None of the feature in the list of the top 10 richest people in the world - those places are all taken by men.
And a comparison with the men’s list reveals one striking difference - there are no tech entrepreneurs here (although Amazon’s passed-on wealth does make an appearance). No, the companies run by these women are in retail, construction, and finance. We have not yet seen the emergence of what could be dubbed the “tech sis” to any huge financial degree, although that will surely only be a matter of time.
Instead we have a welter of famous brand names - L’Oreal, Walmart, MSC and Mars among them - who make up what nowadays can be seen as the old guard in the business world.
Starting with the wealthiest, here is the list:
5. Abigail Johnson
Abigail Johnson is worth $38.1bn, making her the fifth richest woman and 41st richest person in the world today. She has been chairman (since 2016) and CEO (since 2014) of Fidelity Investments after taking over from her father Edward Johnson III. His father, Edward Johnson II, founded the Boston-based mutual fund giant in 1946. Forbes says she owns an estimated 28.5 per cent stake of the firm, which as of June 2024 managed discretionary assets worth $5.5 trillion. The company has been enthusiastic about cryptocurrency. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
6. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant is worth $37.7bn, according to Forbes. She and her husband Gianluigi - the couple are pictured with French actor Gerard Depardieu in 2006 at the launch of their ship the MSC Musica - each own a 50 per cent stake in Mediterranean Shipping Company, the world's largest shipping line. Rafaela first met Gianluigi on a trip to the Italian island of Capri in the 1960s, when Gianluigi was a ship captain. They entered the shipping industry together in 1970, when they purchased a ship with a $200,000 loan, says Forbes. MSC has various divisions including holiday cruises, inland logistics and port operations. Rafaela is responsible for decorating ships for MSC Cruises; Gianluigi is MSC's executive chairman and their son, Diego, is MSC's president. | Frank Perry/AFP via Getty Images
7. MacKenzie Scott
MacKenzie Scott rocketed into the rich list after her divorce from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Now worth $33.5bn, she is a philanthropist and author and as part of her divorce settlement was given a four per cent stake in the online retailer. Like many in the rich list, she has signed the Giving Pledge, promising to give away at least half of her wealth over the course of her lifetime - so far she has donated $17.3bn. Scott, who has published two novels, was a student of author Toni Morrison at Princeton and worked as a research assistant for her. | Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images
8. Savitri Jindal and family
Savitri Jindal and her family are worth $32.8bn through the Jindal Group, which works in steel, power, cement and infrastructure. She chairs the group, which was founded by her late husband Om Prakash Jindal. After he died in a 2005 helicopter crash, the group's companies were divided among his four sons, who now run them independently, under their mother's auspices. | Savitri Jindal/X