Who are the richest self-made women in the world? The business magazine Forbes provides information and lists the ten richest women who have built up their immense fortunes themselves.
According to Forbes, there are currently 2,668 billionaires in the world. There are said to be a total of 327 women among them. Many of them received their incredible wealth through inheritance. However, 101 women built their wealth themselves and can call themselves self-made billionaires. The following ranking lists the ten wealthiest of them.
Editorial team finanzen.net
11th place: The ranking
This ranking is about the richest women in the world who have earned their fortunes themselves. Due to this “self-made” status, many famous billionaires such as Quandt heiress Susanne Klatten, Jeff Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott or Steve Jobs’ widow Laurene Powell Jobs do not appear in this ranking, although in the case of Klatten and Scott they do appear clearly are wealthier than the richest self-made billionaire in the world. The ranking presented here is based on a report by Forbes and the Forbes World Billionaires List. The featured billionaires are listed in ascending order of their net worth. The status of the ranking is July 10, 2023.
Source: Forbes, Image: Christian Zachariasen/Getty Images
10th place: Zhou Qunfei
Zhou Qunfei lands in tenth place in this ranking and has a net worth of $5.9 billion. The Chinese woman is the founder and CEO of Lens Technology, which supplies smartphone screens to major brands such as Samsung, LG and Microsoft. Qunfei started out as a simple factory worker and blossomed into a self-made billionaire. After the successful IPO of Lens Technology, in which the company’s share price increased fivefold, Qunfei even briefly became the richest self-made woman in the world. Recently, however, she suffered heavy losses. In 2021, Lens Technology’s stock collapsed by more than half, causing Qunfei to also lose a significant portion of her wealth.
Source: Forbes, Image: Samsung
9th place: Zhong Huijuan
A Chinese woman, Zhong Huijuan, also takes ninth place. Huijuan is a former chemistry teacher and founder of the drug manufacturer Hansoh Pharmaceuticals. Together with her daughter Sun Yuan, she is said to own more than three quarters of the company’s shares. But Huijuan also lost a large amount of her wealth in 2021. Similar to Qunfei and Lens Technology, Hansoh Pharmaceuticals’ share price fell by 50 percent. Huijuan’s current net worth is $7 billion.
Source: Forbes, Image: Piotr Swat / Shutterstock.com
8th place: Judy Faulkner
The founder of the software manufacturer Epic Systems, Judy Faulkner, comes in eighth place. She is the founder, developer and holds 47 percent of the company. The company specializes in the healthcare sector and provides systems for storing patient data. The company’s campus in Wisconsin is also particularly iconic. The architecture is reminiscent of films like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Grimm’s Fairy Tales. With a fortune of $7.4 billion, Judy Faulkner is one of the richest women in the world.
Source: Source: Forbes, Image: EWY Media / Shutterstock.com
7th place: Denise Coates
With a fortune of 7.5 billion US dollars, the British native makes it to seventh place in the ranking with her online gambling business. She is co-CEO of the world’s largest online gambling operator Bet365. Before becoming self-employed, Denise Coates worked in the family-run gaming business until she sold it.
Source: Source: Forbes, Image: Ralf Liebhold / Shutterstock.com
6th place: Wang Laichun
The chairwoman and co-founder of Luxshare Precision Industry Wang Laichun took sixth place. The company is a Chinese manufacturer of cables and connectors. One of the most famous customers is said to be Apple. According to Forbes, Luxshare Precision Industry produces iPhone cables and AirPods for this purpose. Laichun’s net worth is $7.9 billion.
Source: Forbes, Image: Michael Vi / Shutterstock.com
5th place: Wu Yajun
The Chinese Wu Yajun makes it into the top five richest self-made women in the world. The former journalist founded the real estate developer Longfor Properties together with her now ex-husband in 1993. The company owns 61 shopping malls in China, according to Forbes. Wu Yajun’s net worth is currently $8.4 billion.
Source: Forbes, Image: Pavel Kapysh / Shutterstock.com
4th place: Tatyana Bakalchuck
With a fortune of $8.8 billion, the Russian entrepreneur made it to fourth place in the ranking. The former teacher and mother of seven children founded her e-commerce company Wildberries in 2004. She is the richest woman in Russia and only one of two billionaires in the country.
Source: Source: Forbes, Image: Koshiro K / Shutterstock.com
3rd place: Judy Love
The American Judy Love takes third place in the ranking. She is co-founder and CEO of Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores. She built the company together with her husband Tom Love. It has stores in over 550 locations in 41 states across the United States and employs approximately 32,000 people. Together, the couple has created a fortune of $10.2 billion.
Source: Forbes, Image: George Sheldon / Shutterstock.com
2nd place: Diane Hendricks
Second place goes to the richest self-made woman in the United States of America. Diane Hendricks is the co-founder and CEO of ABC Supply, the largest distributor of roofing materials in the United States. Hendricks started the company with her late husband in 1982. She built the company herself and increased the number of locations from three to 811. Today, according to Forbes, annual sales are over $12 billion. Hendricks’ net worth is currently $15 billion.
Source: Forbes, Image: Grindstone Media Group / Shutterstock.com
1st place: Rafaela Aponte
The Italian Rafaela Aponte takes first place. She founded the Mediterranean Shipping Company with her husband Gianluigi Aponte in 1970. According to Forbes, the company has over 600 ships in 155 countries, making it the largest shipping company in the world. Unlike other female billionaires on this list, Aponte’s net worth did not decrease in 2021, but increased significantly. Global supply chain problems have caused shipping companies’ profits to skyrocket. Her fortune is currently estimated at $28.1 billion.
Source: Forbes, Image: Catstyecam / Shutterstock.com
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