Eike Batista was born in Governador Valadares, Minas Gerais, in November 1956. He accompanied his family to Europe at an early age. In 1974, he began to study at the University of Aachen in Germany, majoring in metallurgical engineering. To support himself while in college, he sold insurance policies door-to-door.

He returned to Brazil in the early 1980s and began to work in the mining industry. Fluent in five languages - Portuguese, German, English, French and Spanish - he became an intermediary between the producers in the Amazon and buyers in the large metropolitan centers in Brazil and Europe. Since 2000, he has focussed his attention on the needs of Brazil, in the natural resources and infrastructure sectors.

Father of two children, Batista enjoys running, swimming and boating. He is a Brazilian, American and World Super Powerboat Offshore Champion. In 2006, he broke the open water, Santos to Rio de Janeiro record by covering the 220 nautical miles in 3 hours 1 minute and 47 seconds in his Spirit of Brazil craft.