- Rafaela Aponte-Diamant is the richest self-made woman on Forbes' 2024 billionaires list.
- The 79-year-old cofounded MSC in 1970 and it's now one of the world's largest shipping companies.
Cloudflare cofounder Michelle Zatlyn, Advanced Micro Devices boss Lisa Su, and pop star Taylor Swift are among the world's wealthiest self-made women, according to the Forbes 2024 billionaires list.
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant's fortune dwarfs them all.
The 79-year-old Swiss-Italian shipping magnate is worth $33 billion, according to Forbes' estimate — enough to make her the world's seventh-wealthiest woman and the joint-48th richest person overall.
Aponte-Diamant's billions stem from her 50% stake in the Mediterranean Shipping Company, which she founded alongside her husband Gianluigi Aponte in 1970.
The couple met in 1969 aboard a Naples-to-Capri ferry that Aponte was captain of, according to Bloomberg. He raised $280,000 to set up MSC a year later and named his second ship "the Rafaela" in her honor, per the outlet.
MSC is the world's largest global container shipping company in terms of fleet size and overall capacity, with more than 800 vessels, per data from Alphaliner.
MSC, which moved headquarters from Naples to Geneva in 1978, also owns the world's third-largest cruise company, MSC Cruises. Aponte-Diamant oversees the decor of the cruise ships, according to Forbes.
The Apontes have maintained a low profile, with their rare public appearances tending to come when MSC launches new cruise ships. In 2006, they appeared alongside the French actor Gérard Depardieu for the inauguration of the MSC Musica.
The couple's children both hold senior roles at MSC. Their son Diego is the company's president, while their daughter Alexa is its CFO.
Aponte-Diamant and her husband, 83, finished in joint 48th spot on the Forbes list, making the couple worth a combined $66 billion. They're both wealthier as individuals than high-profile names including Binance founder Changpeng "CZ" Zhao, SoftBank boss Masayoshi Son, and Facebook cofounder Eduardo Saverin, per Forbes' estimates.