That’s right, and that’s how she got her net worth, $37.6B, the richest woman in the world without having inherited her fortune
Using the path less taken can pay off big. Rafaela Aponte-Diamant and her husband each control a 50% stake in their company MSC and $37.6 billion in wealth.
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant, 80, is the richest self-made woman on Forbes 2025 billionaire list. She is equal partner in the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) with her husband Gianluigi Aponte giving each of them a net worth of $37.6 billion according to the business magazine making them the 44th wealthiest people in the world.
Their route to fabulous wealth began in 1970 with a $200,000 loan from a friend. With that and taking advantage of routes less traveled and opportunities from the covid-19 pandemic, they’ve built the world’s largest shipping company. Here’s a look at their rise to becoming billionaires.
The world’s richest self-made woman
A year before Rafaela and Gianluigi started MSC, they met on a ferry from Naples to Capri, of which he was the captain. They borrowed $200,000 from their friend Dominique Denat in 1970 to buy their first ship, a small cargo vessel named Patricia.
They grew their business by purchasing secondhand ships and carrying cargo on less trafficked routes like those between Europe and Africa. Within nine years of founding MSC they had built a fleet of 17 ships.
By 2022, MSC overtook its Danish rival Maersk to become the largest container shipping company in the world. At that time the couple was reportedly worth $8.4 billion each. But that didn’t come from just hauling containers from one place to another.
In 1988, they expanded into the holiday cruise industry establishing MSC Cruises which is now one of the largest in the world. That year they also set up MEDLOG, an inland logistics firm. And then in 2000 they established Terminal Investment Limited, a container terminal operator.
MSC now has 923 cargo ships and a share of the market that exceeds 20% according to Aplphliner’s TOP 100 list.
The power couple, who shy away from the limelight, have two children and both of them hold senior roles in the company. Their daughter Alexa is its CFO and son Diego is the company’s president. Gianluigi is MSC’s executive chairman.
While Rafaela does not have a formal role in the firm, she sits on the board of the MSC Foundation and is responsible for the decoration of the cruise ships, she has still played a key role in the growth of the company.
Speaking to the Swiss newspaper Le Matin in 2022, Denat said of her: “Her role is decisive. She has a very strong character.”
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