The secretive self-made billionaire’s fortune surpasses big names like Cloudflare’s Michelle Zatlyn, Advanced Micro Devices’ Lisa Su, and Taylor Swift.
Cloudflare co-founder Michelle Zatlyn, semiconductor billionaire Lisa Su of Advanced Micro Devices, and pop star Taylor Swift are among the world’s richest self-made women, according to Forbes’ 2024 billionaires list.
But 79-year-old billionaire Rafaela Aponte-Diamant’s wealth tops them all.
Forbes estimates that the Italian-Swiss shipping magnate is worth $33 billion. That’s enough to make her the world’s seventh-richest woman and the world’s 48th-richest billionaire.
According to Forbes, there are only 96 self-made female billionaires in the world. The other 241 women on the global billionaires list have inherited their shares. Self-made women make up just 3.6% of the world’s billionaires
Aponte-Diamant’s billions stem from a 50% stake in the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), which she and her husband Gianluigi Aponte founded in 1970.
The couple met in 1969 on a ferry to the Italian island of Capri. Aponte was a boat captain ferrying tourists from the port city of Naples to resorts on the island. Rafaela was the daughter of a Swiss banker.
A year later, the couple borrowed $200,000 to buy their first ship, the cargo ship Patricia. That same year, they raised $280,000 to found MSC and named their second ship “Rafala” in honor of Rafaela Aponte-Diamant.
Over the years, MSC has grown into one of the world’s leading shipping companies. According to data from Alphaliner, MSC is the world’s largest global container shipping company in terms of both fleet (more than 800 ships) and capacity.
MSC moved its headquarters from Naples to Geneva in 1978. The company also owns the world’s third-largest cruise line, MSC Cruises. According to Forbes, Aponte-Diamant oversees the interior decoration of the cruise ships.
The Apontes are particularly private and rarely make public appearances when MSC launches new cruise ships. In 2006, they appeared with French actor Gérard Depardieu at the inauguration of MSC Musica.
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant’s children all hold senior positions at MSC. Their son Diego is the company’s chairman, while their daughter Alexa is its chief financial officer.
Aponte-Diamant and her husband, 83, are ranked 48th on Forbes’ list. They are worth a combined $66 billion. Forbes estimates that the shipping magnates are richer than some of the biggest names in the business, including Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao, SoftBank boss Masayoshi Son and Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin.
Although she has no formal position at MSC, Rafaela has been instrumental in its growth, according to Dominique Denat, who lent the Apontes money to buy their first ship in 1970. “She is a very strong character,” Dominique Denat told Swiss newspaper Le Matin in 2022.
