Discover who the 10 richest mothers in the world are

Mother's Day, always celebrated on the second Sunday of May, was largely designed by Anna Jarvis. The American fought for five years to establish a date that celebrated mothers, in addition to honoring the memory of her own mother, an activist who organized the first annual picnics called “Mother's Day”. These celebrations were initially intended to encourage women to participate in politics and promote peace.

The celebration of Mother's Day has spread throughout the world and has become essential for retail. According to research carried out by the Brazilian Association of Credit Card and Services Companies (Abecs), the expected turnover in the country is R$15 billion in products and services purchased by children who intend to give gifts to their mothers.

However, there is a small portion of mothers who have a fortune greater than the 15 billion expected to be transferred in the country. Find out below who these billionaire women are around the world, according to a survey carried out by Forbes:

1 – Françoise Bettencourt Meyers

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_{Françoise Bettencourt Meyers and her husband Jean-Pierre Meyers in 2015 (Photo: reproduction/Getty Images Embed/Bertrand Rindoff Petroff)}

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers has two children and is considered the richest woman in the world. She is heiress and granddaughter of the founder of L'Oréal. Most of his wealth comes from the inheritance of his mother, Liliane Bettencourt (died in 2017), who held around a 35% stake in the company. L'Oréal currently owns world-renowned brands such as Maybelline and Lancôme. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is worth US$98.8 billion.

2 – Julia Koch

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_{Julia Koch at a charity event held in 2003 (Photo: reproduction/Getty Images Embed/ Steven Henry)}

The curator of Metropolitan Museum of Art is the widow of David Koch (died in 2019). With her three children, she inherited a 42% stake in the industries Koch. The company operates from oil refining and medical technology to paper towel manufacturing. Currently, Julia Koch has a fortune valued at US$66.3 billion.

3 – Jacqueline Mars

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_{Jacqueline Mars (center) and her granddaughters (Photo: reproduction/Getty Images Embed/Ron Sachs-Pool)}

With her brother and four other nieces, Jacqueline Mars shares control of the Mars Inc., a family business founded by his grandfather. The company owns brands such as M&Ms, Snickers and Pedigree. The businesswoman has 3 children and a net worth of US$39.7 billion.

4 – Mackenzie Scott

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_{Mackenzie Scott at the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar party (Photo: reproduction/Getty Images Embed/ Dia Dipasupil)}

The philanthropist divorced businessman Jeff Bezos in 2019 and inherited 4% of Amazon. She promised to give away most of her wealth after her divorce. She had four children with the businessman: three boys and a girl adopted by both of them. Mackenzie Scott's net worth is valued at US$35 billion.

5 – Savitri Jindal

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_{Logo of the JSW Group, formerly known as Jindal South West – JSW (Photo: reproduction/Getty Images Embed/Indranil Mukherjee/AFP)}

Savitri Jindal is the widow of Om Prakash Jindal (died 2005), founder of Jindal Group. With him, the businesswoman had nine children: four sons and five daughters. With a net worth of US$34.9 billion, she is considered the richest woman in India.

6 – Rafaela Aponte-Diamant

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_{Rafaela Apante and her husband Gianluigi Aponte in the center (Photo: reproduction/Getty Images Embed/Frank Perry/AFP)}

With her husband, Gianluigi Aponte, businesswoman Rafaela Aponte-Diamant founded the MSC in 1970, with a 50% split profit share for both. The entrepreneurs' entry into the industry began with a loan of US$200,000 to buy a ship and, since then, the company has established itself as the largest maritime company in the world. The couple had two sons: Diego, current president of MSC and Alexa, who is currently the company's CFO.

7 – Gina Rinehart

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_{Gina Rinehart during the construction of the Roy Hill ore operator (Photo: reproduction/Getty Images Embed/Philip Gostelow/Bloomberg)}

The Australian is in charge of the presidency of Hancock Prospecting Group, a mining and agricultural company. She inherited the company from her father, Lang Hancock (died 1992). The businesswoman had four children: Bianca, John, Ginia and Hope, but she had to fight a legal battle with her first two children to gain control of the family's trust fund. Her net worth is currently valued at $30.7 billion.

8 – Miriam Adelson

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_{Billionaire Miriam Adelson (Photo: reproduction/Getty Images Embed/Michael Tullberg)}

The doctor, born in Israel, inherited more than half of the stake in the company from her husband Sheldon Adelson, former king of the US Republican Party. Las Vegas Sands. The company is considered one of the largest casino operators in the world. Miriam Adelson has 5 children and a net worth of US$30.3 billion.

9 – Abigail Johnson

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_{Abigail Johnson at an event held in New York (Photo: reproduction/Getty Images Embed/ Daniel Barry/Bloomberg)}

The North American is the investment leader in Fidelity with an estimated participation of 28.5%. Additionally, she has $4.9 trillion in assets under management founded by her grandfather. The businesswoman has a daughter who also works at the company and is now vice president of product for the startup. Abigail Johnson's fortune is estimated at $29.4 billion.

10 – Iris Fontbona

_{work center Antofagasta Plc., company controlled by Iris Fontbona (Photo: reproduction/Antofagasta Plc.)}

Iris Fontbona inherited control of the company from her husband, Andrónico Luksic Antofagasta Plc. The mining industry has copper mines in Chile traded on the London Stock Exchange. The businesswoman shares the company's stake with her three sons: Jean-Paul, Andrónico and Guillermo Luksic (who passed away in 2013), the first two children are from the businessman's first marriage. She and her children also own a majority stake in the Chilean company Quiñenco, which operates in banking, beer and manufacturing. Iris Fontbona's fortune is valued at US$29.2 billion.

The assets used for the Forbes survey refer to May 10, 2024.

Featured photo: Abigail Johnson, Julia Koch and Gina Rinehart (Reproduction/Getty Images Embed/David Paul Morris/Steven Henry/Philip Gostelow/Bloomberg)