Key Stats Founded in 1945 by Elliot Handler, Ruth Handler, and Harold Matson in California Introduced Barbie doll in 1959, becoming the company’s best-selling toy ever Listed on New York Stock Exchange in 1963 Operates through three segments: North America, International, and American Girl Headquartered in El Segundo, California Mattel, Inc. is a global leader in toy design, manufacturing, and marketing with a diverse portfolio of iconic brands. The company’s product range includes Barbie fashion dolls, Hot Wheels vehicles, Fisher-Price infant and preschool toys, American Girl dolls, and numerous licensed entertainment properties. Founded in 1945 as a small picture frame…
Author: Darius
Darius
I've spent over a decade researching and documenting the stories behind the world's most influential companies. What started as a personal fascination with how businesses evolve from small startups to global giants turned into CompaniesHistory.com—a platform dedicated to making corporate history accessible to everyone.
Marubeni Corp. history, profile and history video Marubeni Corp. engages in handling of products and provision of services in a broad range of sectors. These areas encompass importing and exporting, as well as transactions in the Japanese market, related to food materials, food products, textiles, materials, pulp and paper, chemicals, energy, metals and mineral resources, transportation machinery, and includes offshore trading. The company’s activities also extend to power projects and infrastructure, plants and industrial machinery, finance, logistics and information industry, and real estate development and construction. Additionally, it conducts business investment, development and management on a global level. It was founded…
Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. history, profile and corporate video Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. manufactures steel and operates thermal power plants. The company operates its business under two segments: Iron & Steel and Power. The Iron & Steel segment produces coal – based sponge iron. It’s portfolio that caters to varied needs in the steel market includes rails: flash-butt welded rail panels, parallel flange beams & columns, plates & coils, angles & channels, TMT re-bars, wire rods, fabricated sections: h-type beams, i-type beams, box sections & star columns and its semi-finished products including billets, blooms, beam blanks, rounds and slabs. The…
Jeronimo Martins SGPS SA profile and history video Jeronimo Martins SGPS SA engages in the production, distribution and selling of food and other fast moving consumer goods products. The company is a food specialist that operates in three different areas: Distribution, Manufacturing and Services. It operates in Distribution, through Pingo Doce, Recheio, Biedronka and ara, and in Manufacturing, through its holdings in Unilever Jeronimo Martins and in Gallo Worldwide. The company business portfolio also includes an area that covers marketing, representation and restaurant services. It operates through five business segments: Portugal Retail, Portugal Cash & Carry, Poland Retail, Portugal Manufacturing, and Others,…
Key Marsh McLennan Stats $24.5B 2024 Annual Revenue $87B+ Market Cap (Nov 2025) 90,000+ Employees Worldwide 130+ Countries Served 1905 Year Founded Marsh McLennan stands as the world’s largest insurance broker and a global leader in risk management, strategy consulting, and human capital solutions. The company operates through four market-leading businesses: Marsh, Guy Carpenter, Mercer, and Oliver Wyman. Headquartered in New York City, Marsh McLennan serves 95% of Fortune 1000 companies. The firm advises clients across 130 countries, providing risk advisory services, insurance and reinsurance broking, retirement consulting, and management consulting. In 2024, the company achieved its 17th consecutive year…
9,300+ Properties Worldwide 1.7M+ Rooms Globally 30+ Hotel Brands 155,000 Employees $25.1B Revenue (2024) Marriott International, Inc. stands as the largest hotel company in the world by available rooms. The company operates, franchises, and licenses lodging properties across 144 countries and territories. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Marriott manages a diverse portfolio that includes luxury resorts, business hotels, extended-stay properties, and timeshare offerings. The company traces its origins to a humble root beer stand opened in 1927. Today, Marriott’s brand portfolio includes iconic names such as The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, W Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, and Courtyard by Marriott. The hospitality giant…
Marks & Spencer Group Plc profile and history video Marks & Spencer Group Plc engages in retail clothes, food and home products. The company provides women’s wear and lingerie, menswear, kids wear and home wear in the United Kingdom. It operates through two segments: UK and International. The UK segment consists of the UK retail business and UK franchise operations. The International segment consists of Marks & Spencer owned businesses in the Republic of Ireland, Europe and Asia, together with international franchise operations. The company offers clothing products, such as women’s, men’s, school, and kids wear; shoes, slippers, accessories, bags, purses, jewelry,…
Marathon Oil Corp. history, profile and history video Marathon Oil Corp. is an international energy company engaged in exploration and production of oil sands mining and integrated gas with operations in the U.S., Angola, Canada, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Libya, Norway, Poland and the United Kingdom. It operates through three segments: Exploration & Production, Oil Sands Mining and Integrated Gas. The Exploration & Production segment explores for, produces and markets liquid hydrocarbons and natural gas on a worldwide basis. The Oil Sands Mining segment mines, extracts and transports bitumen from oil sands deposits in Alberta, Canada,…
Mapfre SA history, profile and corporate video Mapfre SA is a holding company that engages in the insurance, reinsurance, financial, real estate and service activities. The company operates its business through five segments: Life Direct Insurance, Motor Direct Insurance, Others Non Life Direct Insurance, Life & Non Life Accepted Reinsurance and Other Activities. Its products category includes Individuals, Professionals and Companies. The Individuals product category offers insurance for motor, home, health, life, retirement, accidents, death, assistance, agricultural, and livestock activities. The Professionals product category offers insurance and financial solutions for accidents, health, life, retirement, motor, third party liability, agriculture and farming, and…
James Hardie Industries plc history, profile and corporate video James Hardie Industries plc, formerly James Hardie Industries SE, is a manufacturer of fiber cement products and systems for internal and external building construction applications in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines. Its fiber cement products are used in a number of markets, including new residential construction (single and multi-family housing), manufactured housing (mobile and pre-fabricated homes), repair and remodeling and a variety of commercial and industrial applications (stores, warehouses, offices, hotels, motels, schools, libraries, museums, dormitories, hospitals, detention facilities, religious buildings and gymnasiums). It manufactures numerous types of fiber…