Aponte vs Mars

MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company and Mars, Incorporated.

The differences

Forbes puts Jacqueline Mars about $3.5B ahead of Gianluigi Aponte.Forbes figures from 11 Oct 2026 and 9 Oct 2026.
Gianluigi Aponte: founded it. Jacqueline Mars: inherited it.
Gianluigi Aponte is from Switzerland; Jacqueline Mars is from United States.

Put someone else on either side

Aponte

Mars

Net worth, Forbes: $46.8BForbes, 9 Oct 2026; $50.3BForbes, 11 Oct 2026
Net worth, Bloomberg: $52.7BBloomberg, date not stated; $48.8BBloomberg, 14 Oct 2026
Forbes rank: No. 40Real-Time list, 9 Oct 2026; No. 37Real-Time list, 8 Sep 2026
Billionaire since: Not stated; Not stated

How it started: Founded itFounded MSC in 1970 in Brussels with a single ship, after working as a ferry captain and a banker; Forbes says he and his wife Rafaela entered shipping together; Inherited itMars was founded by her grandfather Frank C. Mars in 1911; Forbes says she owns an estimated one-third of it
Main source: MSC Mediterranean Shipping CompanyBloomberg: 'Aponte's fortune is derived from closely held Mediterranean Shipping'; Mars, Incorporated (confectionery, snacks, food and pet care)
Companies: MSC Mediterranean Shipping CompanyMSC Mediterranean Shipping Company: Founder and executive chairman of the group; Mars, IncorporatedMars, Incorporated: None; retired
Biggest stake: MSC Mediterranean Shipping CompanyStake not stated; Mars, Incorporated33% owned

Born: 1940Sorrento, Italy; Not stated
Country: SwitzerlandLives in Geneva, Switzerland; United StatesLives in Virginia, United States
Education: Not statedItalian Maritime Academy (the nautical institute in his home town); Bachelor's degreeBryn Mawr College, class of 1961
Parents: From a family of sailors going back more than 300 years; his father opened a hotel in Somalia and died when he was five. He began as a ferry captain in the family business; Granddaughter of Mars founder Frank C. Mars; her father Forrest E. Mars Sr. joined and later led the family business

Giving Pledge: Not a signer; Not a signer
Foundation: MSC FoundationFounded by the Aponte family in 2018 as the MSC Group's philanthropic arm; Mars HQ Regional FoundationIts Form 990-PF lists her as president; the Mars Impact Fund is a company initiative
Lifetime giving: Not stated; Not stated

Role now: Runs the companyFounder and executive chairman of the MSC Group; RetiredNo role at Mars; formerly president of the Food Product Group and a board member
Successor: His son Diego Aponte (group president) and daughter Alexa Aponte (group CFO) took over ownership of MSC in the last quarter of 2025; Mars has been run by non-family management since 2001 (CEO Poul Weihrauch); her son Stephen Badger sits on the board
Public office: None found; None found
Legal record: None found; 2013: Loudoun County General District Court, VirginiaPleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving over a fatal crash in October 2013; the judge fined her $2,500 and suspended her licence for six months.