IN A global landscape where male wealth largely prevails, these ten remarkable women shine as trailblazers, carving their paths toward financial prosperity.

Spanning the realms of technology, entrepreneurship, finance, media, and cosmetics, these women have constructed formidable empires, using their influence to mold entire industries and make a significant impact on society.

While the current list of the world’s top ten wealthiest individuals doesn’t include any women, Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires highlights several women around the world who are amassing considerable fortunes.

Here is the list:

  1. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers

Meyers is a French businesswoman and philanthropist with a total net worth of $94.9 billion, according to Forbes, which makes her the richest woman on earth. She is the granddaughter of the founder of beauty giant L’Oreal and her family owns 33% of the company.

She has been one of the board members of the company since 1997 and is now the chairperson of the makeup firm. In the list of the world’s richest people, Meyer occupies the 11th position.

  1. Alice Walton

With a total net worth of $61.3 billion, Alice ranks as the second richest woman in the world. She is the only daughter of Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, and has a 50% stake in the company. She has a passion for art and owns a personal art collection worth hundreds of million dollars.

  1. Julia Koch

With a total net worth of $59 billion, Julia rose to the billionaire list when she and her children inherited a 42% stake in Koch Industries from her husband, David, who died in August 2019 at the age of 79. She is a native of Iowa but moved to New York in the 1980s, where she worked as an assistant to a fashion designer Adolfo.

She and her late husband gave out $10 million to Stanford Children’s Hospital and Mount Sinai Medical Center to study food allergies.

  1. Jacqueline Mars

Jacqueline ranks as the fourth richest woman in the world with a net worth of $38.3 billion. She owns one-third of the world’s largest candy maker, Mars Incorporated, the candy and pet food conglomerate founded by her grandfather, Frank C. Mars, in 1911. She inherited the company alongside brands like IAMS, and Pedigree.

  1. Miriam Adelson

Miriam is an American physician and billionaire who has a net worth of $37.7 billion. She is the wife of the late Republican Kingmaker and casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and owns his 50% stake in Las Vegas Sand after he died in early 2021.

Moreover, Miriam funded Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and has since then been a primary donor in conservative political causes majorly in America and Palestine.

  1. Mackenzie Scott

The ex-wife of Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, and award-winning author, Mackenzie made it to the billionaire list in 2023 with a net worth of $29.5 billion. She was married to Jeff for 25 years and got divorced in mid-2019. Jeff transferred 25% of his Amazon stake to her, which makes it 4% of the company.

  1. Gina Rinehart

With a net worth of $26.9 billion, Gina is the executive chairman of an Australian mining and agriculture company Hancock Prospecting Group, founded by her father, Lang Hancock in 1992.

Although a dropout of Economics from Sydney University, she is the richest person in Australia and was listed in Forbes 100 most powerful women in the world.

  1. Susanne Klatten

With a net worth of $24.6 billion, Susanne is the owner and deputy chairman of Atlanta, a pharmaceutical and chemical company. She also owns about 19% of the German automaker BMW, inherited from her mother Johanna Quandt, and father Herbert Quandt.

  1. Iris Fontbona

Iris owns a net worth of $22.8 billion. With her children, she controls Antofagasta Plc, which owns copper mines in Chile and also trades on the London Stock Exchange. She is the wife of the late Chilean Magnate Andrónico Luksic, who died in 2015 after building wealth in mining and beverages. She owns a major stake in Quiñenco, a Chilean publicly traded conglomerate known for its activeness in banking, beer, and manufacturing.

  1. Abigail Johnson

The tenth richest woman in the world is the CEO of Fidelity Investments and has been since 2014. Abigail inherited the company from her late father, Ned Johnson III, and having graduated from Havard Business School now has a net worth of $21.6 billion and has a $24.5% stake in the firm.

Again, here is a quick look of the world’s top 10 richest ladies:

1. Francoise Bettencourt Meyers – $94.9 billion
2. Alison Walton – $61.3 billion
3. Julia Koch – $59 billion 
4. Jacqueline Mars – $38.3 billion
5. Miriam Adelson – $37.7 billion
6. Mackenzie Scott – $29.5 billion
7. Gina Rinehart – $26.9 billion
8. Susanne Klatten – $24.6 billion
9. Iris Fontbona – $22.8 billion
10. Abigail Johnson – $21.6 billion

Source: cowrywise (Updated August 2023)

(Filed by Jr Amigo/ai/mnm)