Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers: Richest Woman in the World

How rich is Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers?

Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers was born on July 10, 1953, as the daughter of Liliane Bettencourt and André Bettencourt in Neuilly-Sur-Seine, France. She attended Marymount International School and later began studying mathematics. She grew up in a strictly Catholic house and was the only daughter of Liliane Bettencourt. Since 2017 she has been dubbed the richest woman in the world. The cherished Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers’ assets are € 82 billion.

Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers is the richest woman in the world

Her grandfather, Eugène Schueller, experimented with hair dyes in his chemistry laboratory in 1907 and laid the foundation for that Billionaire company L’Oréal Paris. With the creation of the luxury brand Lancôme and the takeover of Garnier, a small company became a huge empire. Today, among others, the brands Redken, Essie and Maybelline belong to L’Oréal. A total of 28 international brands belong to the L’Oréal Group.

Since the death of her mother Liliane, Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers has secured 33% of the company shares in L’Oréal. In mid-2018 the company achieved a market value of 119.5 billion euros. The company achieved sales of 26.65 billion euros in 2019, an increase in growth of eight percent. Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers is the only heiress of the founder and today not only among the richest people in the world, but the richest woman in the world.

The marriage with Jean-Pierre Meyers

In 1984 Françoise married the son of a rabbi, Jean-Pierre Meyers. They started a family in 1986 and had two sons, Jean-Victor and Nicolas Meyers. Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers raised both sons in the Jewish faith, as she had converted to Judaism a short time before. Since 1997 she herself is on the board of L’Oréal. The company heiress made her husband chairman of the board and the eldest son Jean-Viktor also made a board member of the family business.

Relationship to mother Liliane

Because of the marriage to a son of a rabbi and the conversion to Judaism, it was Relationship between Françoise and her mother is very strained. After all, the mother was a devout Catholic and could not gain anything from the Jewish faith. Liliane Bettencourt had given her photographer gifts in the billions and from that point on was considered insane. In 2008, Jean-Pierre Meyers took over the guardianship to protect the legacy and Liliane from herself.

Foundation, endowment Bettencourt Schueller Foundation

Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers may be the richest woman in the world, but she is her passion is religion and literature. She has commented on the Bible and is an avid author of books on Greek mythology. In 1999, together with her parents, she set up a foundation named Bettencourt Schueller Foundation wearing. As President of the Foundation, she and her son Nicolas, who is Corporate Director for the Foundation, contribute to strengthening the life sciences, art and inclusive society in France. Since 1999 the foundation has awarded the so-called “Intelligence of the Hand” for exceptional talent, creativity and innovation.

The richest woman in the world lives in seclusion

Her husband describes Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers as a completely normal woman who tends to avoid the limelight, and the fact that she is at the top of the list as the richest woman in the world doesn’t impress her. However, she gives herself and her loved ones a gift of luxury real estate: The Bettencourt-Meyers family owns a classicist-style villa in Paris, a villa on the coast of Brittany and is Owner of an island in the Seychelles.

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