Fernando Fernández Tapias, whose name has been synonymous with business success, has been an unavoidable personality on the Spanish economic scene. His death, which occurred last Wednesday, October 25, at the age of 84, was unexpected despite the health complications that he had suffered in the past.
Now, the family faces the complex task of distributing its vast assets among its descendants, a situation that is further complicated by the large brood it left behind, the result of three marriages and eight children - one of them deceased -. Furthermore, some of the heirs do not get along well with each other, as could be seen in an unpleasant encounter between them at the funeral home.
Fernández Tapias' fortune, estimated at around €3 billion, began in his youth, when he met Victoria Riva de Luna, affectionately known as Chiqui. Both Galicians, they married when Fernández Tapias was 22 years old. This marriage marked not only the beginning of his family life, but also the launch of his career as a businessman.
Chiqui was the daughter of Ángel Riva Suardíaz, a prominent admiral who owned the Astilleros Cantábrico shipyard. Under the tutelage of his father-in-law, the young Fernández Tapias entered the naval sector, taking his first steps on a journey that would lead him to amass an impressive fortune.
Over time, Fernández Tapias became a renowned businessman, especially in the shipping and canning sectors. His business skills allowed him to accumulate a considerable fortune, as demonstrated by his properties such as his exclusive mansion in Madrid, valued at three million euros.
However, we must not forget that the beginning of his business career was strongly influenced by his first marriage to Chiqui. The support and connections of his first wife and her family were essential for Fernández Tapias to establish himself in the business world.
