She is the second richest woman in the world – and 20th wealthiest person on Earth, according to Forbes’ real-time billionaires list, but unlike the 19 people with fatter wallets than her… the 72-year-old has never really had to do anything for her cash.
It’s incredible to think that she could buy every person in America NBA tickets to watch Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors take on Lebron James’ LA Lakers at $135.70 per seat – as well as an authentic NBA Wilson ball at $44 – and still have $33 billion in the bank.
So, if Meyers is that rich how come we’ve never even heard of her?
Well, without further ado let me introduce you to Françoise Bettencourt Meyers.
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers and her husband Jean-Pierre Meyers (Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images for Fondation Bettencourt-Schueller)
Who is Francoise Bettencourt Meyers?
The French billionaire is the daughter of André and Liliane Bettencourt, and inherited her fortune off of her mom – who in turn was the heiress to her father’s empire.
She is married to businessman Jean-Pierre Meyers – who is believed to be a grandson of a murdered rabbi, who was killed at Auschwitz during the Second World War.
Despite being raised Catholic, she converted to Judaism and raised her two children – Jean-Victor and Nicolas – Jewish.
Meyers pictured with her mom Liliane Bettenourt a year before her death (Paul Hubble/GC Images)
How has Francoise Bettencourt Meyers made her fortune?
Her wealth came from Eugène Schueller, a French chemist and founder of L’Oréal. He only had one child, Liliane, and so all his wealth was passed down to her upon his death in 1957.
Meyers’ riches primarily comes from her inherited stake in L’Oréal – her mom was one of the principal shareholders in L’Oréal until her death in 2017. Meyers currently owns 33 percent of the business – making her the firm’s largest shareholders.
She sits on L’Oréal board of directors and serves as chairwoman of the family holding company, ensuring her ongoing influence in the business.
In addition to her inheritance and board involvement, L’Oréal’s continued growth – especially in global beauty markets and e-commerce – has significantly boosted her fortune over time.
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is worth $95 billion (Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images for L’Oreal Foundation)
What is Francoise Bettencourt Meyers’ net worth?
At the time of writing, Forbes’ real-time billionaires list currently has her wealth at $95.3 billion.
The figure fluctuates frequently due to factors such as the stock price of L’Oréal, exchange rates and the economy.
Bloomberg’s billionaire list currently values her at $95.9 billion and lists her as the 19th richest person on Earth – although notably, it has removed its founder and owner Michael Bloomberg from the list.
Bloomberg is valued by Forbes’ at $109.4 billion and is ranked 17th.
Featured Image Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
