Bettencourt Meyers, 70, is the sole largest stakeholder of L'Oreal, a global firm valued at 241 billion pounds ($268 billion). She's the 12th-richest person in the world.
Another significant milestone for the heiress and France's growing fashion and cosmetics industries came when Francoise Bettencourt Meyers became the first woman to amass a $100 billion fortune.
According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, her wealth jumped to $100.1 billion on Thursday. The milestone came as shares of L'Oreal SA, the beauty products empire founded by her grandfather, rose to a record high, with the stock set for its best year since 1998.
Despite this increase, Bettencourt Meyers' wealth remains much lesser than that of his French colleague Bernard Arnault, the creator of the luxury goods retailer LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, who is currently ranked second in the world with $179 billion but higher than India's richest man Mukesh Ambani, philanthropist Ratan Tata and industrialist Gautam Adani.
Who is Bettencourt Meyers?
Bettencourt Meyers, 70, is the sole largest stakeholder of L'Oreal, a global firm valued at 241 billion pounds ($268 billion). She's the 12th-richest person in the world, just behind Mexico's Carlos Slim.
She is also the vice-chair of the board of directors. Jean-Victor and Nicolas Meyers, her sons, are also filmmakers.
Bettencourt Meyers is also the chair of Tethys, the holding company owned by her family including L'Oreal. Jean-Pierre Meyers, her spouse, serves as CEO. The two founded Tethys Invest SAS, a subsidiary that makes bets on markets that don't compete with the business, in 2016.
The company was founded in 1909 by Bettencourt Meyers' grandfather, Eugene Schueller, a chemist, to produce and sell a hair colour he had invented. The company was run by executives from outside the family for a long time.
Meyers avoids the glamorous social life that many of the world's affluent pursue in favor of a solitary life. In addition to writing two books, a five-volume Bible study and a genealogy of the Greek gods, she is well-known for her hours-long daily piano playing.
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 "Françoise Bettencourt Meyers")
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