According to the Forbes ranking, published last May, some influential women have made a name for themselves in the business world. The magazine has unveiled the richest female public figures of 2023, and it's well worth a look!
Discover our latest podcast
The three richest women on the planet
Among the world's 337 female billionaires, L'Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers topsthe list, with a fortune of $80.5 billion. For the third year running, the 70-year-old businesswoman is the richest woman in the world.
In second place is Julia Koch with $59 billion, and with goodreason: David Koch's widow owns 42% of the Koch Industries conglomerate with her three adult children, according to Forbes. The 61-year-old oversees the David H. Koch Foundation and was appointed Trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in January 2023.
Alice Walton follows close behind withan estimated fortune of $56.7 billion. The 73-year-old inherited a stake in Walmart from her father, co-founder Sam Walton, and also opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Female shareholders earn billions of dollars
In fourth place is Jacqueline Mars who, with her brother John Mars, owns around a third of the multinational Mars Inc. producer of sweets such as M&M's, Hubba Bubba and Snickers. The 83-year-old American investor is worth no less than $38.3 billion.
Next in line is Miriam Adelson, the majority shareholder of Las Vegas Sands, the world's largest casino operator, with $35 billion. The 77-year-old doctor has also donated nearly a billion dollars to fund medical research and drug discovery, according to Forbes estimates.
In 2023, Rafaela Aponte-Diamant stole McKenzie Scott's sixth place among the world's richest women. The 78-year-old Italian owns MSC, one of the world's largest shipping companies, which she co-founded with her husband Gianluigi. This has earned her $31.2 billion.
The seventh richest woman on the planet is none other than Susanne Klatten with $27.4 billion. The businesswoman owns 19% of German carmaker BMW, as well as Altana, a chemicals company founded by her grandfather. Her mother was the third wife of the great industrialist Herbert Quandt.
Between heritages and diverse societies
With $27 billion in her pocket, Gina Rinehart has climbed to eighth place. The 69-year-old Australian presides over the mining and agricultural company Hancock Prospecting Group and inherited the business from her father Lang Hancock.
MacKenzie Scott dropped three places in one year, with an estimated fortune of $24.4 billion. Following her divorce from Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in 2019, the 52-year-old inherited 4% of the company's capital.
The tenth richest woman in the world is Iris Fontbona and her family. Also Latin America's richest woman, with $23.1 billion to her name, the octogenarian is the widow of Chilean tycoon Andrónico Luksic. Accompanied by her two sons, she presides over Antofagasta plc, a Chilean mining company specializing in copper production. Last year, Abigail Johnson, head of mutual fund giant Fidelity, emerged from the top 10 with $21.6 billion in her pocket.
Stars who became billionaires on their own
According to the Forbes report, three-quarters of female billionaires inherited their fortune. Like Rohiqa Cyrus Mistry, widow of Cyrus Mistry, former chairman of Indian conglomerate Tata Sons, who owns $7 billion. Or Annette Lerner, widow of real estate developer and owner of the Washington Nationals baseball team, Ted Lerner ($6.5 billion).
Only 28% of women are considered 'self-made'. Among them is singer, businesswoman and mother Rihanna, with an estimated fortune of $1.4 billion, and influencer and trendsetter Kim Kardashian, with $1.2 billion.
This article has been translated from Oh!Mymag FR
Read more:
⋙ US elections: This is the net worth of everyone running for President in 2024
⋙ North West has a whopping net worth and could inherit billions from Kim Karsashian and Kanye West
⋙ Jeremy Clarkson has a massive net worth but only made £114 on one of his unexpected projects
Sources:
Forbes: The World’s Richest Women Billionaires 2023
Yahoo Finance: 25 Richest Women in the World
