Self-made female billionaires worldwide

Meg Whitman, CEO of pioneering online auctioneer eBay Inc., joined the ranks of the 1,011 billionaires in the world. She is the fourth wealthiest woman in California with a net worth of $ 1.3 billion in 2010. However, she is just one among 14 female businesswomen who have built their huge fortunes. 14 women, who represent only 2% of all self-made billionaires, have earned their own fortunes, rather than inherited them. They started their business with their siblings, brothers, or husbands. Giuliana Benetton founded Benetton Group with other three siblings. Rosalia Mera, 66, began designing and lingerie in her home with her husband. Doris Fisher, 79, and her late husband Donald started The Gap in 1969. Besides their successful business, all of these self-made billionaires have impressive personal stories. Some were at the beginning of their journey to entrepreneurship and some have been at higher levels of entrepreneurship. Let’s have a review at several self-made female billionaires of the world’s 1,011 billionaires.

 

Giuliana Benetton founded Benetton Group with other three siblings namely Luciano, Carlo and Gilberto in 1965. The company sells brands including United Colors of Benetton. The four members of the Italian Benetton family control a number of businesses including 30% of Atlantia S.p.A.

 

They are famous for their ownership of Benetton Formula and a Formula One auto racing team.

 

Zhang Xin, a wealthy businesswoman from mainland China, is currently the CEO of real estate Soho China in Beijing. This businesswoman moved to Hong Kong at the age of 14. She spent five years working in small factories. She earned and save money to support herself to study English at secretarial school. After graduation at Cambridge University, she worked for Barings Plc, and then moved to Goldman Sachs. Zhang Xin turned back to her hometown and co-founded Hongshi, which became Soho China, with Pan Shiyi one year after switching to Travelers Group in 1994. In 2008, she appeared in Forbes’ list of “World’s Most Powerful Women”.

 

Zhang Xin was named among “China Top 10 Career Women Role Models in 2009” in March 2010.

 

Rosalia Mera is one of the richest people in the world. This billionaire began designing gowns and lingerie in her home with her husband Amancio Ortega Gaona. Their Inditex became one of the most successful apparel manufacturers in the world. Mera retained only 7% stake in the company after her divorce from Ortega and got $ 600 million in cash at the time of IPO.

 

Rosalia Mera is the president of the Paideia Foundation.

 

Doris Fisher, whose net worth reaches $ 2.4 billion, set up the first Gap store in San Francisco with her husband Donald in 1969. Later, she expanded into brands like BabyGap, Old Navy and Banana Republic. In late 2004, the couple transferred half of their 19% share in the company to their three sons.

 

Doris Fisher was ranked #60 among The Most Powerful Women in 2005.

 

Oprah Winfrey is an American television host, actress, producer, and philanthropist. She has been ranked the richest African American of the 20th century and was the world’s only black billionaire. This billionaire is considered as the most influential woman in the world. Oprah Winfrey was born in poverty in rural Mississippi. At the age of 14, she worked at a grocery store next to her father’s barber shop in Nashville. She was the first black female news anchor at Nashville’s WLAC-TV while working in local media. At the age of 19, Winfrey landed a job in radio while began co-anchoring the local evening news.

 

Winfrey became an early supporter of Barack Obama in 2006.

 

 

J.K. Rowling is best known for her creation of the Harry Potter fantasy series which have gained attention all over the world. Her wizard tales have been translated into 65 languages. Her Harry Potter books won multiple awards and have been the basis for a popular series of films. Rowling was named as a runner-up for Time Magazine’s 2007 Person of the Year. The 2008 Sunday Times Rich List ranked her as the twelfth richest woman in Great Britain.

 

Her net worth was estimated to be $ 1 billion.

 

Meg Whitman started her career as a brand manager at Procter & Gamble in 1979. She then landed a job in Bain & Company. Whitman rose through the ranks to achieve a senior Vice President position. Two years later, she became vice president of strategic planning at the Walt Disney Company. In March 1998, she joined eBay. She led the company develop from 30 employees in 1998 to 15,000 employees in 2008. Annual revenue also increased to $ 8 billion from nearly $ 4 billion.

 

Meg Whitman won Republican nomination for California governor.

 

 

Wu Yajun, whose net worth reaches $ 3.9 billion, is the chief executive of real estate developer Longfor Properties. She had worked as an engineer at Qianwei Meter Factory for four years and at the China Shirong News Agency in the following five years. Later, she developed real estate in her hometown of Chongqing.

 

She had worked as an engineer at Qianwei Meter Factory for four years

 

Elena Baturina, the only Russian woman worth more than a billion dollars, established her plastic-products company Inteko in 1991. The company produced furniture and crockery, and then expanded into construction and construction materials.

 

She is the joint 279th richest person in the world.

 

Related links:

Surprising first jobs of U.S. billionaires

8 jobs women earn more money than men

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