Michał Sołowow

Michał Sołowow (born 11 July 1962) is a Polish billionaire businessman and rally driver. His industrial group has 18 production plants in eight countries and sells products in more than 60 countries on six continents and has over 16,000 employees.

Sołowow was one of the biggest Polish stock exchange investors (by 2018 he delisted all his companies) from Warsaw Stock Exchange but remains one of country's top private entrepreneurs and the largest Polish private investor abroad. He is the sole shareholder of the following companies: Synthos (chemical industry), Cersanit (sanitary ceramics and tiles) and Barlinek (producer of floorboards). The three companies remain at the core of Sołowow's capital group and are his main assets.

As of May 2025, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$13.5 billion making him 184th wealthiest person in the world.

Business empire

Sołowow studied at Kielce University of Technology. In 1980s he earned money working in the West, so he was able to create Mitex construction enterprise in late 1980s in Kielce, when freedom of business was announced in still communist Polish People's Republic. After political and economical transformation in early 1990s, Mitex became one of bigger companies on regional construction market. Sołowow then became an active Warsaw Stock Exchange investor.

Sołowow bought shares in the chemical company Dwory (now Synthos) and funded its expansion with debt, taking advantage of low interest rates at the time. He then diversified into ceramic tiles, wood floors, real estate, new technologies and biotechnology sector. He gave up any direct management roles but is still an active investor (mostly on the private equity market).