Johanna Quandt

Johanna Quandt
Johanna Quandt is the third wife and widow of industrialist Herbert Quandt, who rescued BMW from bankruptcy. She is one of the wealthiest women in Germany, with an estimated net worth of $13.3 billion. Although she retired from the supervisory board of BMW in 1997, she still owns more than 16% of the company. Her two children – Susanne Klatten (number 5 on our list) and Stefan Quandt are also shareholders of BMW and they sit on the supervisory board.

The wealth of the Quandt family is said to come from the period of Second World War, where they allegedly supported the Nazi regime. A documentary called The Silence of the Quandts was made about their family and their activities during Hitler’s dictatorship. In spite of that, the family tries to live outside the public gaze. They live very quietly and all the members except for Herbert’s son, Sven, have refused to give interviews for the film.
In December 2014, the Quandt family was estimated to be worth around $43.7 billion. Johanna lives in Bad Hoburg, a town near Frankfurt, and is known for support of journalism and education and her cultural and social contributions.