Alicia Koplowitz, Marquise of Bellavista

Doña Alicia Koplowitz Romero de Juseu, Marchioness of Bellavista, ( _es. Doña Alicia Koplowitz Romero de Juseu, marquesa de Bellavista) is a Spanish magnate and former chairwoman of the construction group Dragados (now part of Grupo ACS), ranking Spain's richest woman in "Forbes World's Richest People" list (512 in the world).

Alicia was born in Madrid (Spain) in 1952, second daughter (after Esther, born in 1950) of Ernest Koplowitz Sternberg, a Jewish businessman from Upper Silesia (Poland) who settled down in Spain to escape the increasing German Nazi persecution in the early-1930s, and Esther Romero de Juseu y Armenteros, a Cuban aristocrat. [Alicia and Esther inherited their titles from her mother. Alicia is Marquesa de Bellavista while Esther was Marquesa de Casa Peñalver, a title succedeed by one of her daughters.]

Her father died in 1962 and after finishing her studies at the "Lycée Français" of Madrid she and her sister Esther, helped by Ramón Areces, took the reins of "Construcciones y Contratas" ("Conycon"), the company their father had founded. Alicia's sister Esther married Alberto Alcocer in 1969 and Alicia herself marrierd Alberto Alcocer's cousin Alberto Cortina six months later. "The Albertos" made the firm grow spectacularly from 1973 onwards.

Both marriages broke up by the beginning of the 1990s after Alberto Cortina (Alicia's husband) and Marta Chávarri (wife ot Fernando Falcó) were photographed together in Vienna in 1989La Voz de Asturias, 19 June 2003: [http://www.lavozdeasturias.es/noticias/noticia.asp?pkid=66934 Koplowitz se casa con Fernando Falcó] .] .Alicia subsequently sold her 28,26% stake of the firm (now Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas) to her sister Esther for 871 million euro. [ [http://www.solidaridad.net/articulo1255_enesp.htm Alicia Koplowitz Es La Mujer Más Rica De España : Solidaridad.Net ] ]

Since then Alicia has actively diversified her investments, mainly through blue chip companies in the stock exchange, oil and real estate, advised by Oscar Fanjul (a former president of Repsol). She has an estimated fortune of 3,000 million euro. [ [http://www.solidaridad.net/articulo1255_enesp.htm Alicia Koplowitz Es La Mujer Más Rica De España : Solidaridad.Net ] ]

She has created two foundations: "Fundación Vida y Esperanza" (in 1994), that helps patients with multiple sclerosis, and "Fundación Alicia Koplovitz", (created in 2003) that includes the other one and gives scholarships for phycisians specialising in children's psychiatry. In May 2003 she was awarded the "Gran Cruz de la Orden del Mérito Civil". She's also an art collector, her favourite pieces are by Goya, Picasso, Modigliani and Barceló.

Alicia has three sons with Alberto Cortina (Alberto, Pedro and Pelayo). The elder one is the present Marquis of Real Socorro, a title Alicia relinquished to him [ [http://www.boe.es/g/es/bases_datos/doc.php?coleccion=indilex&id=2000/15383&txtlen=78 ORDEN de 11 de julio de 2000 por la que manda expedir Real Carta de Sucesión en el título de Marqués del Real Socorro] ] . She currently lives in a mansion in "La Moraleja" (Madrid).

References

External links

* [http://periodistadigital.com/gente/object.php?o=77564 Periodista Digital]
* [http://www.clarin.com/diario/2001/08/10/s-04902.htm Clarin]
* [http://www.elmundo.es/magazine/num140/textos/koplo1.html El Mundo]
* [http://www.fundacionaliciakoplowitz.org Fundación Alicia Koplowitz]