Do Richest Women Rely Solely on Inheritance? These Female Billionaires Would Beg to Differ (or Not!)

The number of youngest female billionaires in the world is certainly growing and these female billionaires made sure they made the list. But do they rely solely on inheritance? With beauty, youth, fame, and energy, these women are out to make you rethink your position (or maybe not). Read on to find out!

Holly Branson

She may not be as popular and as public as her dad, but her name does ring a bell. Holly Branson, daughter of philanthropist and business magnate Richard Branson, is already worth a whopping $3.8 billion even at a young age of 31. This billionaire heiress is a qualified neurologist who once worked in the neurology department at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital. Holly can also be found working with various humanitarian works.

Serra Sabanci

No one else knows the feeling of being wealthy better than Serra Sabanci. This 39-year old woman is a textbook example of people who were destined for richness. Why not, born to one of Turkey’s wealthiest families, it is without a doubt that she won life’s lottery. This young billionaire graduated with honors from the Department of Economics of Istanbul Bilgi University. She also attended the University of Portsmouth and is now a shareholder and board member of Sabanci Holdings. It’s only rightful that she emerges to be the 28th richest person in Turkey with a net worth of $1.1 billion.

Ana Lucia de Mattos Barretto Villela

This 44-year old, with a net worth of $3.6 billion, is the youngest female billionaire in the country of Brazil. Tracing her family history makes it all sensible as her great-grandfather was the founder of Itau – one of the largest banks in Brazil. In 2008, Itau merged with Unibanco making Itau-Unibanco the largest financial conglomerate in the Southern Hemisphere.

Lee Seo-Hyun

Who would’ve thought that fashion and chemical business could work, but Lee Seo-Hyun had a vision and she made it feasible. Seo-Hyun is a 41-year old president of a Korean textile firm, Cheil Industries. She was also the woman behind the acquisition of the leather brand Colombo Via Della Spiga. Seo-Hyun expands her company further by merging with Samsung SDI and Samsung Everland; thereby, making them a big name in energy storage solutions and propelling her name to the top with a net worth of $1.3 billion.

Aerin Lauder

With swoon-worthy beauty and skin care products encompassing fashion, perfume, and cosmetics, it’s almost impossible not to know the name of Aerin Lauder. This 46-year old woman is behind every woman’s beloved Estee Lauder line and she is also the brilliant mind behind the furniture line, AERIN. Aside from her total net worth of $1.85 billion, Aerin also owns 16 million shares in the Estee Lauder company.

Tamara Ecclestone

Tamara Ecclestone, the 32-year old heiress, socialite, and television personality, is also the daughter of the Formula One Supremo, Bernie Ecclestone. With a total net worth of $3.6 billion, Tamara has been involved in so many good business initiatives and a bad controversy. She worked as a presenter for Sky Sports and got herself in different racing productions. However, in 2013, Tamara graced the headlines of different media outlets for blasting her ex-lover Derek Rose’s blackmail plot. Rose threatened the heiress to spread her ‘intimate secrets’ to the tabloid press if the latter refused to pay him ₤200,000. The case was heard by the court and Rose was convicted and sentenced to four years of jail time.

Petra Stunt

From one socialite to another. Petra Stunt, sister of Tamara Ecclestone and the other daughter of the F1 Supremo Bernie Ecclestone, has also made headlines for what appears to be a slight replica of Tamara’s fate. In 2014, three years after her alleged ₤12 million extravaganza wedding with billionaire businessman James Stunt, reports revealed that Petra was conned by the person she hired to help renovate the mansion of mega-producer Aaron Spelling – a real estate adventure she and her husband had bought and eventually listed for $200 million. The con artist was eventually sentenced to jail but only after the heiress was defrauded out of ₤1.6 million. Yikes!

Dylan Lauren

Dylan Lauren, daughter of the famed designer Ralph Lauren, might have thought following her father’s footstep was so predictable that she made sure to stray away from it. With $4.7 billion net worth, Dylan opted to open the largest candy boutique in the world also known as the Dylan’s Candy Bar. Though Dylan is too far from her father’s fashionable world, she did let him play a memorably fashionable role in her wedding when he designed her wedding dress in 2011 when she married Paul Arrouet.

Amanda Hearst

Amanda Hearst may have a total net worth of $8.7 billion as the owner of the Hearst Corporation, but she does prove to the world that she doesn’t rest on her wealthy lineage being that her great-grandfather is the legendary media mogul William Randolph Hearst. This scion of the publishing dynasty takes on too many roles. When not running her media empire, she goes out, wears her young activist hat, and speaks for animal rights. Amanda built Friends and Finn – an organization that prevents mistreatment of puppies in puppy mills and works with other non-profit organizations with an aim of raising awareness for puppy mills dogs and advancing her animal welfare advocacy.

Marie Besnier Beauvalot

If you love President brie cheese, you’d surely admire this woman whose net worth of $2.5 billion at the age of 34 made her a young billionaire heiress! Marie Besnier Beauvalot co-owns the French dairy company Lactalis with her two other siblings after they inherited it from their great-grandfather, the founder of Lactalis previously known as the Besnier Group. Lactalis is based in Laval in Western France.

Athina Onassis

Athina Onassis, the great-granddaughter of style-icon Jacqueline Onassis and the infamous Greek billionaire Aristotle Onassis, is estimated to have $5 billion following the $800 million inheritance she got on her birthday. However, this wealth might not have lasted long as speculations of her dwindling fortune circulated amidst her extravagant lifestyle and expensive $100 million divorce settlement to her philandering ex-husband. The speculations spread like wildfire as the news ‘Athina Onassis May Not Be a Billionaire Anymore!’ dominates headlines in Greece.

Charlotte Casiraghi

Meet the second child of Caroline, Princess of Hanover and Stefano Casiraghi, an Italian industrialist. At 29, Charlotte is already worth $5.7 billion, but did you know that she’s also eighth in line to the throne of Monaco? Aside from the royalty in her DNA, Charlotte has managed to prove herself in other domains of her life. She’s a decorated equestrian and had attended the Sorbonne University where she received a Philosophy degree.

Sara Blakely

Being the most powerful woman is nothing short of amazing. Just ask this 45-year old Billionaire Sara Blakely who is said to be worth $1 billion and Forbes’ 93rd most powerful woman in the world. You may have heard her name if you’re into slimming intimates, body shapers, and apparels. After all, she founded the Oprah Winfrey-approved Spanx – one of the leading brands in underwear and shapewear.

Alexandra Andresen

Young and a billionaire – what a fortunate life Alexandra Andresen has been living! This 19-year old Norwegian is the youngest billionaire in the world after her father Johan H. Andersen Jr. – a Norwegian industrialist and owner of Ferd AS – transferred 80% of his Ferd Holdings share to his daughters, making Alexandra $1.2 billion richer.

Perenna Kei

Another one of the youngest billionaires on the list – Perenna Kei is a Chinese businesswoman and billionaire with a recorded net worth of $1.3 billion. She holds 85% stake in Logan Property Holding through companies in different locations like the Cayman Islands and Guernsey.

Yvonne Bauer

Yvonne Bauer – the fifth-generation billionaire to oversee Bauer Media – is a 38-year old German businesswoman who owns 600 magazines, 50 radio and television stations, and 400 digital productions globally. Yvonne is worth $2.4 billion after her father, the previous CEO of her company – transferred 85% of the company to her name.

Laurene Powell Jobs

Laurene Powell Jobs is a 51-year old billionaire with a total net worth of $20.4 billion. If her name rings a bell, that is because Laurene was married to the late Steve Jobs – co-founder of Apple Inc. Laurene is equally admirable with her socially innovative ideas like the Emerson Collective, which she founded to help under-resourced students and support social entrepreneurs and organizations in the field of immigration, social justice, and education.

Margarita Louis-Dreyfus

Margarita Louis-Dreyfus is a 52-year old billionaire with a total net worth of $8.7 billion. Her personal stake increased when she sold the energy trading business that was part of Louis-Dreyfus, a French commodities company, left to her by her husband Robert. When not overseeing commodities, Margarita guards another family legacy – the soccer giant, Olympique Marseille.

Lynsi Snyder

If you’re into a fast-casual burger, you’ll love this next billionaire who received the final portion of her inheritance as she turned 35 – the In-N-Out Burger! Lynsi Snyder currently owns 97% of the popular fast food chain, making her worth $.13 billion. However, not everything in her life is rose-colored as she had her share of grief too. In 1993, her uncle was killed in a plane crash and six years later, her father died of a drug overdose. Lynsi was also involved in four troubled marriages. She used to be a reclusive heiress until the painful events in her life made her change her ways and she found peace through religion.

Jane Lauder

If you’re not through swooning over Aerin of Estee Lauder, this billionaire is set to pique your glamorous interest too! Jane Lauder, a 43-year old woman with a net worth of $1.4 billion, is sister to Aerin and owns 20 million shares in the cosmetics legend, Estee Lauder. Aside from being the company’s global president, this cosmetics heiress also manages the Origins, Ojon, and Darphin brands.

Zhou Qunfei

Here’s another rags-to-riches story to charm your heart! Zhou Qunfei, the 45-year old billionaire, is the richest woman in China. She grew up in a poor family but eventually became successful as she bounced to be a formidable entrepreneur who founded Lens Technology – a company that manufactures touch screens. Zhou deals with big names in the electronics industry as her company supplies screens to companies like Samsung, Huawei, and Apple. She is worth $.57 billion.

Sandra Mera

When you have the fourth richest person in the world as your father, your fortune is sealed. Sandra Mera, a 47-year old billionaire is the daughter of Amancio Ortega Gaona, the Spanish business tycoon popular for brands like Zara. Aside from owning a stake in her father’s company, Inditex, Mera, who inherited her mother’s fortune when the latter died, is currently worth $6.7 billion and has 89% stake in the company Rosp Corunna.

Yang Huiyan

Yang Huiyan is a 33-year old billionaire whose fortune increased as her father transferred the company he founded – Country Garden Holdings – to her name. Aside from her own company, Yang is also known as the Chinese property developer who’s involved in the Australian real estate developing business. She attended the Ohio State University where she received her bachelor’s degree in marketing and logistics. To date, Yang is known to have a net worth of $4.7 billion.

Susanne Klatten

Next up is Susanne Klatten, the richest woman in Germany with a total net worth of $20.2 billion. This 53-year old billionaire amassed her wealth from her parents who passed away leaving her and her brother 50% stake of BMW and stake in Atlanta AG, which was sold for $6 billion.

Abigail Johnson