Eduardo Elsztain

Eduardo Elsztain
Eduardo Elsztain (right) with Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress
Born	(1960-01-26) January 26, 1960 (age 57) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Education	University of Buenos Aires
Occupation	businessman, real-estate developer, investor
Spouse(s)	Mariana Carmona

Eduardo Sergio Elsztain (born January 26, 1960) is a prominent Argentine businessman who is his country's largest real-estate developer. According to the Jerusalem Post, Elstzain “stands atop Argentina’s largest business empire, the country’s leader in real estate and agriculture, which he built with his own two hands.” According to one Israeli news source, he is considered the wealthiest Jew in South America.

He is the chairman of Inversiones y Representaciones S.A. (IRSA), Argentina´s largest real estate company, which is listed on the ; of Cresud Cresud Inc.), a leading agri-business company that operates in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay and is listed on the NASDAQ; of BrasilAgro (Companhia Brasileira de Propriedades Agrícolas), which is also on the NYSE; and of the public–private partnership Banco Hipotecario, Argentina's leading mortgage bank in which Elsztain is the largest private shareholder.

Through IRSA, Elsztain runs most of the shopping malls in Argentina, including the country's largest mall, the Alto Palermo in Buenos Aires. In addition, he and the Argentine government jointly own Banco Hipotecario.

Eduardo Sergio Elsztain was born in Buenos Aires in 1960. His grandfather, Isaac Elsztain, had left Russia in 1917, after the Russian Revolution, and settled in Argentina, where he purchased various properties. He founded Inversiones y Representaciones S.A. ("Investments and Brokerage, Inc," or, IRSA) in 1943 as an independent realty firm. The younger Elsztain graduated from the Buenos Aires National College, a prestigious public secondary school, and enrolled in the University of Buenos Aires School of Economics, though in 1981, upon the death of his uncle, who had been managing the family realty, he dropped out of university to manage the firm, which was struggling at the time.