4. Dietrich Mateschitz | Co-founder, Red Bull
| Position last year: 5 |
| Age: 75 |
| Bio: Owner of the championship-winning Formula 1 team. |
From marketing man at a German cosmetics company to owner of the world’s biggest energy drink and a championship winning Formula 1 team. Red Bull revolutionised the way we view modern day sports marketing. By underwriting a number of extreme sports competitions and sponsoring athletes in alternative fields, the company established its reputation within a consumer demographic. It was exactly this, which brought Dietrich Mateschitz to Formula 1.
Following sponsorships of Gehard Berger and a majority stake holding in Sauber, Mateschitz bought the assets of Ford’s Jaguar-branded team (formerly Stewart) and set about turning it into a powerful force. It was unclear at some cases whether this was just another marketing gimmick for a company desperate to exploit a number of markets that Formula 1 was exploring, but once the championship points started rolling in, Mateschitz’s intention was clear.
He also owned Seitenblicke, Austria’s top society magazine, but avoids the celebrity circuit and watches most Formula 1 races on TV despite owning two teams, Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Toro Rosso.
