Françoise Bettencourt Meyers

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers (French: [fʁɑ̃swaz bɛtɑ̃kuʁ mɛjɛʁs]; born 10 July 1953) is a French businesswoman, philanthropist, writer, billionaire heiress, and the richest woman in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$81.8 billion as of 18 October 2023, according to Forbes.[1] She is the only child, heiress of Liliane Bettencourt and granddaughter of L'Oréal founder Eugène Schueller. Her mother died in September 2017, after which her fortune tripled with her investments through her family holding company, Tethys Invest, and the high valuation of L'Oréal shares on the stock exchange.[2]

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers
Born
Françoise Bettencourt

(1953-07-10) 10 July 1953
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
OccupationBusinesswoman
TitleVice Chairman, L'Oréal
SpouseJean-Pierre Meyers
Children2
Parent(s)André Bettencourt
Liliane Bettencourt
RelativesEugène Schueller (grandfather)

Biography

Raised to be a strict Catholic,[3] she has written several Bible commentaries.[4] She is the only daughter and heiress of Liliane Bettencourt. She married Jean-Pierre Meyers, the grandson of a rabbi murdered at Auschwitz. She converted to Judaism and they raised their children Jean-Victor and Nicolas as Jewish.[5][4] Her marriage caused controversy because of her grandfather Eugène Schueller's trial for collaboration with the Nazi government; he was L'Oreal's founder.[6] Bettencourt Meyers and her family still own a 33% stake in the company.[7][2]

In 2008, she sued François-Marie Banier for taking money from her mother,[6] and she started proceedings to have her mother declared mentally incompetent. The revelations in the secret recordings that she used in evidence led to the Woerth-Bettencourt scandal.

In December 2010, Bettencourt Meyers announced that she had settled out of court with both her mother and Banier.[8]

Her mother died in September 2017 when her net worth was about $39.5 billion, which makes Bettencourt Meyers among the top 20 richest people in the world.

After a fire severely damaged Notre-Dame de Paris, Bettencourt Meyers and L'Oréal pledged $226 million to repair the cathedral.[9]

As of January 2022, she is the richest woman in the world, with an estimated fortune of $94.9 billion, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.[10]

Bibliography
  • The Greek gods. Genealogy (Les Dieux grecs. Généalogies), Paris, éd.
  • A look at the Bible (Regard sur la Bible), 5 vol., Introduction by Alain Decaux, Published, November 2008, awarded the prix des Lauriers Verts (section « Spirituality ») in 2009:
    • Words and expressions originating in the Bible
    • From one Testament to the other, Judaism and Catholicism
    • Family Tree of Adam Eve, and the Tribes of Israel
    • Animals, Plants, Measures, money, and numbers in the Bible
    • Genealogic section

See also

References
  1. "Francoise Bettencourt Meyers & family". Forbes. Retrieved 30 March 2023.
  2. "Francoise Bettencourt Meyers & family". Forbes. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  3. "Meet the New 'World's Richest Woman,' a 64-Year-Old Expert on Greek Gods Who Shuns the Spotlight". Money. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  4. Les Échos Archived 15 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine, December 2009.
  5. "Who is Francoise Bettencourt, the richest woman in the world? How much is she worth?". Diario AS. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  6. The Guardian, 10 July 2010
  7. "L'Oréal Finance : Share Ownership". www.loreal-finance.com. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  8. La Tribune December 2010.
  9. "Francoise Bettencourt Meyers & family". Forbes. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  10. "Bloomberg Billionaires Index: Francoise Bettencourt Meyers". Bloomberg. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
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