10 Women Who Are Billionaires (2 of 3)

Maria Franca Fissolo

Maria shares a similar story to Christy Walton as she too inherited money from her late husband. In this case Maria Franca Fissolo was married to Michele Ferrero, the Italian candy tycoon known for his candies but particularly Nutella. Michele passed away in 2015, and since then she – along with their son, Giovanni Ferrero – inherited the company that is behind popular candy and chocolate brands like Kinder, Tic Tacs, and Ferrero Rocher. She’s estimated to be worth 23.4 billion.

Susanne Klatten

Valued at $16.8 billion US, Susanne is the richest woman in Germany by inheriting the wealth of her father. German industrialist Herbert Werner Quandt was the man behind “saving” the BMW brand. His success with the car company was passed over to Susanne. Today, Susanne has been focusing on upgrading Altana AG, a pharmaceutical and chemical company. When her father passed away, he left her with 50.1 percent of the shares of Altana AG and 12.5 percent of BMW.

Johanna Quandt

Mother to Susanne Klatten, Johanna’s wealth came from her husband, Herbert Werner Quant. As the third wife to Herbert, she sits on the supervisory board of BMW and generally keeps a low profile. Not much is known about her except she’s worth $13.9 billion US and lives in Bad Homburg vor Der Hoehe, a small town near Hamburg. She also has provided a significant contribution to Germany’s education and journalism.