16 billion zloty ($4.3 billion) according to Wprost magazine, also owns a 0.9 percent stake in brewer SABMiller Plc.
Kulczyk held a significant stake in Poland’s biggest telecom operator TPSA, now known as Orange Polska, after he bought shares in the company’s privatisation in 2000. His oil and gas company, Serinus Energy Inc., traded 2.2 percent lower at 2.22 zloty at 9:56 a.m.in Warsaw.
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Lech Walesa, Poland’s former president, said Kulczyk had played a important role in the country’s development.
