Marc Rich was a prominent and controversial Belgian-American commodities trader, financier, and entrepreneur, born on December 18, 1934, in Antwerp, Belgium, to Jewish parents. His family fled Nazi persecution and emigrated to the United States in 1941, settling in New York City, where he was raised and educated. He attended the City College of New York and later New York University but left without earning a degree to pursue a career in commodities trading. Starting as a trainee at the Philip Brothers brokerage firm in 1954, Rich quickly rose through the ranks, specializing in metals and oil trading. In 1974, he co-founded Marc Rich + Co. AG in Zug, Switzerland, which became a global powerhouse in commodities trading, pioneering the spot market for oil and dealing in sanctioned markets.

Rich's career was marked by aggressive and controversial business practices, including oil shipments to embargoed nations such as apartheid-era South Africa, revolutionary Iran during the 1979 hostage crisis, and other restricted regimes, which generated immense wealth but drew international scrutiny. In 1983, he was indicted in the United States on 65 counts of tax evasion, wire fraud, racketeering, and trading with the enemy, facing potential over 300 years in prison. Rather than face trial, Rich renounced his U.S. citizenship—though he later acquired Belgian, Spanish, and Israeli citizenship—and fled to Switzerland, where he lived as a fugitive in exile for the remainder of his life. His company continued to thrive, eventually rebranding as Glencore International in 1994 after his departure.

On January 20, 2001, President Bill Clinton controversially granted Rich a presidential pardon on his last day in office, amid allegations of influence peddling linked to donations from Rich's ex-wife, Denise Rich, to the Democratic Party and the Clinton Library. The pardon sparked widespread outrage and investigations, including by a House committee. Rich maintained a low profile in Switzerland, engaging in philanthropy focused on Jewish causes, arts, and medical research, and was known for close ties to Israeli intelligence, reportedly aiding Mossad operations. He died on June 26, 2013, in Lucerne, Switzerland, at age 78, leaving a fortune estimated in the billions and a legacy as one of the most enigmatic figures in global finance.