Nerijus Numa (born Nerijus Numavičius; 12 May 1967) is a Lithuanian businessman. Nerijus Numa is an investor and ultimate

beneficial owner Beneficial may refer to: Organizations * Beneficial Corporation, a consumer finance company founded in 1914 that was ultimately bought by HSBC Corporation ** Beneficial Loan Society, the former name of Beneficial Corporation ** Beneficial Finance, ...

(UBO) of private holding company

Vilniaus prekyba Vilniaus prekyba is the largest Lithuanian group of private companies operating since 1992, with 47,000 employees in six countries. Vilniaus prekyba is the largest group of companies of the VP Group. VP Group also owns NDX Group, UAB, Galio Gr ...

. According to a study carried out by the investment bank Prudentia and stock exchange Nasdaq Riga (

Riga Stock Exchange The Nasdaq Riga, formerly Riga Stock Exchange, is the sole stock exchange operating in Riga, Latvia. It is owned by Nasdaq, which also operates exchanges in the USA, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Armenia, Lithuania, and Estonia. Established ...

), the value of Maxima Group was totaling 1.62 billion and increased by 26% in 2017 (YOY).

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

magazine included Nerijus Numavičius in The World's Billionaires 2015 list and his net worth was valued above

EUR The euro (symbol: €; currency code: EUR) is the official currency of 20 of the member states of the European Union. This group of states is officially known as the euro area or, more commonly, the eurozone. The euro is divided into 10 ...

1 billion. In 2016, Lithuania got its first university endowment fund and Nerijus Numavičius became a donor and a board member of Vilnius University Endowment in 2017.

Early life

Numavičius was born on 12 May 1967, in

Šilalė Šilalė (; Samogitian dialect, Samogitian: ''Šėlalė'', ) is a city in western Lithuania, Samogitia, Tauragė County. It is located north of Tauragė. The River Lokysta flows through the town and there is a pond in the centre of the town. H ...

, the eldest of six children: three brothers and three sisters. Later the family moved to Šilagalys (near

Panevėžys Panevėžys () is the fifth-largest List of cities in Lithuania, city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, eighth-most-populous city in the Baltic States. it occupies with 89,100 inhabitants. As defined by Eu ...

). He graduated from . In 2001, Numavičius earned a bachelor's degree in medical sciences from the Faculty of Medicine of

Vilnius University Vilnius University ( Lithuanian: ''Vilniaus universitetas'') is a public research university, which is the first and largest university in Lithuania, as well as one of the oldest and most prominent higher education institutions in Central and Ea ...

, where he studied

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...

Career

The first capital was gained by selling real estate in Lithuania. The received money was successfully invested in various company stocks. In 1992, together with friends and his two brothers, he established Urdzia, a small retail firm in Vilnius. In 1994,

was established by 9 partners, merging 7 various and different size retail stores. The extensive growth of the retail chain was funded by sale of various stocks that the group acquired during post-Soviet privatization campaigns. One of the transaction involved stock sale of four sugar refineries to

Danisco Danisco A/S is a Denmark, Danish bio-based company with activities in food production, enzymes and other bioproducts as well as a wide variety of pharmaceutical grade excipients. It was formed in 1989 from the largest Danish industrial merger e ...

(Danish sugar company). Other companies included Vilniaus paukštynas (poultry farm), Birštono mineraliniai vandenys (mineral water), Vilniaus mėsos kombinatas (meat packing), Vilniaus duona (bakery). Four sugar refineries stock sale to

was valued at USD 30 million and it created a good opportunities for retail business development. The first new type store of 3000 m² was opened and

Maxima Group Maxima Grupė UAB is a Lithuanian group of retail chain companies operating in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland and Bulgaria. It is the largest Lithuanian capital company and the largest employer in the Baltic states. , Maxima has 1599 stores ...

brand was born in 1998.

Awards

* Cross of Commander of the

Order for Merits to Lithuania The Order for Merits to Lithuania () is an award, presented by the President of Lithuania, which may be conferred on the citizens of Lithuania and foreign nationals for distinguished services promoting name of Lithuania, expanding a develop interna ...

(2003) * The

Order of the White Star The Order of the White Star (; ) was instituted in 1936. The Order of the White Star is bestowed on Estonian citizens and foreigners to give recognition for services rendered to the Estonian state. Design Classes The Order of the White Star ...

of Estonia (2004)Bearers of decorations
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Numavicius, Nerijus Businesspeople from Vilnius 1967 births Living people Commander's Crosses of the Order for Merits to Lithuania Vilnius University alumni People from Šilalė Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class