Rich (Wo)Man's World - NaBloPoMo Post #5/Day 4
What would it be like to be Patricia Russo? Or maybe Anne Lauvergeon?
I wonder if these women were born with a silver spoon or if they climbed their way to the top.
The Forbes.com website counted 99 female billionaires this year. This figure is the equivalent of less than 9% of the global total.
Of these 99 women, only 10 are self-made and these are the women I think are more admirable. That is not to say that the rest of the 99 women are under achievers. However, while they can celebrate their being rich, they became so because of their parents or their spouse and not through their own hard-work. They may have other admirable accomplishments or philanthropic endeavors but those did not necessarily contribute to their becoming billionaires but rather the other way around.
The highest ranking woman is Liliane Bettencourt (#17) with $22.9B, who inherited her wealth from her father, L'Oreal founder, Eugene Schueller. Her most prominent/public achievement was the establishment of the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller which strongly supports medical research, particularly with regard to HIV and AIDS.
Next in line is Christy Waton (#26) who received the money from her husband. Her father-in-law was Sam Walton of Walmart fame. Mrs. Walton contributes to school programmes. Following closely is her sister-in-law Alice who raises horses and founded a museum in Texas.
Ranked 43 is Abigail Johnson. Although her wealth is largely inherited (24% stake in her father's company, Fidelity) she wasn't one to just sit back. She received her MBA from Harvard University and became president in the company's mutual fund division.
Way down at #253 is Elena Baturina, 45 years old, from Russia who made her fortune in the construction business. She started out as a factory worker and has now become the richest self-made woman on the Forbes 2008 list.
What are they like? What are their lives like? If one could host a small dinner and have them as guests, what would the topics of conversation be?
I'll bet Elena thought of millionaires as unreachable years ago. Look at her now.
Watch out world. The women are starting to make their mark.
I wonder if these women were born with a silver spoon or if they climbed their way to the top.
The Forbes.com website counted 99 female billionaires this year. This figure is the equivalent of less than 9% of the global total.
Of these 99 women, only 10 are self-made and these are the women I think are more admirable. That is not to say that the rest of the 99 women are under achievers. However, while they can celebrate their being rich, they became so because of their parents or their spouse and not through their own hard-work. They may have other admirable accomplishments or philanthropic endeavors but those did not necessarily contribute to their becoming billionaires but rather the other way around.
The highest ranking woman is Liliane Bettencourt (#17) with $22.9B, who inherited her wealth from her father, L'Oreal founder, Eugene Schueller. Her most prominent/public achievement was the establishment of the Fondation Bettencourt Schueller which strongly supports medical research, particularly with regard to HIV and AIDS.
Next in line is Christy Waton (#26) who received the money from her husband. Her father-in-law was Sam Walton of Walmart fame. Mrs. Walton contributes to school programmes. Following closely is her sister-in-law Alice who raises horses and founded a museum in Texas.
Ranked 43 is Abigail Johnson. Although her wealth is largely inherited (24% stake in her father's company, Fidelity) she wasn't one to just sit back. She received her MBA from Harvard University and became president in the company's mutual fund division.
Way down at #253 is Elena Baturina, 45 years old, from Russia who made her fortune in the construction business. She started out as a factory worker and has now become the richest self-made woman on the Forbes 2008 list.
What are they like? What are their lives like? If one could host a small dinner and have them as guests, what would the topics of conversation be?
I'll bet Elena thought of millionaires as unreachable years ago. Look at her now.
Watch out world. The women are starting to make their mark.