The Husbands And Boyfriends Of Some Of The World’s Richest Women
The old saying goes, "behind every great man, there is a great woman," but is the opposite also true? A 2015 study published by Statista found that over 85 percent of the world's billionaires are married, with only 4 percent describing themselves as 'single'. Is that part of the reason for their success?
The women on this list are some of the most successful businesswomen on the planet, with net worths up to $2.5 billion. Many have partners who are in the same industry as them, with net worths on the same scale, but not all. See who the richest women go home to at the end of the workday-- plus which billionaires are currently single.
Spanx Founder Sara Blakely And Entrepreneur Husband Jesse Itzler
Billionaire Sara Blakely is a self-made woman who earned her fortune through her company Spanx. She founded and launched the brand from her Atlanta apartment in 2000 and has since grown the business into a billion-dollar company.
In the early stages of the company, Blakely's then-boyfriend show his support for her business and eventually became Spanx's COO. However, the relationship fizzled out and she married eccentric entrepreneur Jesse Itzler in 2008. The couple has four children together and has partial ownership of the NBA team the Atlanta Hawks.
Clif Bar Founders Kit Crawford And Husband Gary Erickson
Kit Crawford is the woman behind the popular energy snack bars, Clif Bars and Luna Bars. Crawford and her husband Gary Erickson own 80% of the company and have an estimated net worth of $850 million. Crawford met Erickson in the '80s while working part-time at a bakery that he owned.
The San Francisco Bay Area couple was offered $120 million to sell Clif and Luna Bars but turned it down, intending to continue running and owning the business themselves for many years to come. The couple also owns a winery in Napa Valley, named Clif Family Winery, and a venture capital firm, White Road Investments.
Fashion Designer Tory Burch And Third Husband Pierre-Yves Roussel
Fashion designer Tory Burch is massively successful. She launched her brand Tory Burch LLC in 2004 and leads the company as the Executive Chairwoman, and Chief Creative Officer. Today her net worth is an estimated $850 million.
Burch has been twice divorced-- her first marriage was to William Macklowe, son of a real estate tycoon. Her second husband, J. Christopher Burch, helped co-found her company and together they have three sons. Today she's married to French businessman Pierre-Yves Roussel, who is also the CEO of her brand.
Actress And Producer Reese Witherspoon And Talent Agent Husband Jim Toth
Many recognize Reese Witherspoon as an actress, but did you know her producing and entrepreneurial skills have helped her build a massive fortune and a net worth of $240 million? Witherspoon has countless ventures and businesses, and she isn't slowing down anytime soon.
She married her first husband, actor Ryan Philippe, in 1999. The couple had two children together before separating in 2006. Witherspoon is now married to Jim Toth, a talent agent who also co-heads Creative Artists Agency. They welcomed a son in 2012.
Musical Artist Taylor Swift And Boyfriend, English Actor Joe Alwyn
With an estimated net worth of $320 million, musical artist Taylor Swift is one of the richest self-made women on the planet. Her success started with her debut album in 2006. Today, she's sold over 200 million records worldwide, making Swift one of the best-selling music artists of all time-- and she's only 30 years old!
Swift tries to keep her personal life out of the public eye and keep her fans' focus on her music. For the last three years, Swift has reportedly been dating English actor Joe Alwyn, a millionaire in his own right. The couple has gone so far as to wear disguises while together to fly under the radar.
Media Mogul Oprah Winfrey And Partner, Author And Businessman Stedman Graham
Oprah Winfrey is an international icon. Her incredible career started in radio and today she owns a media empire. Her net worth is an estimated $2.5 billion and it's no surprise. She's famously never married but has been in a partnership with Stedman Graham since 1986, when they met at a charity event.
The couple became engaged in November 1992, but never held a ceremony or married. She told USA Today, "Both he and I now say, 'If we had married, we would not be together.'" Oprah also says that he allows her to be who she needs to be in the world.
Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg And Fiance Tom Bernthal, CEO Of Brand Consulting Firm
One of the most well-recognized women on this list is Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook who boasts a net worth of $1.7 billion. She's consistently made Fortune's "Most Powerful Women in Business" list since 2007, joining Facebook in its early stages and helping the company become the mega-force it is today.
Sandberg married Yahoo! executive Dave Goldberg, with whom she had two kids. Tragically, he suddenly passed away in 2015. Since his death, Sandberg dated Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick for three years, before dating and becoming engaged to Kelton Global CEO Tom Bernthal.
Cosmetics Brand Owner Huda Kattan Appointed Husband Chris Goncalo Head Of Business Development
Huda Kattan made her $610 million fortune in the cosmetics industry. Her make-up line Huda Beauty, based out of Dubai, was launched in 2013 and quickly grew over the following five years, due in part to her 35 million followers on Instagram.
Born and raised in Oklahoma with Iraqi parents, Kattan met her now-husband Chris Goncalo when they were just in high school. He is the head of business development of the Huda Beauty brand. Together, they have one daughter.
California Baby Founder Jessica Iclisoy Appointed Husband Arthur Iclisoy As CFO
Jessica Iclisoy became a millionaire after becoming a mom. When she was pregnant with her first child in 1990, Iclisoy grew concerned with the quality and safety of baby products. What initially started in her kitchen grew into a $330 million dollar business, California Baby, offering safer baby formula and products with more natural ingredients.
Jessica is married to her husband Arthur but made it clear that she wanted her business to be her own. She told Worth, "I didn't want anybody telling me what to do-- not even my husband."
Cosmetics Billionaire Kylie Jenner Is Currently Single
The world began to take reality TV star Kylie Jenner a bit more seriously once she landed on the cover of Forbes boasting a net worth of $1 billion. Jenner's company Kylie Cosmetics can hardly produce its products fast enough to meet demand. Her 2016 holiday collection raked in $19 million in one day.
Jenner has a child with ex-boyfriend Travis Scott, but is currently single. Fans have been keeping a close eye on her Instagram (she has 195.8 million followers) and speculate that she may be dating model Fai Khadra.
Proactiv Co-founder Katie Rodan Appointed Her Husband Amnon Rodan As Chairman
Katie Rodan is a dermatologist who envisioned taking her work beyond the doctor's office. Along with her longtime business partner Kathy Fields, Rodan started the hugely successful skincare company Proactiv. The company was sold in 2016, setting her estimated net worth at an incredible $1.5 billion.
Rodan is married to Ammon Rodan, who is the chairman of Proactiv's parent company Rodan + Fields. Together, they have two children and live in San Francisco.
Aerospace Billionaire Eren Ozmen And Business Partner Husband Fatih Ozmen
Billionaire Eren Ozmen earned her fortune in the aerospace and defense industry. She is the president and majority owner of Sierra Nevada Corp, which in 2020, won the NASA contract for a cargo spaceplane to deliver supplies to the International Space Station.
Ozmen's estimated net worth is $1.3 billion. She and her husband Fatih Ozmen bought the company together in 1994, and grew it to be what it is today, acquiring 19 companies since then. They live in Reno, Nevada with their two children.
IT Billionaire Neerja Sethi And Business Partner Husband Bharat Desai
Neerja Sethi made her $1 billion fortune in IT. Sethi and her husband Bharat Desai started their company Syntel in 1980 with just $2,000. By 2017, the company was earning a whopping $924 million in revenue. The couple sold their company to Atos in late 2018.
Coming from humble beginnings, the now-wealthy couple has built and managed their business wisely and has roughly 80% of their workforce of 23,000 employees based in India, where they each grew up.
Computer Networking Billionaire Jayshree Ullal And CEO Husband Vijay Ullal
The list of honors and awards attributed to billionaire Jayshree Ullal is incredible. Born in London and raised in India, Ullal worked her way up in the computer networking industry. Today she's one of the richest female executives on the planet, with an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion.
Her husband Vijay Ullal is a former president and CEO of a semiconductor company in the San Francisco Bay Area, where they live with their two children.
Panda Express Founders, Married Couple Peggy Chang And Andrew Chang
Billionaire Peggy Chang was raised in Hong Kong, while her husband Andrew Chang is from the Yangzhou region of China's Jiangsu province. The couple met while they were both attending Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas.
After graduating, Peggy quit her engineering job in the early '80s to help Andrew and his father open an American-Chinese fast food restaurant. Together, Peggy and Andrew built the Panda Express fast-food chain, which now has more than 2,000 locations. Today, Peggy's net worth is an estimated $1.4 billion.
Forever 21 Founders And Married Couple Jin Sook Chang And Do Won Chang
After immigrating to California from South Korea, Jin Sook Chang founded Forever 21 with her husband Do Won Chang in the Highland Park neighborhood of Los Angeles in 1984. With just $11,000 in savings to start, the company flourished. By 2013, Forever 21 had 480 store locations.
Although neither Jin Sook nor her husband attended college, they were proudly able to send their daughters to Ivy League schools with their combined fortune of $1.6 billion.
Cosmetics Billionaire Anastasia Soare Is Currently Single
Billionaire Anastasia Soare earned her fortune through her cosmetics company Anastasia Beverly Hills. Born in Romania, Soare made a name for herself after taking notice of the untapped market of eyebrow care and related cosmetics, which other businesses thought would not do well.
She married captain Victor Soare in 1978, but divorced in 1994. Since then, the billionaire hasn't been spotted with anyone new and is reportedly single and living in Beverly Hills.
IT Solutions CEO Thai Lee Is Currently Single
The CEO of SHI International, Thai Lee is an incredibly successful and wealthy woman. The technology company she leads provides IT solutions for over 17,000 businesses worldwide, including AT&T and Boeing. A Harvard graduate, Lee was born and raised in South Korea before moving to the U.S. in high school.
She married her first husband Leo KoGuan in 1989. Also well-educated and successful, the couple had two children together before divorcing in 2002. Lee is currently single and has an estimated net wealth of $2.1 billion.
Married Couple And Convenience Store Business Partners Judy Love And Tom Love
Judy Love and her husband Tom Love married in late 1961. Together, they leased an Oklahoma gas station as a business venture. The couple introduced Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores which have grown to more than 500 locations across 40 states.
Judy is also a board member of several major universities and foundations in the Oklahoma City area. She has four children and a net worth of $6 billion.
Jewelry Millionaire Carolyn Rafaelian Is Currently Single
Carolyn Rafaelian made her fortune in the jewelry industry. She took over her father's jewelry business and rebranded it as Alex and Ani in 2004, honoring her two daughters from her first marriage, and rapidly grew the business exponentially. Since her divorce, Rafaelian hasn't been seen dating a new beau.
She has reportedly purchased more than 30 properties, including an expansive 60-room mansion in her home state of Rhode Island. Recently, Rafaelian's company faced a devastating lawsuit, nearly cutting her estimated net worth nearly in half, from $1 billion in 2017 to $520 million in 2019.
