In honor of International Women’s Day, we thought it appropriate to celebrate the rise of a fairer sex among the rich and powerful. According to an article published by BCG in 2020, women account for 32 percent of the world’s wealth, with signs indicating that this figure will increase in the coming years.
Here we highlight the top ten richest women in the world as of March 10, 2023 (Numbers according to Forbes)
1. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, US$79.3 billion, France
Better known as the heiress to the L’Oreal empire, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers inherited the title after her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, died in 2017. Bettencourt, granddaughter of L’Oreal’s founder, has served on the company’s board of directors since 1997 and is chair of the company’s board of directors. family. He is also president of his family’s philanthropic foundation, supporting French advances in the sciences and arts.
As well as owning 33 percent of L’Oreal, the richest woman in the world is also an accomplished writer. Raised a Catholic, this heir has written books on Greek mythology and commentary on the Bible.
2. Julia Flesher Koch & family, US$59 billion, USA
Julia Flesher Koch moved to New York from Iowa to work as an assistant to famous fashion designer Adolfo during the 1980s. She met her husband, David Koch, in 1991 and married in 1996. The duo has made generous donations to the Mount Sinai Medical Center and Stanford Children’s Hospital to study food allergies. After her husband died in 2019, Koch and her three children inherited her 42 percent stake in Koch Industries.
3. Alice Walton, US$57.1 Billion, USA
The only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Alice Walton doesn’t share the entrepreneurial spirit of her siblings. Instead, he dabbled in art curation and opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, in 2011. Art from Norman Rockwell and Andy Warhol is on display at the museum.
In 2021, Walton opened the Whole Health Institute and Chopra Library, a nonprofit that hopes to radically redesign America’s healthcare system.
4. Jacqueline Badger Mars, US $ 38.3 Billion, USA
Frank Mars’ granddaughter, founder of Mars Inc., Jacqueline Badger Mars currently owns about a third of the company’s shares. She has worked at her family’s company for nearly 20 years, serving on the board of directors until 2016. A prominent philanthropist and passionate passion for equestrian, Mars is a trustee of the US Equestrian Team Foundation and also sits on several boards, including the National Sports Library and Museum of the Arts. Rupa, Smithsonian, and the American Prairie Reserve.
5. Miriam Adelson, US$35.2 billion, USA
Widow of Sheldon Adelson, former CEO and chairman of Las Vegas Sands, Miriam Adelson is a majority shareholder of the world’s largest casino operator. The business controls casino resorts and convention centers in the US and Asia, including Las Vegas, Singapore and Macau. Drawing on his experience as a medical doctor, Sheldon and his late husband founded the Sheldon G. Adelson Research Clinic which treats people with opioid use disorders.
6. Gina Rinehart, US $ 28.5 billion, Australia
Known as Australia’s richest citizen, Rinehart helped rebuild his ailing father’s company, Hancock Prospecting, into one of the country’s leading iron ore companies. As well as mining, Rinehart owns many farms and properties across Australia. With his extensive property portfolio, the mining magnate is also the country’s second largest livestock producer.
7. Susanne Klatten, US$27.2 billion, Germany
A savvy businessman with stakes in various industries, Klatten is best known for his 19.2 percent stake in German automaker BMW. In addition to the automotive industry, his other ventures include investing in digital and data security firm Entrust, and carbon and graphite producer SGL Group. He also helped turn Atlanta AG, founded by his grandfather, into a state-of-the-art pharmaceutical and specialty chemical company.
8. MacKenzie Scott, US$24.8 billion, USA
Previously married to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Scott received Bezos’ 4 percent stake in the e-commerce company as part of the divorce settlement. Shortly after the divorce, Scott signed the Giving Pledge, which would donate half of his fortune over the course of his life.
In his most recent round of giving, he has donated millions of dollars to nonprofits, universities and colleges in Southern California. These institutions have historically served marginalized and underserved people.
10. Iris Fontbona, US$22.9 billion, Chile
Iris Fontbona and her three sons currently own a mining and beverage empire that was previously owned by her husband Andrónico Luksic before his death in 2005. Fontbona and her children run Antofagasta PLC, a mining company which owns several copper mines in Chile. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange. As well as the family business, Fontbona and his children also own a majority stake in Quiñenco. The company is active in banking, beer and manufacturing.
10. Abigail Johnson, US $ 21.6 billion, United States
Granddaughter of Edward Johnson II, best known for founding the Boston-based mutual fund giant in 1946, the company is now known as Fidelity Investments and Abigail Johnson has been its Chair since 2016 after taking over from her father. The company manages about $3.7 trillion in assets and he owns about 24.5 percent of Fidelity Investments.
Under his leadership, the company expanded into cryptocurrencies and in 2018, he also launched a platform that allows institutional investors to trade bitcoin and ether.
