Philanthropists and the rich people of society go hand-in-hand. Very rarely will you find a person of average income acting as a charitable figure. Maybe this has to do with a person's financial means as an ability to give. When you have millions or billions, what's a few hundred thousand tossed at a random charity? But some philanthropists, like the multi-billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, give out of pride as well.

When India only managed one bronze and one silver medal in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics, Mittal quickly set up a $9-million fund which supported and trained world-class Indian athletes. In 2008, Abhinav Bindra won India's first Olympic gold medal in shooting. Mittal is worth $46-billion.

Lakshmi Mittal was born June 15, 1951 in Sadulpur, Rajasthan, India. His family was in the steelmaking business and already wealthy by the time Mittal was born. He was the next in line to run the company, and often thought about choosing a different road for himself other than the preordained path set by his father.

After high school, Mittal attended St. Xavier's College in Calcutta and received a Bachelor of Commerce degree. When he was finished with school, he went into business with his family. Only a few later, Mittal founded his own company, Mittal Steel (LNM Group) in 1976.

Mittal Steel quickly grew and is now a global producer with operations in 14 separate countries. His claim to fame is pioneering the development of integrated miniature steel mills and using DRI (Direct Reduced Iron) as a scrap substitute for steelmaking. This process is much more efficient, and worked to cement Mittal's status as an industry leader. Currently, his company is the largest steelmaker in the world, clearing billions of dollars annually. His steel can be found in any skyscraper, bridge, plane, and every other object using steel.

In 2004, Fortune magazine awarded Mittal with the European Businessman of the Year Award for 2004. He was also honored with the Steelmaker of the Year Award in 1996, given by New Steel, and the Willy Korf Steel Vision Award in 98 for leadership, vision, and global success in the development of steel.

There are many steel companies throughout the world, but Mittal does things completely different than the competition. His prices are competitive, his steel is stronger, and he's able to reliably ship his product anywhere in the world. This way of doing business helps to keep his company growing and generating massive revenue.

Mittal was involved in a political scandal in 2002 when a donation he made to the Labour Party caused British Prime Minister Tony Blair to intervene in a business deal and side of Mittal's behalf. Later, it was announced that the donation was for 2-million GBP. Mittal is also an active member of the Foreign Investment Council in Kazakhstan, the International Investment Council of South Africa, the International Iron and Steel Institute's Executive Committee, and the World Economic Forum's International Business Council.