Michel Leclercq

Michel Leclercq set up a small sporting goods store called Decathlon in 1976. It's now one of the world's largest athletic retailers with more than $13 billion in sales from more than 1,400 stores in 47 countries.Leclercq is cousin of Gerard Mulliez, the patriarch of the famed French retail dynasty behind Auchan department stores.Leclerq and his immediate family own 40% of the company while the extended Mulliez family have another 40%.