Nicolas Ortiz has a remarkable past - his great-grandfather was hugely successful in the tin-mining industry in Bolivia in the 19th century, his grandfather became Bolivia's ambassador to France, and his father established one of the world's foremost collections of ancient art. Ortiz himself attended elite schools in England (Eton) and the U.S. (Penn), and served in the Belgian military. With his brothers, he came to Lithuania in 1991, shortly after independence. Together, they started the first Western-style, self-serve supermarket chain, and created the now popular 'In Your Pocket' guidebook series. Today, Ortiz retains some of his business interests and sits on various boards of directors, but devotes more of his time to charitable and philanthropic activities. Though he scrupulously avoids media attention, he is unfailingly generous, perceptive and wise in conversation. He is a great asset to Lithuania and the region, and I can only hope that I'll have the chance to cross paths with him again soon.
You can listen to my interview with him here, or via the RSS feed on the right-hand side of this page.
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