Leslie H. “Les” Wexner is a businessman and philanthropist, born on 8th September 1937 in Dayton, Ohio, USA. He is best known as the chairman and CEO of the “L Brands” (Limited Brands) corporation, but is considered to be one of the greatest American entrepreneurs, who modernized and revived women’s clothes starting in the early ‘60s. His company was ranked the World’s Most Admired Company in 2003, by “Fortune” magazine.
Have you ever wondered how rich Leslie Wexner is? According to sources it has been estimated that Leslie Wexner’s overall net worth is over $6,1 billion, accumulated through a lucrative business career, which he started in the early 1960s and has developed until today. After more than 50 years in his business career, Wexner is still an active entrepreneur, and his net worth continues to increase.
Leslie Wexner Net Worth $6.1 Billion
Leslie was born into a family of Russian-Jewish immigrants. He went to Ohio State University, and graduated with a degree majoring in business administration, and during which he became a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity. Additionally, Wexner was a student of the Moritz College of Law for a short time. He then started working in his parents’ clothing store, and analyzed the loss and profit of the shop while they were on a vacation. In 1963, Leslie decided to start his own business, borrowed $5000 from his aunt and founded “The Limited”, which was named due to the limited amount of merchandise it offered at the start. The first store was opened in Kingsdale Shopping Center, and quickly impressed the market, such that even Leslie’s parent’s closed their store a year later, to join their son’s business. His net worth was already established.
In 1969, Wexner took Limited Brands public and listed as LTD on the New York Stock Exchange. As years went by, the company grew into a marketing and retailing conglomerate, which now includes Victoria’s Secret, Henri Bendel, La Senza, The White Barn Candle Company among others, while some of the previous spin-offs include Abercrombie & Fitch, The Limited Too, Aura Science, Lerner New York and many others. Today, he is known as the longest serving CEO of a Fortune 500 company.
Apart from the enormous self-made wealth – the wealthiest man in Ohio – Wexner is also known as a philanthropist and has contributed to society and charity on several occasions. Leslie often donates to Jewish and Catholic projects, and among many other projects, he funded the Wexner Center for the Arts at Ohio State University and founded the Wexner Foundation in 1984, which supports the field of Jewish leadership.
When it comes to his private life, Leslie married lawyer Abigail S. Koppel in January 1993, with whom he has four children; the couple resides north east of Columbus, Ohio in a Georgian-inspired estate valued at $47 million.
In February 2012, The Ohio State University Medical Center was named in Wexner’s honor, due to his service, leadership and contribution to the medical center and university, now known as Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Among other recognitions, Leslie was positioned at no.11 on Harvard Business Review’s Top 100 Best Performing CEO’s list of 2015.
