Bettencourt Meyers vs Adani

L'Oréal and Adani Group (Adani Enterprises).

The differences

Forbes puts Françoise Bettencourt Meyers about $6.8B ahead of Gautam Adani.Forbes figures from 7 Oct 2026 and 25 Aug 2026.
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers: inherited it. Gautam Adani: founded it.
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is about 9 years older than Gautam Adani.
Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is from France; Gautam Adani is from India.

Put someone else on either side

Bettencourt Meyers

Adani

Net worth, Forbes: $90.7BForbes, 7 Oct 2026; $83.9BForbes, 25 Aug 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $99.2BBloomberg, 16 Oct 2026; $110BBloomberg, 17 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 21Real-Time list, 7 Oct 2026; No. 24Real-Time list, 23 Aug 2026
Billionaire since: 2018First on a Forbes World's Billionaires list in 2018, its 'richest newcomer' at $42.2 billion, after her mother died in 2017; 2008Forbes: first appeared on its billionaires list in 2008, with $9.3 billion

How it started: Inherited itInherited the family's L'Oréal stake when her mother Liliane Bettencourt died in 2017; L'Oréal was founded by her grandfather Eugène Schueller; Founded itFounded Adani Exports (now Adani Enterprises) in 1988 in Ahmedabad; the group describes him as a first-generation entrepreneur
Main source: The family's L'Oréal stakeBloomberg: 'The majority of Francoise Bettencourt Meyers' fortune stems from her stake in L'Oreal'; Family stakes in the listed Adani Group companiesForbes gives the source as 'Infrastructure, commodities'
Companies: L'OréalL'Oréal: Largest shareholder through the family holding Téthys, which she chairs; L'Oréal director 1997-2025 and vice-chair from 2020; Adani Group (Adani Enterprises), Adani Green EnergyAdani Group (Adani Enterprises): Founder and chairman; Adani Green Energy: Chairman of the board
Biggest stake: L'Oréal34.79% owned; Adani Group (Adani Enterprises)74.67% owned

Born: 1953; 24 Jun 1962Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India
Country: FranceLives in Paris, France; IndiaLives in Ahmedabad, India
Education: Not stated; Not statedLeft school at 16 and joined the diamond trade in Bombay (now Mumbai) in 1978
Parents: Daughter of André and Liliane Bettencourt; her mother was the L'Oréal heiress and her grandfather Eugène Schueller founded L'OréalHer father's occupation is not stated; Seventh of eight children of Shantilal Adani, a textile merchant, and Shanta Adani

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: Fondation Bettencourt SchuellerShe is its founder and president; Adani FoundationThe group's social arm since 1996; he is listed as its president and Priti Adani as chairperson
Lifetime giving: Not stated; Not stated

Role now: Chair of the boardChair of Téthys, the family holding company that is L'Oréal's largest shareholder; president of Fondation Bettencourt Schueller; Chair of the boardFounder and chairman of the Adani Group
Successor: Her sons sit on L'Oréal's board: Jean-Victor Meyers (director since 2012, vice-chairman since 2025) and Nicolas Meyers (director since 2020); The group names four successors: his sons Karan Adani (managing director, Adani Ports) and Jeet Adani (director, Adani Airport Holdings), his nephew Sagar Adani (executive director, Adani Green Energy) and Pranav Adani (director, Adani Enterprises)From the group's 2024 succession briefing, which names no single successor; Britannica names Karan and Jeet as his sons and the SEC names Sagar as his nephew
Public office: None found; None found
Legal record: None found; 2026: US SECWithout admitting or denying the SEC's 2024 allegations of false statements about anti-bribery compliance in Adani Green Energy's 2021 bond offering, he consented to a final judgment with a $6 million civil penalty and an injunction, subject to court approval. Separately, a US federal court in Brooklyn dismissed the criminal counts against him with prejudice at the Justice Department's request; there was no conviction.