Akash Ambani to Mark Mateschitz: Who are the world’s richest families’ heirs?

10/05/2024

From Mukesh Ambani, the Reliance Industries boss and Asia’s richest person, to LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, every major name in the world of business reached their exalted standing through perseverance and decades of hard work. Of course, most of the world’s richest people chose the arduous way to success. But as the world witnesses a generational shift, it is evident that scores of young business minds are among those who had a rather smooth beginning — they were born into wealth. Thus, some of the richest heirs in the world in 2024 feature the most affluent scions of renowned family businesses whose fortune runs in billions.

Inheritance and succession planning is a major part of every family business. The sole intent of setting up the next generation to take up the reins, defining clear boundaries among them to help carry the enterprise forward and creating a perennial source of wealth for the company has led to the rise of a league of immensely affluent heirs.

Hence, when Indian software tycoon Narayana Murthy gifted his four-month-old grandson Ekagrah Rohan Murty 1.5 million Infosys shares or 0.04 per cent of his equity holding, worth INR 210 crores (around USD 25 billion), it made the infant the youngest billionaire Infosys shareholder.

Forbes states that roughly a third of the 2,781 people on the 2024 list of the world’s Billionaires ranking, amounting to 934 heads, were handed down their fortune from their elders. Together, they are worth USD 5 trillion. This is a rise from 827 people, worth USD 4 trillion, in 2023. Interestingly, this is also the first time that the entire cohort of billionaires under 30 inherited their net worth.

This story lists the heirs of some of the richest families the world over who have taken up or are on the way to holding key positions in the family businesses. It does not follow any particular order of the top richest families in the world but gives a glimpse of the next-generation scions who might take the beacon ahead.

From expanding business empires to solidifying the fortunes they have received, these heirs could eventually rewrite the world’s billionaires list. While Forbes released a list on 6 April 2024, Bloomberg listed India’s richest heirs on 4 April 2024, and both show the new era of economic bigwigs.

These are the heirs of some of the richest business families in the world

Akash Ambani, Isha Ambani and Anant Ambani

Image credit: Sujit Jaiswal/ AFP

Source of Wealth: Reliance Industries

Parent: Mukesh Ambani

Family wealth: USD 113.5 billion

The force behind Reliance Industries, India’s largest private company, the Ambani family wealth is staggering. After their father’s death, brothers Mukesh and Anil Ambani inherited Reliance, but a family feud led them on separate ways. While Anil’s part of the business plummeted and was dropped from the billionaire’s list, Mukesh became extremely profitable and is among the top 10 billionaires in the world.

His elder son Akash Ambani leads the telecom business called Jio Infocom and has a reported net worth of USD 40 billion. His twin sister Isha Ambani serves as a non-executive director of the e-commerce arm, Reliance Retail Ventures, and has an estimated net worth of over USD 100 million. Mukesh’s youngest son Anant Ambani takes care of the renewable energy aspects as well as is the mastermind behind Vantara, the elephant rescue centre in Gujarat. He, too, has a net worth that runs into billions.

Delphine Arnault, Antoine Arnault, Jean Arnault, Frédéric Arnault, Alexandre Arnault

Source of wealth: LVMH

Parent: Bernard Arnault

Family wealth: USD 214.1 billion

As children of the richest person on the planet, the five Arnault siblings hold key positions under the LVMH banner. Similar to other world’s richest heirs, they are only working their way up to take over the luxury business empire and are following in their father Bernard Arnault’s footsteps whose net worth is about USD 208.5 billion, states Forbes.

Delphine Arnault, 49, was made the CEO of Dior in 2023. The EDHEC and the London School of Economics alum was previously the executive vice president of Louis Vuitton, in charge of products and was the deputy managing director of Christian Dior Couture. She sits as a member of LVMH’s board of directors and the group’s executive committee as well.

Next in line, Antoine Arnault, 46, heads communications, image and environment for LVMH and is the chairman and CEO of LVMH holding company Christian Dior SE. The Arnault heir served as the CEO of the menswear label Berluti from 2012 to 2023. Although he stepped down from the position, he continues as the brand’s chairman. Since 2013, he has also been the chairman of Italian cashmere brand Loro Piana. The member of the LVMH board of directors has previously been the head of communications at Louis Vuitton. According to Celebrity Net Worth, his fortune stands at around USD 500 million.

Alexandre Arnault, 31, is the executive vice president, in charge of product and communications at Tiffany. From 2016 to 2020, he served as CEO of luggage maker Rimowa. Celebrity Net Worth states his net worth is around USD 500 million as well.

Image credit: Frédéric Arnault/ @frederic.arnault/ Instagram

At 29, Frédéric Arnault became the CEO of LVMH watches in January 2024. The young Arnault heir was the CEO of Tag Heuer from 2020 to 2023. He joined the watch company in 2017 and was the head of strategy and digital director.

The youngest Arnault heir, Jean Arnault, 25, joined LVMH in 2021 as the director of marketing and development of Louis Vuitton’s watches division.

Mark Mateschitz

Source of wealth: Red Bull

Parent: Dietrich Mateschitz

Mark Mateschitz became one of the richest young billionaires with a net worth of USD 38.7 billion, according to the Forbes Billionaires Index. As the only son of Red Bull co-founder, Mateschitz became the heir to his father Dietrich Mateschitz’s 49 per cent stake in the company after his demise in 2022. His fortune is also the result of real estate and high stakes in the Red Bull F1 racing team. Forbes also mentions that Red Bull dividends (pretax) added another USD 630 million over the last year.

Following the mammoth inheritance, Mark Mateschitz stepped down as Head of Organics at Red Bull to focus on his role as a shareholder. He is also a part of the board of the Red Bull Wings for Life Foundation, which his mother mainly supervises.

Karan and Jeet Adani

Source of wealth: Adani Group

Parent: Gautam Adani

Family wealth: USD 102.4 billion

Sons of one of India’s richest businesspersons, Gautam Adani, Karan and Jeet Adani are the next generation heirs to the business empire. Karan holds a degree in Economics from Purdue University, US, and started his career with the Adani Group at Mundra Port in 2009. He succeeded his father in 2024 as the managing director at Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSEZ), after serving as the CEO from 2016. Besides this, he has been a director of ACC Cements since 2022 and is a non-executive director for Ambuja Cements. According to Financial Express, Karan Adani has a net worth of USD 1.2 billion.

His brother Jeet Adani is the other scion of the ever-growing empire. He joined the Adani Group in 2019, and the following year, he became the director of Adani Airport Holdings. In 2021, he was appointed the vice president of Group Finance and director of Adani Digital Labs. According to a 2023 report by the Financial Express, it is developing a super app to support all Adani Group customers. He has a reported net worth of around USD 1.2 billion.

Pallon Mistry

Image credit: Shapoorji Pallonji Group

Source of wealth: Shapoorji Pallonji Group

Parent: Shapoor Mistry

Family wealth: USD 37.7 billion

Son of Shapoor Mistry, chairman of the Shapoorji Pallonji Group, Pallon Mistry is a director of the group. A sought-after name in the construction business, it was founded by Pallonji Mistry in 1865. Over the years, the company has expanded into real estate and engineering and has built several landmarks across the — Reserve Bank of India in Mumbai and the Al Alam Palace for the Sultan of Oman.

The family also has stakes in Tata Sons, the main holding company behind Tata Group. Pallon Mistry has done his masters at the Imperial College London. Although his net worth may not be clearly defined, Bloomberg quotes the family’s wealth to be around USD 37.7 billion, while Forbes states Shapoor Mistry has a net worth of USD 9.4 billion.

His career, position and family lineage show that he is one of the richest heirs in the world. According to a 2019 report by The Economic Times, his sister, Tanya handles the group’s corporate social responsibility activities.

Rohan Murty

Source of wealth: Infosys, Soroco

Parent: Narayana Murthy

Net worth of Narayana Murthy: USD 4.3 billion

As the son of the tech giant and Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, Rohan Murty is an heir to a large fortune from his father’s business. He did his PhD in computer science from Harvard University and joined Infosys as an executive assistant at the Chairman’s Office, reporting to his father. However, he left his position a year later and started his own firm, Soroco.

As an Infosys heir, he received 1.67 per cent of the company, which amounted to 6,08,12,892 shares which yielded a dividend income of INR 106.42 crore (nearly USD 12 million). He serves as Soroco’s CTO. Although the company doesn’t declare its figures, its success placed Murty in Fortune’s ’40 Under 40′ list in 2023.

In April 2024, Narayana Murthy gifted his five-month-old grandson, Ekagrah Rohan Murty, 1.5 million Infosys shares, which brought in a dividend income of INR 4.2 crore (around USD 480,000). A Times of India report states the shares are valued at INR 1,400 (around USD 16.8), implying the infant’s total holding is around INR 210 crore (nearly USD 25 million). This paves the way for the upcoming generation of the Murty family to be inducted into the business.

Jean-Victor Meyers and Nicolas Meyers

Image credit: L’Oreal

Source of wealth: L’Oreal

Parent: Françoise Bettencourt Meyers

Net worth of Françoise Bettencourt Meyers: USD 94.5 billion

The richest woman in the world for four years straight, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers inherited 33 per cent of cosmetics giant L’Oréal. She serves as the vice chair of the company’s board of directors and the chairperson of her family’s investment firm, Téthys Invest.

Meyer’s chemist grandfather Eugène Paul Louis Schueller laid the foundation of L’Oreal in 1909. She became the first woman to cross the USD 100 billion net worth mark in 2018, a year after her mother, businesswoman and socialite Liliane Bettencourt passed away.

Meyer has two sons — Jean-Victor and Nicolas. Jean-Victor, 37, joined the board of directors in 2012 by replacing his grandmother. He was 25 years old, which made him the youngest director of a publicly listed company in France. At the time, Le Journal du Dimanche reported that Jean-Victor earned between USD 66,000 and USD 120,000. He is currently a member of the Strategy and Sustainability Committee and has been a part of Téthys since January 2011. He is also a member of the Supervisory Board of the investment subsidiary Téthys Invest.

Nicolas, 36, too, has been a part of Téthys since 2011 and has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Téthys Invest since 2016. He has held the position of director of the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation since 2012 and joined the L’Oréal board of directors in 2020 where he is a member of the Audit Committee.

David Koch Jr, Mary Julia Koch and John Koch

Source of wealth: Koch Industries

Parent: Julia Koch

Family wealth: USD 64.9 billion

One of the most affluent families in the world, the Koch family is the pillar behind Koch Industries. Founded by Fred Koch in the 1940s, the oil business was inherited by his four sons Frederick, Charles, David and William. However, after a family feud saw the exit of Frederick and William, the other two siblings soared to high levels.

When David died in 2019, his widow Julia Koch became one of the richest women in the world. Along with their three children, David Jr, Mary Julia and John, she became the heir to his 42 per cent share of the company and has a net worth of USD 65.3 billion. She is a part of the board of directors and serves as the President of the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation. Charles Koch, on the other hand, has been the chairperson since 1967 and became the co-CEO in 2023.

While not much is known about her children, it goes beyond doubt that the three siblings are heirs to one of the biggest and most affluent businesses in the world.

Ananya and Aryaman Vikram Birla

Image credit: Ananya Birla/ @ananyabirla/ Instagram; Aryaman Vikram Birla/ @aryamanvb/ Instagram

Source of wealth: Aditya Birla Group

Parent: Kumar Mangalam Birla

Family wealth: USD 21.7 billion

While Bloomberg quotes their family wealth as USD 18.8 billion, the Forbes Billionaires Index shows patriarch Kumar Mangalam Birla’s net worth to be USD 20.6 billion. He is the fourth-generation heir to the commodities behemoth which he inherited at the age of 28 after his father Aditya Birla died in 1995. Kumar Mangalam Birla’s children joined the boards of Grasim and Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail in 2023 and are heirs to the soaring business.

Daughter Ananya Birla, 30, is also the CEO of Svatantra Microfinance, a financial services company that provides aid to low-income households and women entrepreneurs in rural India. She has founded CuroCarte as well. It is a luxury e-commerce platform that brings handmade and artisanal products from across the world under one roof. Besides joining the business, she is a music star whose debut single “Livin’ the Life” earned huge popularity. Her income and salary are not disclosed publicly, but reports suggest the Birla heiress has a net worth of around USD 13 billion.

Her brother Aryaman Vikram Birla, is a cricketing star and a former player of the IPL team Rajasthan Royals. He made his first-class debut for Madhya Pradesh during the 2017-2018 Ranji Trophy and scored his first ton in November 2018. That year, the Rajasthan Royals took him in for INR 30 lakh (around USD 36,000). However, he took a break from cricket in 2019 to focus on mental health. His reported net worth is around INR, 70,000 crores (USD 8.4 billion).

(The information is accurate as of the date of publishing)

(Hero image credit: Frédéric Arnault/ @frederic.arnault/ Instagram; Shaleena Nathani/ @shaleenanathani/ Instagram; Feature image credit: Pratik Chorge/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)