While Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and other Americans make up most of the world’s wealthiest men, their female counterparts are not behind at all in this category. With these industrious and innovative ladies leading the way, six American women are in the global top ten. This list contains the 16 wealthiest women with astonishing journeys and enterprises.
Sheryl Sandberg
When Sheryl Sandberg joined Facebook in 2008 as chief operating officer, she helped solve the company’s biggest problem. She transformed Facebook’s profitability through advertising strategies and earned 41 million shares. In addition to the profit she made selling more than half of her shares, Sandberg founded LeanIn.Org with a career across Google, McKinsey & Co., and Meta.
Alice Schwartz
With a mere $720 in savings, Alice and her husband David founded Bio-Rad Laboratories in 1952, pioneering innovations like ion exchange resins. Bio-Rad now has a catalog of 10,000 products and revenues of $2.7 billion in 2023. Alice Schwartz inspires future scientists and entrepreneurs by revolutionizing life science research and clinical diagnostics.
Elaine Wynn
Building a gaming and entertainment empire alongside her ex-husband, Steve, Elaine became a powerhouse in the industry. With a 9% stake in the company, she’s the largest individual shareholder of Wynn Resorts. Besides her philanthropy to arts and culture, Wynn is co-chair at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
Barbara Banks
This woman has gone from humble beginnings as a land use lawyer to a self-made billionaire. Barbara co-leads the family’s Stonestreet Farms racing stables and manages their wine empire, Jackson Family Wines, which she built alongside her late husband, Jess Jackson. Today, thanks to her business insight, the company is a global enterprise spanning 40+ wineries.
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey’s journey to fame is remarkable because she’s one of the most famous names here. Although born into poverty, her devoted efforts in the TV industry have made her one of the most influential women worldwide. Besides her books club and TV shows, which prove she’s the “Queen of media,” Ophrah has a net worth of $3 billion (estimated).
Peggy Cherng
Co-founder of Panda Express and wife of Andrew Cherng, Penny Cherng built a culinary empire that is now a household name in the American food industry. Thanks to her innovative marketing strategies, the Chinese-American fast food chain has about 2,300 locations worldwide. In the kindest gesture, Cherng donates part of her wealth to education and children’s welfare.
Meg Whitman
Currently serving as the United States ambassador to Kenya, Megan Whitman’s track record is a marvel. Before politics, she held executive roles at Disney, Dreamworks, Procter and Gamble, and Hasbro. Whitman showed her entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen when she helped transform eBay into a multi-billion dollar giant during her tenure in 1998.
Jayshree Ullal
As president and CEO of Arista Networks since 2008, Jayshree Ullal has helped the company achieve significant success, including about $5.9 billion in revenue in 2023. Her background in tech includes stints at Cisco Systems, Advanced Micro Devices, and Fairchild Semiconductor. She owns 3% of Arista’s stock and serves on the board of Snowflake, a cloud computing company.
Eren Ozmen
Eren Ozmen’s rags-to-riches story is an inspiring tale of entrepreneurial spirit. Starting as a Turkish immigrant in the US with little more than a suitcase, Ozmen and her husband built a business empire from scratch. She’s the owner and President of Sierra Nevada Corporation, a leading multi-billion dollar aerospace and defense contractor.
Johnelle Hunt
After selling off their home in 1961 and taking loans to start a rice hull packaging venture, Johnelle’s early beginnings have paid off. The business evolved into a trucking firm named J.B. Hunt Transport Services. The company went public in 1983 and grew into one of the biggest transportation services in the nation, hauling $12 billion in sales.
Gail Miller
Gail’s fortune skyrocketed after she took over her late husband Larry H. Miller’s vast portfolio in 2009. The Larry H. Miller Group of Companies comprised numerous car dealerships, a movie theatre chain, and a stake in the Utah Jazz. With minority stakes in the latter, Gail Miller is the wealthiest person in Utah.
Marian Ilitch
Famously known as Mrs. I, Marian Ilitch is the wife of the late Mike Ilitch, co-founder of Little Caesars Pizza, a pizza chain that rakes in over $5 billion annually in sales. Marian also owns several business ventures, including the Detroit Red Wings NHL team and MotorCity Casino Hotel.
Lynda Resnick
After dropping out of college at 19, Lynda started her ad agency, providing business marketing services. In 1960, she met her husband, Stewart, while working on his growing alarm business. They later established the Wonderful Company, one of the largest farming operations in America. They co-own the company and share an estimated $11.2 billion fortune.
Thai Lee
From humble beginnings to tech titan, Thai Lee’s journey inspires womenfolk. With her ex-husband, she acquired Software House in 1989 for under $1 million and built it into SHI International. Today, the organization serves over 15 million customers, including Boeing and AT&T. As CEO and 60% owner, Lee has a whopping $6.8 billion net worth (estimated).
Judith Faulkner
Judith Faulkner built a staggering $8 billion fortune in the healthcare industry when she founded Epic Systems, a software company. Within years, her brainchild grew from humble beginnings to dominate the industry. Judith aims to extend her legacy beyond her business, as she has pledged to donate 99% of her assets to charitable causes.
Diane Hendricks
Playboy bunny to business mogul! After marrying Ken Hendricks in 1975, Diane Hendricks partnered with her husband to enter the roofing and construction supplies industry. They founded ABC Supply in 1982 and grew it into a national success. Following Ken’s passing in 2007, Diane took the reins of their businesses to become America’s richest self-made woman.
