Elisabeth Badinter

Elisabeth Badinter, daughter of the founder of French communication firm Publicis Groupe, owes her wealth to a 10.5% inherited stake in the company; recent share price increases have pushed her stake over $1 billion. Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet founded Publicis in 1926; Badinter has been chair of the board since 1996. A professor at the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, feminist writer and intellectual, and mother of three, Badinter is author of several books, including European bestseller "The Conflict: How Modern Motherhood Undermines the Status of Women."