Among the women are heiresses and businesswomen, many of them currently engaged in philanthropy. In the list of the ten richest there are Americans, Chinese, Germans and Australians.
Alice Walton
Although her enormous fortune, 54,400 million dollars (more than 49,000 million euros), depends on the empire founded by her father —Sam Walton, creator of Walmart supermarkets— Alice Walton does not hold any position in the company. Yes, her brothers Rob and Jim do. This 70-year-old woman has dedicated her life to collecting art and in 2011 opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville (Arkansas, USA), where works by Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell and Mark Rothko are exhibited. , among other artists. It is not the first time that she has been crowned the richest woman in the world, since she already did it in 2004, and she has recovered this position after a year in which her wealth has increased by 23%. Through her family foundation,Alice Walton, Walmart department store heiress, in 2013. 
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers
The heiress of L’Oréal, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, was the richest woman in 2019, but her fortune has been reduced by 400 million dollars (364 million euros) due, in part, to the fact that in the first half of March the Company shares have fallen 12% as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The granddaughter of Eugène Schueller, founder of the company, has been a member of the board of directors since 1997 and has assets of 48.9 billion dollars (44.5 billion euros). At 66, she is the president of the family foundation that supports artistic and scientific projects: they donated 226 million dollars (206 million euros) for the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral after last year’s fire and now L’Oréal is manufacturing hydroalcoholic gels for hospitals and residences.
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers and her husband, Jean-Pierre Meyers, at the L’Oréal awards held in Paris in March 2018.Bertrand Rindoff Petroff.
Julia Koch
For Julia Koch, heiress to Koch Industries, this is her first foray onto the Forbes list. Her husband, David Koch, died last August at the age of 79, so she and her children own 42% of the shares of the multinational, which allows her to have 38.2 billion dollars (almost 35 billion of euros). The couple got married in 1996, at the magnate’s mansion in Southampton, the favorite summer resort for wealthy New Yorkers. She, 22 years younger, was the one who aroused her interest in art and brought her the social agenda. The door to the exclusive world of millionaires was opened by the designer Adolfo, for whom Julia Flesher (her maiden name) worked as an assistant.
Julia Flesher and David Koch, in New York, in 2017.
MacKenzie Bezos
Her ex-husband, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, is the richest man on the planet, despite the expensive divorce that allows Mackenzie Bezos to enjoy 36,600 million dollars (more than 31,300 million euros) and take the title of fourth most woman delicious.
Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos at the Vanity Fair party after the 2018 Oscars.
Jacqueline Mars
Working for two decades at Mars, Incorporated, an American pet food and candy company, Jacqueline Mars, now 80, is dedicated to philanthropy and serves on the board of directors of the American National Archives and the Smithsonian, museums and research centers. The granddaughter of Franklin Clarence Mars, founder of the company, has reaped a fortune of 24.7 billion dollars (more than 22.5 billion euros) and owns a stable with horses ridden by Olympic medalists.
Jacqueline Mars, fifth richest woman in the world.
Yang Huiyan
At just 38 years old, Yang Huiyan is positioned as one of the ten richest women in the world and the most powerful in Asia with 20.3 billion dollars (just over 18.5 billion euros). She owns 57% of Country Garden, a Chinese real estate development company, becoming its majority shareholder after her father Yang Guoqiang’s stake was transferred to her in 2007. The company installed food vending machines in Wuhan, the epicenter of the coronavirus, to support health workers.
On the left, Yang Liyuan, in one of the few images that have been published of her. On the right, her father, Yang Guoqiang.
Susanne Klatten
The coronavirus crisis is also taking its toll on the automotive sector and this has been noticed by Susanne Klatten, heiress to BMW, whose fortune has decreased by 20% in one year; The company’s shares have fallen 24% in the first two weeks of March. Even so, Klatten, 57, amasses a fortune of 16.8 billion dollars (more than 15.3 billion euros) and also owns Altana, a chemical company
Susanne Klatten.
Laurene Powell Jobs
The widow of the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs —who died in 2011 from respiratory arrest due to pancreatic cancer that was diagnosed seven years earlier—, has a fortune of 16,400 million dollars (almost 15,000 million euros).
Steve Jobs y Laurene Powell.
Zhong Huijuan
While some fortunes decline due to the coronavirus crisis, others increase, such as that of Zhong Huijuan, president of Hansoh Pharmaceutical. The value of the pharmaceutical company’s shares grew 10% between January and March, when China was the main focus of the pandemic.
Zhong Huijuan, President of Hansoh Pharmaceutical, Hong Kong, China, last year. China News Service.
Gina Rinehart
In 2012 she became the richest woman in the world, but now Gina Rinehart has to settle for tenth place. Although she is the most powerful woman in Australia with a fortune of 13,100 million dollars (about 12,000 million euros).
Gina Rinehart, heiress and head of the Hancock Prospecting group.
Sandra Ortega
The eldest daughter of Amancio Ortega, founder of Inditex, is among the 30 richest women in the world. She, specifically, is ranked number 29; and in 293 if men on the list of the most powerful are also taken into account. Sandra Ortega, the least mediatic of her brothers, has a fortune of more than 5,400 million euros.
