According to Bloomberg, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, heiress to the French fashion and beauty empire, has become the first woman in the world to exceed a net worth of 100 billion dollars, marking another milestone.
Bettencourt Meyers’ fortune soared to $100.1 billion this Thursday, as reported by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. This significant leap comes amid a record high in the stock prices of the beauty empire founded by her grandfather, achieving its best performance since 1998.
Bloomberg noted that Meyers now ranks 12th on the list of the world’s richest people, just after billionaire Carlos Slim. Despite her substantial gains, her wealth still trails behind fellow Frenchman Bernard Arnault, the luxury goods mogul, who is second on the list with a fortune of $179 billion.
At 70, Bettencourt Meyers serves as the Vice-Chairwoman of the board of L’Oréal, the global cosmetics giant valued at $268 billion. She and her family are the largest shareholders, holding a 35% stake. Her sons, Jean-Victor and Nicolas Meyers, also hold managerial positions in the company.
Topping the list of the world’s wealthiest is Elon Musk with a fortune of $232 billion, followed by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos at $178 billion, and in fourth and fifth places are Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, with fortunes of $141 billion and $131 billion, respectively. Close behind in sixth place is Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, with a net worth of $130 billion.
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers’ achievement is a landmark in the world of wealth and business, highlighting the rise of women in the upper echelons of global wealth. Her position in the list of the world’s richest people reflects the growing influence of female business leaders in the global economy.
