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Successful, beautiful, influential and richest women in the world
The richest women in the world.
Global statistics show that even in the 21st century, the gender pay gap is quite significant. Female workers are also less likely to be promoted and in senior management positions. How can women thrive in such a world? Let's take a look at the stories of the eight richest women in the world according to Forbes. And we will find out how they got their fortune and how they disposed of it.
The Frenchwoman owns the third controlling stake in L'Oreal. The secret to her success is simple: Françoise was born into wealth.
The famous cosmetics company was founded by Françoise Bettencourt's grandfather. He developed the chemical formula for hair dye and became popular with Parisian hairdressers. Together with chemists and beauticians, he ramped up production and developed the L'Oreal brand. In addition to hair dyeing products, the lineup includes body care products, decorative cosmetics and perfumes.
However, the brand has a few skeletons in its closet. Nowadays, few people remember the connections between L'Oreal and La Cagoule group. Grandfather Bettencourt supported the fascist-minded radical group, both financially and politically. Many La Cagoule members became L'Oreal employees after World War II. Moreover, they have taken high positions. Françoise's father, André Bettencourt, was also among them.
However, the company's past has not been reflected in its success. L'Oreal opened many international offices and continued to make billions. Its products entered the global mass markets, and the founding family became one of the richest in the world.
Françoise officially inherited the fortune in 2017, after the death of her mother. She also became the head of a family-run charity fund, which has more than $ 700 million in assets and is now worth $ 50 billion.
Alice Walton, with her $ 46 billion, is the second richest woman on earth. And she is also an heiress - the family owns Walmart, the largest retail chain in the United States.
Alice is the youngest child and only daughter of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart. While her brothers were interested in their father's business, Alice became interested in art. She has amassed a personal collection of works worth several million dollars and is committed to promoting art to the masses. In 2011, she opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. She even opened an investment bank in the 1980s. However, it soon had to be closed.
Alice loves nature and has several horse ranches with large areas. She doesn't like to appear in the press. There have already been several scandals in the media with her name. The first was a car accident in the 1980s that killed a pedestrian. Despite the fact that Alice was driving drunk, the judges assigned her only financial sanctions, insignificant for a woman of such wealth.
Also, the Walton family is often criticized for the poor conditions for Walmart employees. America's largest business pays workers so little that many are forced to seek additional government assistance and cannot afford to pay their rent. In recent years, there have been numerous protests and strikes. As a result, Walmart raised the minimum wage slightly. However, the largest employer in the country was not about to lose billions of dollars by providing decent wages to all of its employees. Instead, they tried to cut costs by examining online retailing models.
In general, many people accuse the Waltons of obtaining their wealth through direct exploitation of their subordinates.
Jacqueline comes from a renowned family of pastry chefs. Her grandfather, Franklin Clarence Mars, was the founder of Mars, Inc. The company is currently ranked among the top 5 private enterprises in the United States.
However, Jacqueline didn't just inherit and enjoy her wealth. She is a successful business woman and investor. She specializes in business and finance and holds a degree in anthropology. Jacqueline joined the family business in 1982 as President of the Food Group. Where she developed new products and did strategic marketing. She officially retired in 2001 but remains a co-owner and continues to serve as a strategic advisor.
Jacqueline Mars is also a renowned benefactor. Her donations through the Mars Foundation go mainly to education, culture and the arts, as well as environmental protection. She is very fond of animals and the countryside and owns a working farm specializing in organic farming and horse training.
In 2013, she was responsible for a terrible car accident. Falling asleep at the wheel, Mrs. Mars crashed into a family van with six passengers. As a result, the 86-year-old woman died and the pregnant woman had a miscarriage. Unlike Alice Walton, Jacqueline Mars did not deny her guilt. She pleaded guilty to reckless driving. However, the families of the victims did not insist on her imprisonment. As a result, the heiress paid a fine and lost her driver's license for six months. She appears to have provided good financial assistance to grieving family members.
Jacqueline has been married twice and has three children from her first marriage. She is the grandmother of six grandchildren. She is going to celebrate her eightieth anniversary this fall. Its current capital is $ 24 billion.
The only representative of China in today's eight is Yang Huiyan. She is 37 years old and in her country she has been topping the ranking of the richest Chinese women for seven years in a row.
She is the majority shareholder (57%) of Country Garden Holdings, a construction company that builds homes and operates hotels throughout the country.
Yang's father founded the company in 1992. As a teenager, her daughter began attending business meetings and studying business. And already in 2005 she became the owner of most of her father's shares. By the age of 25, she became the youngest Chinese billionaire.
In addition to the construction business, Yang is the chairman of Bright Scholar Education Holdings language schools. Education is very important to her family. Yang's father was forced into farming instead of going to school as a teenager. He received his education later thanks to a scholarship. This gave the future billionaire a chance to build his own business.
Yang Huiyan is not a public person. All that is known about her personal life is that she has been married for 13 years.
Its current capital is $ 20.8 billion.
Susan Klatten, like her predecessors, inherited her fortune. After the death of his father, Klatten got 12.50% of BMW shares, as well as 50.1% of the pharmaceutical company Altana. As a good MBA professional, Susan helped drive major organizational changes at Altana. Today she is the sole owner of the company.
The history of the Quandt family is not flawless. This family is associated with the Nazi regime, which is not surprising for large German enterprises during the reign of Adolf Hitler. In 2011, family members confessed that they had taken over Jewish businesses and used slave labor in Quandt factories. Slaves were brought from concentration camps and produced ammunition and military equipment for the Nazis. In 1946, when Gunther Quandt (Susan's grandfather) was arrested and put on trial, these facts were unknown. The judges released him and he continued to build his business.
Susan Klatten herself is also involved in contemporary German politics. She openly supports the Christian Democratic Union, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Her generous donations to the party were criticized by the public.
In 2013, BMW was accused of lobbying for their interests. The timing of the donation coincided with Merkel's refusal to support the EU's environmental initiative. This was supposed to lead to limiting carbon dioxide emissions for passenger cars in 2020. Obviously, this reform could have a profound impact on BMW's business. The event casts a shadow on both the political integrity of the party and the corporate values of BMW.
Steve Jobs' widow currently boasts $ 18.8 billion, inheriting her late husband's shares in Apple and Disney. Lauren is a renowned philanthropist, leader and founder of the Emerson Collective.
Her wealth story stems from the success of Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder. Powell Jobs met him at an MBA lecture at Stanford. After two years of dating, they got married and raised three children.
Lauren's career hasn't been as impressive as Apple's. Nevertheless, she reveals her values in life.
Her first company, Terravera, specialized in the development of organic raw materials. However, Powell Jobs dropped out of business, devoting some time to raising children.
Her next initiative was called College Track. This not-for-profit organization provides training and support to low-income youth preparing for college.
She also advocates for immigration reform and promotes modern education through technology. In 2016, Lauren launched a multi-million dollar high school project called XQ: The Super School Project. To date, 18 schools have been selected for the development and implementation of new educational strategies.
Not only one of the wealthiest but also one of the most powerful women in the financial world today, Abigail Johnson is setting new trends in investment management.
Johnson has an MBA. She started her career from scratch in the family business. She recently became CEO and Chairman of Fidelity Investments, founded over 70 years ago by her grandfather. The company makes billions in the stock market.
Johnson is well known in financial circles as a hardworking, good-natured and intelligent woman. After Johnson took over the management of Fidelity, she decided to radically change a number of things.
She focused on income from financial consulting, brokerage and venture capital. Johnson also began working with index funds, a zero-commission investment vehicle similar to major indices such as the NASDAQ. This innovation was specifically aimed at the generation of millennials who don't like spending money.
This year, her company launched a cryptocurrency platform that makes digital assets available to all investors. This sets them apart from the vast majority of American financial firms.
Johnson's other ambition is to increase the number of women in the financial business. Abigail believes that women investors will have more trust and understanding of women consultants. Given the number of wealthy women in the United States, this policy is very timely.
Fidelity Investments even developed the Endless Talent Search program. They partner with youth organizations to encourage women to choose finance as a career path.
The Chilean billionaire and her family are among the five richest families in Latin America. The entrepreneur inherited her fortune after the death of her husband in 2005.
Iris is the widow of Adrono Luksic, who controlled two large businesses. The first is Antofagasta Plc, which is engaged in copper and gold mining. The second is Quiñenco, a Chilean banking and energy conglomerate.
Iris used part of her fortune to buy the main share of the television channel. She also owns a chain of luxury hotels in Croatia. Fontbona sometimes makes significant charitable contributions.
The richest Chilean woman successfully develops the business of her late husband. Under her leadership, companies began to operate on a completely new scale. She turned them into the largest copper mines, the largest shipping company and the second largest bank in Chile. Of course, Iris Fontbona is not only an heiress, but also a skilled manager.
As you can see, the richest women in the world in most cases inherited their wealth. But they disposed of it very successfully, preserving and increasing the savings of their relatives.
The richest women in the world.
Global statistics show that even in the 21st century, the gender pay gap is quite significant. Female workers are also less likely to be promoted and in senior management positions. How can women thrive in such a world? Let's take a look at the stories of the eight richest women in the world according to Forbes. And we will find out how they got their fortune and how they disposed of it.
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers (France)
The Frenchwoman owns the third controlling stake in L'Oreal. The secret to her success is simple: Françoise was born into wealth.
The famous cosmetics company was founded by Françoise Bettencourt's grandfather. He developed the chemical formula for hair dye and became popular with Parisian hairdressers. Together with chemists and beauticians, he ramped up production and developed the L'Oreal brand. In addition to hair dyeing products, the lineup includes body care products, decorative cosmetics and perfumes.
However, the brand has a few skeletons in its closet. Nowadays, few people remember the connections between L'Oreal and La Cagoule group. Grandfather Bettencourt supported the fascist-minded radical group, both financially and politically. Many La Cagoule members became L'Oreal employees after World War II. Moreover, they have taken high positions. Françoise's father, André Bettencourt, was also among them.
However, the company's past has not been reflected in its success. L'Oreal opened many international offices and continued to make billions. Its products entered the global mass markets, and the founding family became one of the richest in the world.
Françoise officially inherited the fortune in 2017, after the death of her mother. She also became the head of a family-run charity fund, which has more than $ 700 million in assets and is now worth $ 50 billion.
Alice Walton (USA)
Alice Walton, with her $ 46 billion, is the second richest woman on earth. And she is also an heiress - the family owns Walmart, the largest retail chain in the United States.
Alice is the youngest child and only daughter of Sam Walton, founder of Walmart. While her brothers were interested in their father's business, Alice became interested in art. She has amassed a personal collection of works worth several million dollars and is committed to promoting art to the masses. In 2011, she opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. She even opened an investment bank in the 1980s. However, it soon had to be closed.
Alice loves nature and has several horse ranches with large areas. She doesn't like to appear in the press. There have already been several scandals in the media with her name. The first was a car accident in the 1980s that killed a pedestrian. Despite the fact that Alice was driving drunk, the judges assigned her only financial sanctions, insignificant for a woman of such wealth.
Also, the Walton family is often criticized for the poor conditions for Walmart employees. America's largest business pays workers so little that many are forced to seek additional government assistance and cannot afford to pay their rent. In recent years, there have been numerous protests and strikes. As a result, Walmart raised the minimum wage slightly. However, the largest employer in the country was not about to lose billions of dollars by providing decent wages to all of its employees. Instead, they tried to cut costs by examining online retailing models.
In general, many people accuse the Waltons of obtaining their wealth through direct exploitation of their subordinates.
Jacqueline Mars (USA)
Jacqueline comes from a renowned family of pastry chefs. Her grandfather, Franklin Clarence Mars, was the founder of Mars, Inc. The company is currently ranked among the top 5 private enterprises in the United States.
However, Jacqueline didn't just inherit and enjoy her wealth. She is a successful business woman and investor. She specializes in business and finance and holds a degree in anthropology. Jacqueline joined the family business in 1982 as President of the Food Group. Where she developed new products and did strategic marketing. She officially retired in 2001 but remains a co-owner and continues to serve as a strategic advisor.
Jacqueline Mars is also a renowned benefactor. Her donations through the Mars Foundation go mainly to education, culture and the arts, as well as environmental protection. She is very fond of animals and the countryside and owns a working farm specializing in organic farming and horse training.
In 2013, she was responsible for a terrible car accident. Falling asleep at the wheel, Mrs. Mars crashed into a family van with six passengers. As a result, the 86-year-old woman died and the pregnant woman had a miscarriage. Unlike Alice Walton, Jacqueline Mars did not deny her guilt. She pleaded guilty to reckless driving. However, the families of the victims did not insist on her imprisonment. As a result, the heiress paid a fine and lost her driver's license for six months. She appears to have provided good financial assistance to grieving family members.
Jacqueline has been married twice and has three children from her first marriage. She is the grandmother of six grandchildren. She is going to celebrate her eightieth anniversary this fall. Its current capital is $ 24 billion.
Yang Huiyan (China)
The only representative of China in today's eight is Yang Huiyan. She is 37 years old and in her country she has been topping the ranking of the richest Chinese women for seven years in a row.
She is the majority shareholder (57%) of Country Garden Holdings, a construction company that builds homes and operates hotels throughout the country.
Yang's father founded the company in 1992. As a teenager, her daughter began attending business meetings and studying business. And already in 2005 she became the owner of most of her father's shares. By the age of 25, she became the youngest Chinese billionaire.
In addition to the construction business, Yang is the chairman of Bright Scholar Education Holdings language schools. Education is very important to her family. Yang's father was forced into farming instead of going to school as a teenager. He received his education later thanks to a scholarship. This gave the future billionaire a chance to build his own business.
Yang Huiyan is not a public person. All that is known about her personal life is that she has been married for 13 years.
Its current capital is $ 20.8 billion.
Susan Klatten (Germany)
Susan Klatten, like her predecessors, inherited her fortune. After the death of his father, Klatten got 12.50% of BMW shares, as well as 50.1% of the pharmaceutical company Altana. As a good MBA professional, Susan helped drive major organizational changes at Altana. Today she is the sole owner of the company.
The history of the Quandt family is not flawless. This family is associated with the Nazi regime, which is not surprising for large German enterprises during the reign of Adolf Hitler. In 2011, family members confessed that they had taken over Jewish businesses and used slave labor in Quandt factories. Slaves were brought from concentration camps and produced ammunition and military equipment for the Nazis. In 1946, when Gunther Quandt (Susan's grandfather) was arrested and put on trial, these facts were unknown. The judges released him and he continued to build his business.
Susan Klatten herself is also involved in contemporary German politics. She openly supports the Christian Democratic Union, led by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Her generous donations to the party were criticized by the public.
In 2013, BMW was accused of lobbying for their interests. The timing of the donation coincided with Merkel's refusal to support the EU's environmental initiative. This was supposed to lead to limiting carbon dioxide emissions for passenger cars in 2020. Obviously, this reform could have a profound impact on BMW's business. The event casts a shadow on both the political integrity of the party and the corporate values of BMW.
Lauren Powell Jobs (USA)
Steve Jobs' widow currently boasts $ 18.8 billion, inheriting her late husband's shares in Apple and Disney. Lauren is a renowned philanthropist, leader and founder of the Emerson Collective.
Her wealth story stems from the success of Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder. Powell Jobs met him at an MBA lecture at Stanford. After two years of dating, they got married and raised three children.
Lauren's career hasn't been as impressive as Apple's. Nevertheless, she reveals her values in life.
Her first company, Terravera, specialized in the development of organic raw materials. However, Powell Jobs dropped out of business, devoting some time to raising children.
Her next initiative was called College Track. This not-for-profit organization provides training and support to low-income youth preparing for college.
She also advocates for immigration reform and promotes modern education through technology. In 2016, Lauren launched a multi-million dollar high school project called XQ: The Super School Project. To date, 18 schools have been selected for the development and implementation of new educational strategies.
Abigail Johnson (USA)
Not only one of the wealthiest but also one of the most powerful women in the financial world today, Abigail Johnson is setting new trends in investment management.
Johnson has an MBA. She started her career from scratch in the family business. She recently became CEO and Chairman of Fidelity Investments, founded over 70 years ago by her grandfather. The company makes billions in the stock market.
Johnson is well known in financial circles as a hardworking, good-natured and intelligent woman. After Johnson took over the management of Fidelity, she decided to radically change a number of things.
She focused on income from financial consulting, brokerage and venture capital. Johnson also began working with index funds, a zero-commission investment vehicle similar to major indices such as the NASDAQ. This innovation was specifically aimed at the generation of millennials who don't like spending money.
This year, her company launched a cryptocurrency platform that makes digital assets available to all investors. This sets them apart from the vast majority of American financial firms.
Johnson's other ambition is to increase the number of women in the financial business. Abigail believes that women investors will have more trust and understanding of women consultants. Given the number of wealthy women in the United States, this policy is very timely.
Fidelity Investments even developed the Endless Talent Search program. They partner with youth organizations to encourage women to choose finance as a career path.
Iris Fontbona (Chile)
The Chilean billionaire and her family are among the five richest families in Latin America. The entrepreneur inherited her fortune after the death of her husband in 2005.
Iris is the widow of Adrono Luksic, who controlled two large businesses. The first is Antofagasta Plc, which is engaged in copper and gold mining. The second is Quiñenco, a Chilean banking and energy conglomerate.
Iris used part of her fortune to buy the main share of the television channel. She also owns a chain of luxury hotels in Croatia. Fontbona sometimes makes significant charitable contributions.
The richest Chilean woman successfully develops the business of her late husband. Under her leadership, companies began to operate on a completely new scale. She turned them into the largest copper mines, the largest shipping company and the second largest bank in Chile. Of course, Iris Fontbona is not only an heiress, but also a skilled manager.
As you can see, the richest women in the world in most cases inherited their wealth. But they disposed of it very successfully, preserving and increasing the savings of their relatives.
