Liliane Bettencourt
Liliane Bettencourt | |
|---|---|
| Born | 21 October 1922 |
| Occupation | Principal shareholder of L'Oréal |
| Spouse | André Bettencourt |
| Children | Françoise Bettencourt Meyers |
Liliane Bettencourt (born 21 October 1922 in Paris, France) is a French heiress, socialite, and businesswoman. She is the principal shareholder of L'Oréal and the wealthiest woman in Europe. She is the second richest person in France, behind Bernard Arnault whose wealth is estimated at US$16.5 billion, and she ranks 21st in wealthiest people in the world. Forbes magazine estimated her wealth in 2009 at US$13.4 billion.[1]
Bettencourt was the only child of 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 lived in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France together until Andre's death in November 2007. They had one daughter, Françoise,]. 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.
Bettencourt claims to have lost money in Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme. She is known to have invested a part of her fortune with Madoff through hedge fund adviser and investor René-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet.[2]
According to the BBC in December 2009, Liliane Bettencourt's daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers asked a French court to place her mother "under juridicial supervision to stop her hannding away her money".[3] Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers argues 87-year-old Liliane Bettencourt is no longer in her right mind after she gave away 1bn euros to a friend. However, Liliane Bettencourt has insisted she was in full possession of her faculties when she gave money and gifts to 62-year-old photographer Francois-Marie Banier over a several-year period. Olivier Metzner, acting for Ms Bettencourt-Meyers, 56, said she was seeking "only to protect Liliane Bettencourt" from exploitation by the unscrupulous. A lawyer for Mrs Bettencourt rejected this, accusing the daughter of trying to take control of her mother's finances. The two are reportedly not on speaking terms.
See also
References
- ^ #21 Liliane Bettencourt, Forbes, 11 March 2009. Accessed 12 March 2009.
- ^ L'Oreal heiress joins list of Madoff victims, Times Online, 24 December 2008. Accessed 24 December 2008.
- ^ Daughter of L'Oreal heiress in France court appeal, BBC News, 2 December 2009
External links
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