Inherited stake in automaker BMW from late father Herbert Quandt, who rescued it from bankruptcy in the early 1960s. A trained economist with an M.B.A., Klatten also inherited a 50% stake in chemical manufacturer Altana and has since increased her control of the company to 100% and delisted the firm. Also holds stakes in wind power outfit Nordex AG, carbon and graphite producer SGL, and Geohumus, a company that is developing a water storing granulate to be used in agriculture. In 2009 Klatten won a civil case against ex-lover Helg Sgarbi, who tried to blackmail her for millions in a salacious scandal. Sgarbi is currently in jail. Klatten’s personal fortune rose $3.5 billion in the past year.