Over the past few years, the world has seen a lot more mega-rich females on their entrepreneurial journeys, and according to Forbes, we now have 241 new female faces added to the World Billionaire List.
We take a look at the top 8 wealthiest women in the world, as shared by CEO Magazine.
08: Susanne Klatten
Networth: $23.6 billion
Susanne’s late mother was the third wife of industrialist Herbert Quandt, who guided BMW to preeminence in the luxury market. Now, Susanne owns around 19% of BMW. Susanne, who also has an MBA, helped transform Altana AG into – another of her grandfather's companies – into a world-class pharmaceutical and specialty chemical corporation.
07: Miriam Adelson
Networth: $28.3 billion
As the widow of Sheldon Adelson, the former CEO and chairman of casino company Las Vegas Sands, Miriam has been named as the seventh richest woman on the planet. Although Miriam was born in Israel and studied to become a medical doctor focused on addiction, she owns more than half of the New York Stock Exchange-listed gambling empire.
06: Gina Rinehart
Networth: $29.1 billion
Named as Australia's richest citizen and the sixth richest woman in the world, Gina Rinehart built her wealth on iron ore. After her father died, Gina rebuilt his financially distressed company, Hancock Prospecting, and is now Australia's second-largest cattle producer. Gina’s biggest asset is the Roy Hill mining project, and she became executive chairwoman of Hancock Prospecting in 1992.
05: Jacqueline Mars
Networth: $33.8 billion
Jacqueline Mars owns an estimated one-third of the world’s aMars, the world's largest candy maker, which was founded by her grandfather. Jacqueline worked for the company for over 20 years, and served on boards until 2016. Currently, she serves on the board of the National Archives and has previously been on the board of the Washington National Opera.
04: Mackenzie Scott
Networth: $42.7 billion
After announcing her divorce from Jeff Bezos in 2019, MacKenzie received a 25% stake of Amazon – and immediately started planning how to help others, by giving her fortune away.
MacKenzie employs a ‘no strings attached’ giving style, which grants non-profits complete control over how the donated money is spent. She once said: “I have a disproportionate amount of money to share. I will keep at it until the safe is empty.”
03: Julia Koch
Networth: $57.8 billion
Julia Koch inherited a 42% stake in Koch Industries along with her three children after her husband, David Koch died. Throughout her own personal career, Julia worked as an assistant to fashion designer Adolfo, where she assisted many high-profile clients, including First Lady Nancy Reagan. Both Julia and David donated $10 million to Mount Sinai Medical Center and $10 million to Stanford Children's Hospital to study food allergies.
02: Alice Walton
Networth: $57.8 billion
As the only daughter of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart, Alice Walton has become the second richest woman in the world, focusing her efforts on curating art, rather than working for Walmart like her siblings. In January 2020, Alice revealed plans to open a holistic health institute in Bentonville, in an attempt to heap America's "broken" healthcare system
01: Francoise Bettencourt Meyers
Networth: $74.3 billion
As the granddaughter of the founder of L'Oreal, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers has been named as the richest woman in the world. Francoise and her family own around 33% of L'Oreal stock. Francoise and her family donated US$226 million to repair Notre Dame Cathedral following the April 2019 fire, and Francoise is president of the family’s philanthropic foundation, which encourages French progress in the sciences and arts.
