Oprah Winfrey may be the richest black woman in America, and Nigerian billionaire, Folorunsho Alakija may be the richest or second richest woman in Africa with her net worth of $7 billion. But when it comes to the top 15 richest women in the world according to a new Forbes list, these women did not meet up. While Mrs Alakija may be worth $7 billion, the lowest billionaire on the list is worth $8.1 billion.
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See the full list of the women that made the Forbes top 15 list.
1. Christy Walton $36.7 billion
Christy Walton got her fortune in 2005 when her husband died. Her husband John Walton was one of the sons of Sam Walton (the founder of Walmart). The entire Walton family is very wealthy but Christy Walton also has investments in First Solar which have gone up 47% and places her as the richest woman in the world.
2. Liliane Bettencourt $34.5 billion
Liliane Bettencourt is the principal shareholder of L’Oreal cosmetics. Her father started the company and Lilliane worked as an apprentice with the company at the age of 15. She inherited the company from her father and maintained a majority stake even after the company went public.
3. Alice Walton $34.3 billion
Alice Walton is the daughter of Sam Walton of Walmart. She is the biggest philanthropist in her family She did not just inherit her father’s fortune, she also made a name for herself working in the financial industry. She also became a driving force behind the construction of the Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport.
4. Jacqueline Badger Mars $20 billion
Jacqueline Badger Mars is the heiress to the Mars fortune. Mars is the largest candy company in the world and Jacqueline shares the company with her two brothers. She also earned a degree in Anthropology and had three children. Today she is one of the richest women in the world.
5. Gina Rinehart $17.7 billion
This Australian gets her fortune from the iron ore and coal projects in the western and northern parts of Australia. The iron and coal were discovered by her father and she inherited her fortune to become one of the richest women in the world. There is currently a trust battle underway between Gina Rinehart and her children over control of the family trust.
6. Suzanne Klatten $17.4 billion
Suzanne Klatten is the richest woman in Germany and is the majority shareholder for Altana. Altana is a pharmaceutical and chemicals manufacturer and during her time on the supervisory board, the company has become a world class corporation. In 2006, the company sold its pharmaceutical activities and in 2009 Suzanna bought nearly all the shares of the remaining shares in Altana
7. Abigail Johnson $17.3 billion
Abigail Johnson is President and Chief Executive Officer of Fidelity Investments. Her grandfather founded the company and her father is the current chairman. Abigail earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and worked her way up through Fidelity Investments. She started as an analyst and portfolio manager.
8. Anne Cox Chambers $15.5 billion
Anne Cox Chambers is the heiress of Cox Enterprises a media empire that was built by her father. However, the large corporation was not the only ambition of Anne Cox Chambers. She was also an ambassador to Belgium and director of the board of the Coca-Cola Company. Cox Enterprises owns Cox Communications, several newspapers, television and radio stations, and Manheim Auctions.
9. Laurene Powell Jobs $14 billion
Laurene Powell Jobs is the co-founder of Terravera which is a natural food company. She also served on the board of directors of Achieva. In 2011, when her husband Steve Jobs passed away she gained a 7.3% stake in the Walt Disney Company and 38.5 million shares of Apple, Inc. She is ranked by Forbes at the 29th most powerful woman in the world due to her political influence, her fortune and her philanthropy efforts.
10. Johanna Quandt $12.8 billion
Johanna Quandt is a major shareholder in BMW and sat on the supervisory board until 1997. She became the major shareholder after the death of her husband Herbert Quandt who brought BMW back from bankruptcy. She started out as a secretary in Herbert Quandt’s office before becoming his personal assistant and then eventually becoming his wife.
11. Miuccia Prada $11.1 billion
Miuccia Prada is the entrepreneur and fashion designer behind the luxury goods brand Prada. The company was founded by her grandfather Mario Prada. She started working for the company in 1978 designing handbags. She expanded her designs to ready wear clothes and a menswear line. In 1992 she created a Miu Miu line as a less expensive clothing option based upon her very own wardrobe.
12. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken $10.4 billion
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken is the executive director at Heineken Holdings NV. She inherited her fortune from her father in 2002 and continues to run the company he founded. Heineken is the world’s third-largest brewer and Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken is one of Britain’s richest women and the richest person with Dutch citizenship.
13. Elaine Marshall $8.8 billion
Elaine Marshall is one of the richest women in the United States and she owes her fortune to her late husband. After his death, he willed his holdings in Koch Industries to his wife. Elaine Marshall currently serves on the Koch Industries board. She keeps a private life and has stated before that her net worth has been largely inflated.
14. Antonia Johnson $8.5 billion
Antonia is the chairman of the board of Axel Johnson AB in Sweden and Axel Johnson Inc. in the United States. She is the fourth generation of the family company The Axel Johnson Group which was founded in 1873. She is the third richest person in Sweden and her wealth continues to grow.
15. Margarita Louis-Dreyfus $8.1 billion
Margarita Louis-Dreyfus is chairman of the board of the Louis Dreyfus Group. She took over for her husband following his death in 2009. She is also the owner of Olympique de Marseille. She has made big changes to her husband’s company that have only increased her wealth and the strength of the company.
