Today, Forbes announced its first ever list of America’s 50 Richest Self-Made Women. Jessica Alba Graces the Cover. She is One of Eight Women to Watch. Forbes today announced its first ever list of America’s 50 Richest Self-Made Women (p. 84) in the June 15, 2015 issue of Forbes magazine.
The exclusive class includes entrepreneurs, CEOs, entertainers, designers and an author. Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes tops the list with a net worth of $4.5 billion and is the youngest at 31, followed by 84 Lumber’s Diane Hendricks (No. 2), worth $3.7 billion, The Gap’s Doris Fisher (No. 3), worth $3.1 billion, Forever 21’s Jin Sook Chang (No. 4), worth $3.05 billion, and Oprah Winfrey (No. 5), with a net worth of $3 billion. Other notables who made the cut include Eren Ozmen (No. 19), who is chairman of Sierra Nevada, the biggest female-owned federal contractor in the U.S., former fashion model Kathy Ireland (No. 33), creator of American Girl dolls Pleasant Rowland (No. 46), and Martine Rothblatt (No. 35), a transgender woman who founded and runs biotech firm United Therapeutics. While the vast majority of these women founded or cofounded their companies, six are hired executives at Silicon Valley companies like Google and Yahoo. Fifteen of the list members were born outside of the U.S. including new billionaire Thai Lee (No.14), whose IT provider SHI International is the biggest woman owned company in the country.
Members of the 2015 inaugural list needed a minimum of $250 million in net worth to make the cut. To compile net worth, Forbes valued individuals’ assets, including the value of stakes in public companies, on May 15, when stock prices were locked in. Forbes valued private companies by speaking with an array of outside experts and conservatively comparing them with public competitors. To be eligible for this list, women had to have substantially made their own fortunes and be U.S. citizens or permanent residents whose main wealth is in the U.S. In cases where they started businesses with, and still share with, their husbands, Forbes assigned them half of that combined wealth. Forbes attempted to vet these numbers with all list entrants. Some cooperated; others didn’t. The top 15 women on the list include:
RANK NAME NET WORTH
1
Elizabeth Holmes
$4.5 billion
2
Diane Hendricks
$3.7 billion
3
Doris Fisher
$3.1 billion
4
Jin Sook Chang
$3.05 billion
5
Oprah Winfrey
$3 billion
6
Judy Faulkner
$2.6 billion
7
Johnelle Hunt
$2.4 billion
8
Judy Love
$2.4 billion
9
Marian Ilitch
$2.2 billion
10
Meg Whitman
$2.1 billion
11
Lynda Resnick
$2 billion
12
Elaine Wynn
$1.7 billion
13
Peggy Cherng
$1.5 billion
14
Thai Lee
$1.1 billion
14
Neerja Sethi
$1.1 billion
Jessica Alba is featured in the cover story Natural Woman (p. 66), in which Forbes exclusively reports that her stake in The Honest Company is worth as much as $200 million, making her one of the richest self-made women in Hollywood. She cofounded the natural, nontoxic products company in 2011; its revenues have gone up 1,400% in three years. Alba is well on her way to earning a spot on Forbes’ new list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women and just $50 million shy of Beyoncé and Judge Judy, who tied for the No. 49 spot. The only other celebrities to make the inaugural list are Oprah Winfrey (No. 5) and Madonna (No. 28). While these women made their fortunes in their core industry of entertainment, Alba, at only 34, has made it in a field completely unrelated to the films that made her famous.
The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women (p. 16) – They’re the new A-list: the 100 women at the forefront of business, tech, entertainment, finance, philanthropy, global leadership and more. The Modest Tycoon (p. 76) – SHI International is the largest woman-owned business in America, and it’s made Thai Lee a billionaire. She’d rather you not call her that. Fracking’s Cowboy Rides Again (p. 38) – America’s wildest wildcatter, Aubrey McClendon, found new life – and new billions – after his spectacular plunge from the top of the oil game. Trouble has already come calling. Painting Silicon Valley Red (p. 94) – China’s three tech giants – Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent – are quietly plowing billions into America’s hottest startups. Their goal: slit each other’s throats back home. The result: astounding valuations for app developers. Soccer’s Most Valuable Teams (p. 20) – The 20 richest “footy” franchises are now worth an average $1.16 billion. For the complete ranking, methodology, videos and more, visit www.forbes.com/self-made-women
News shared by Wendy Furrer Egan- Forbes
