Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken (born 30 June 1954) is a Dutch billionaire businesswoman, and the owner of a 25% controlling interest in the world's second-largest brewer, Heineken N.V. As of July 2024, Forbes estimated her net worth at US$14.1 billion.[2]
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken | |
|---|---|
| Born | Charlene Heineken 30 June 1954 Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Education | Rijnlands Lyceum Wassenaar |
| Alma mater | Leiden University |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent(s) | Freddy Heineken Lucille Cummins |
Early life
editCharlene Heineken was born on 30 June 1954, the daughter of Freddy Heineken, a Dutch industrialist, and Lucille Cummins, an American from a Kentucky family of bourbon whiskey distillers. She was educated at Rijnlands Lyceum Wassenaar, followed by a law degree from Leiden University.[2]
Career
editShe owns a 25% controlling stake in Dutch brewer Heineken, of which she is also an executive director.[3]
The biannual Heineken Prize for cognitive science is named after her.[4]
Personal life
editShe is married to Michel de Carvalho, a British financier, director of Citigroup and a former Olympic skier, whom she met on a ski holiday in St. Moritz, Switzerland.[5] He is known for portraying T.E. Lawrence's ill-fated servant Farraj in the 1962 film classic Lawrence of Arabia as a teen, and he is currently a member of the supervisory board of Heineken NV. They reside in London with their five children.[2][6][7]
Upon the death of her father in 2002, Charlene inherited about £3 billion, making her the wealthiest person with Dutch citizenship.[8][9] Prior to that, she had no money to her name except for one share of Heineken stock.[1] In 2019, the Sunday Times Rich List ranking of the wealthiest people in the UK named her the wealthiest woman and the 7th overall, with an estimated fortune of £12 billion.[10] Charlene's wealth in 2021 was estimated by Forbes at $16.7 billion making her 116th among the world's billionaires.[11]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Sellers, Patricia (17 December 2014). "The mysterious banker behind the world's best-known beer". Fortune.
- ^ a b c "Forbes profile: Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken". Forbes. Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ "Age Gate". Theheinekencompany.com. Archived from the original on 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
- ^ "C.L. de Carvalho-Heineken Foundation for Cognitive Science". Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
- ^ Sellers, Patricia (3 December 2014). "Heineken's Charlene de Carvalho: A self-made heiress". Fortune Magazine. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
While women in the Netherlands generally attach their maiden name to their married name, Charlene, as a London resident, had dropped "Heineken" from her surname.
- ^ Sellers, Patricia (3 December 2014). "Heineken's Charlene de Carvalho: A self-made heiress". Fortune. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
All in the family: How to pass on a company to the next generation. The de Carvalho family (...) Alexander (...) Louisa, Charles, Sophie, and Isabel.
- ^ Lalah, Nashana (9 March 2017). "Red Stripe fetes Heineken family". The Gleaner. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
- ^ Rossingh, Danielle (26 February 2003). "Heineken heiress remains a mystery". BBC News. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- ^ The Daily Telegraph - Sunday Times Rich List 2010: Britain's richest see wealth rise by one third, 2010-04-24
- ^ "The Rich List: At last, the self-made triumph over old money". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
- ^ "Forbes Billionaires 2023: The Richest People In The World". Forbes. Retrieved 4 January 2024.