Liliane Bettencourt
| Liliane Bettencourt | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | October 21 1922  Paris, France |
| Occupation | Principal shareholder of L'Oréal |
| Net worth |  U.S. $20.7 billion |
| Spouse | André Bettencourt |
| Children | Françoise Bettencourt Meyers |
Liliane Bettencourt (born 21 October, 1922) is the second richest person in France, ranking 12th in wealthiest people in the world and the wealthiest woman living. Forbes magazine estimated her wealth in 2007 at $20.7 billion.
Bettencourt was the only child of Mr. Eugène Schueller, the founder of L'Oréal, one of the world's leading cosmetics and beauty companies. In 1927, her mother died when Liliane was 5 years old.
In 1950, she married French politician André Bettencourt and together, they live in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. They have one daughter, Françoise, who married Jean-Pierre Meyers, the grandson of a rabbi who died in Auschwitz concentration camp. Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is a member of L'Oréal's board of directors
In 1957, Bettencourt inherited the L'Oréal fortune from her father. She is the principal shareholder of L'Oréal. The company ownership breakdown: 27.5% by Liliane Bettencourt, 26.4% by Nestlé, the remaining 46.1% are publicly traded.
She created the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, which awards the "Liliane Bettencourt Prize for Life Sciences" to a European researcher under the age of forty-five.
A report by Forbes has her listed as the second richest person in France behind Bernard Arnault who has an estimated $26.0 billion.
Trivia
Liliane Bettencourt is the inspiration for the character of Lilliane Mattencourt in the Matthew Reilly novel Scarecrow
See also
External links
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