Liliane Bettencourt
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Liliane Bettencourt (born 21 October, 1922) is the richest person in France and one of the wealthiest people in the world. Forbes magazine placed her as the world's 16th richest billionaire in 2005, with $17.2 bn.
Bettencourt was the only child of Eugène Schueller, the founder of L'Oréal, the world's leading company in cosmetics and beauty. In 1927, her mother died when she was 5 years old. In 1950, she married French politician André Bettencourt. She now lives in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Together, they have one daughter, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, who is a member of L'Oréal's board of directors. Françoise Meyers married Jean-Pierre Meyers, the grand son of a rabin who died in Auschwitz.
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 publically traded.
Bettencourt's family has a reputation for secrecy, partially due to controversy surrounding her father's connection with La Cagoule, a violent French fascist-leaning and anti-communist group.
External Links
- Official website of L'Oréal (http://www.loreal.com)
- Forbes article on L'Oréal (http://www.forbes.com/global/2000/1127/0324130a.html)
- Forbes article on Liliane Bettencourt (http://www.forbes.com/billionaires/2005/03/18/cz_sh_0318oreal_bill05.html)
- Book Review of Bitter Scent (http://www.js.emory.edu/BLUMENTHAL/Bar%20Zohar.html)de:Liliane Bettencourt