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17 Women You Didn’t Know Were Billionaires

17 Women You Didn’t Know Were Billionaires

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When Forbes Magazine released its annual list of the world’s wealthiest people in March, 172 women made this list. Compared to the 1,473 men on the list, the odds still seem kinda skewed, but this figure was actually record-breaking — 42 new female billionaires were added in 2014. Here are 17 women you didn’t know were billionaires: the world’s 17 richest women, in order of wealth, as they appear on the list according to Forbes.

Sources: therichest.com, forbes.com

www.therichest.com
www.therichest.com

1. Christy Walton

Worth $36.7 billion, Christy Walton of the U.S., is the richest woman in the world. Her wealth is inherited from her late husband John Walton, who died in 2005. John Walton was one of the sons of Sam Walton who founded Walmart.

Page by Daniel Polec
Page by Daniel Polec

2. Liliane Bettencourt

The grande dame of cosmetics line L’Oreal, France’s Liliane Bettencourt is worth $34.5 billion. She gained some serious pocket change in the past year when the French cosmetics company’s stock rose 9 percent.

www.bornrich.com
www.bornrich.com

3. Alice Walton

The Walton family did well in 2014. The daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, Alice Walton, is listed as the third-richest woman in the world with a $34.3-billion net worth. She is the family’s top philanthropist, donating more than $2 million in 2012 alone.

Page by Denise Watson
Page by Denise Watson

4. Jacqueline Badger Mars

With an estimated net worth of $20 billion, the third generation heiress to the Mars candy bar fortune — they make M&M’s among other popular chocolate concoctions — inherited the company with her two brothers after their dad Forrest’s death.

www.mamamia.com.au
www.mamamia.com.au

5. Gina Rinehart

An Australian cracks the No. 5 spot on the Forbes list this year. Worth $17.7 billion, Gina Rinehart is also the richest person in Australia and reportedly the country’s No. 1 private taxpayer. Her fortune comes from the iron ore and coal her father discovered.

www.mamamia.com.au
www.mamamia.com.au

6. Susanne Klatten

With $17.4 billion in the bank, Germany’s Susanne Klatten commands the No. 6 spot on the list. She is also the richest woman in Germany and owns nearly 50 percent of automaker BMW along with her brother and mother, who are also billionaires.

www.3rank.com
www.3rank.com

7. Abigail Johnson

The fourth-richest woman in the U.S., Abigail Johnson is the president of Fidelity Financial Services, the country’s second-largest mutual fund company. Valued at $17.3 billion, she is rumored to be a front runner for the CEO position at Fidelity when her dad, Edward “Ned” Johnson eventually steps down.

www.china.org.cn
www.china.org.cn

8. Anne Cox Chambers

Worth $15.5 billion, 94-year-old Anne Cox Chambers is majority owner of the privately held Cox Enterprises and continues to maintain her seat on its board of directors. She inherited the media conglomerate from her father, James M. Cox.

www.cultofmac.com
www.cultofmac.com

9. Laurene Powell Jobs

The late Steve Jobs’ daughter, Laurene Powell Jobs oversees more than 130 million shares in the legendary entertainment company, Disney. She’s its largest individual shareholder. Her net worth is valued at $14 billion.

www.wirtschaftsblatt.at
www.wirtschaftsblatt.at

10. Johanna Quandt

Germany’s second woman in the Forbes Top 10 is the mother of the world’s sixth-richest woman, Susanne Klatten. Johanna Quandt, worth $12.8 billion, began as a secretary to the late Herbert Quandt (who rescued BMW from bankruptcy), then married him. Today, she and her two children own nearly 50 percent of the company.

flickr.com
flickr.com

11. Miuccia Prada

The granddaughter of Italy’s most famous fashion designer, Mario Prada, is the new co-CEO of the empire along with her husband Patrizio Bertelli. Her net worth is $11.1 billion, and she also owns the Miu Miu fashion brand. Forbes said she’s the 75th most powerful woman in the world.

businessinsider.com
businessinsider.com

12. Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken

Yes, she’s of the Dutch Heineken beer dynasty. When her father died, she inherited 25 percent of the corporation’s stake, clocking in her net worth at approximately $10.4 billion. She is a graduate of the school of law at the University of Leiden, and her husband, Michel de Carvalho, is a member of Heineken’s supervisory board.

worldofpopculture.com
worldofpopculture.com

13. Elaine Marshall

With a net worth of $8.8 billion, Elaine Marshall is the daughter-in-law of the late J. Howard Marshall II, the business magnate who founded Koch Industries and who famously married Anna Nicole Smith when he was 89 years old. Howard’s son, J. Pierce Marshall, married Elaine, and when he died, left trusts to her and their two sons. She owns 14 percent of Koch Industries.

commons.wikimedia.org
commons.wikimedia.org

14. Antonia Johnson

Sweden’s third-richest billionaire, she is chairwoman of the board and successor to her grandfather’s privately-held trading company, Axel Johnson Group. Her net worth is valued at $8.5 billion.

fr.wikipedia.org
fr.wikipedia.org

15. Margarita Louis-Dreyfus

The “Seinfeld” star? Close, but this Louis-Dreyfus has a few billion more. The Russian-born, third-richest billionaire in Switzerland took over as chairwoman of the French commodities group, Louis Dreyfus Group, after her husband, Robert Louis-Dreyfus, died of leukemia in 2009. Her fortune was worth $8.1 billion.

wantchinatimes.com
wantchinatimes.com

16. Huiyan Yang

China’s richest woman, Yang holds a bounty of more than $6.9 billion. She is the daughter of Yeung Kwok Keung, chairman of China’s richest real estate development company — Country Garden Holdings. She transferred his stake to her name in 2007.

plus.google.com
plus.google.com

17. Pansy Ho

She’s Hong Kong’s richest woman and chairwoman of the 3-year-old MGM China. She is the daughter of Hong Kong gambling tycoon Stanley Ho (the whole family is pictured above), and she holds a 29-percent stake in Macau’s gambling venture. Her net worth is $6.4 billion.