Susanne Klatten, the richest woman in Germany and a billionaire heiress, has experienced a huge loss in wealth over the last four months.
Klatten’s fortune, primarily tied to her stakes in BMW, Altana, and Entrusts, has decreased by $2.7 billion.
According to data from Nairametrics, the 71-year-old’s net worth stood at $27.4 billion in an earlier report, but it has now been revalued at $24.7 billion according to Forbes estimations.
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Klatten’s holdings are diversified, with about a 19% stake in automaker BMW, while her brother, Stefan Quandt, owns nearly 24%.
Additionally, she holds stakes in Entrust, a company specializing in digital identity and data security, as well as in SGL Group, a carbon and graphite producer.
Why Germany’s richest woman lost $2.7 billion?
The loss in Klatten’s wealth can be attributed to fluctuations in the value of her investments, especially in companies like BMW.
The automaker has been in fierce competition with Tesla’s electric vehicles (EVs) and recently announced a higher annual earnings forecast. However, investors were not fully convinced as BMW also warned about potential negative impacts from supply chain issues and inflation.
Although BMW saw strong earnings in the second quarter, with an 11.3% increase in sales and a 7.5% rise in pre-tax profits to 4.2 billion euros, concerns about ongoing supply chain challenges and inflation have affected investor sentiment, leading to a decline of 2.3% in the company’s shares.
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Susanne Klatten’s journey to becoming a major stakeholder in various companies stems from her late mother, Johanna, who was the third wife of industrialist Herbert Quandt, credited with guiding BMW to luxury market preeminence.
Following her mother’s death in 2015, Klatten inherited her 19% stake in BMW and joined the supervisory board of the company alongside her brother, Stefan Quandt.
After inheriting a 50.1% stake in Altana upon her father’s passing, Klatten played a pivotal role in elevating the pharmaceutical and chemical manufacturer to global prominence, securing its position on the German DAX’s list of top 30 companies.
Over the years, Klatten has made strategic business moves, including selling the rights of Altana Pharmaceuticals to a Swiss company for €4.5 billion in 2006.
Later, she acquired most of Altana’s shares, becoming the majority shareholder and also ran the company alongside her wholly-owned firm, SKion.
Additionally, she holds an option with SGL Carbon to increase her shares to nearly a quarter of the company.
Despite the recent wealth loss, Susanne Klatten’s business acumen and diverse investment portfolio continue to shape her prominence in the business world.
Given her position as a businesswoman with great acumen for growth and diversification, her recent wealth loss would surely be cushioned by her diversified portfolio. All the same, these are interesting times.