Alberto Cortina is a Spanish billionaire and the ex-husband of billionaire heiress Alicia Koplowitz who has an estimated net worth of $1 billion as of March 2013 according to Forbes. He was the 17th richest person in Spain and was ranked 1342nd in the list of World Billionaires.

Born on January 20, 1947 in Madrid, Spain, Cortina’s life runs parallel to his cousin Alberto Alcocer who married his wife Alicia’s sister, Esther. He also studied Law in the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. The two are commonly referred to as “The Albertos” or Los Albertos in Spain. They both started working for the company founded by the Koplowitz sisters, Construcciones y Contratas which is now called FCC. In 1976, he became the Chief Executive Officer which began his accumulation of the current estimated net worth of $1 billion. The Cortina and Alcocer talent helped the firm grow to more than 660 times in market value over a period of 18 years.

In 1978, Cortina and Alcocer acquired 5% of Banco de Formento which belongs to Banco Central. This is the start of their new venture in banking. They acquired Banco de Zaragozano in 1982. They later created the Cartera Central along with KIO Group which has a significant stake in Banco Central and has a seat in the Board of Directors. In 2004, they sold their combined 40% stake to Barclays.

The Albertos now hold their wealth in the investment arm Alcor Holding. It has stakes in Grupo Empresarial ENCE, a eucalyptus producer, and Actividades de Construccion y Servicios, a construction firm.