Susanne Kalttern, who is from Germany, is the daughter of the legendary industrialist Herbert Quandt, the man who made BMW the luxury-car colossus it is today. When her father died, in 1982, he left Susanne, her younger brother Stefan, and his third wife Johanna Quandt his BMW holdings and other assets.

In addition to a 12.5-percent BMW stake, Susanne got a controlling share in Altana, one of Europe's most successful pharmaceutical and chemical concerns. Herbert Quandt also left vast sums to the children from his first two marriages. Her net worth is $17.4 billion (Source: Forbes magazine).