Who was the richest self-made woman on Forbes’ 2024 global billionaire list?

Rafaela Aponte-Diamant was the richest self-made woman on Forbes’ 2024 global billionaire list.

Aponte-Diamant co-founded Mediterranean Shipping Company, usually called MSC, with her husband, Gianluigi Aponte. Forbes estimated her fortune at roughly $33 billion in 2024, making her the wealthiest self-made woman in that year’s global billionaire coverage.

MSC grew from a single ship acquired in 1970 into a vast shipping and logistics group. Its businesses include container shipping, ports, and cruise operations, giving the family fortune a different origin from technology or retail fortunes.

The term “self-made” is used by Forbes to distinguish fortunes built through business creation or growth from inherited wealth. Aponte-Diamant’s ranking can therefore differ sharply from the richest-woman-overall ranking, which included heirs such as Alice Walton.