Francoise Bettencourt Meyers Biography Documentary Fashion Film LOréal Global Fashion Brand
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00:00 They say it takes an extraordinary human being and extraordinary circumstances to make a
00:06 billionaire.
00:08 One without the other will only make a millionaire.
00:11 Often times when we talk about billionaires it is synonymous to someone who is a bit eccentric,
00:17 bald and well a man.
00:20 Someone who has spent a lifetime in building a business and expanding it to all parts of
00:26 the globe.
00:28 But the billionaire we're about to discuss today is neither eccentric nor a man.
00:33 She is, in fact, the richest woman on the planet.
00:39 Françoise Bedencourt-Meyers was born on 10th of July 1953 in Nuit-sur-Seine, France to
00:47 parents Lillian Bedencourt and André Bedencourt.
00:51 Her mother Lillian was the daughter of Eugène Schuller, the famous French entrepreneur who
00:57 was the founder of L'Oréal, the world's leading company in cosmetics and beauty.
01:03 She is the only daughter of the multi-billionaire businesswoman Lillian Bedencourt and French
01:09 politician André Bedencourt.
01:12 Growing up in the Brittany coast, Bedencourt was a contemplative introvert child.
01:18 She loved books, literature and history and would make great friends with her favorite
01:24 books.
01:26 During her childhood, she recalls that she preferred reading books and playing the piano
01:31 rather than going on glamorous events like her parents did.
01:36 She studied at a Catholic school in France.
01:40 As the young Bedencourt grew up, her power of imagination widened and her taste in literature
01:46 matured.
01:48 Times reporter Tom Sangton described Bedencourt-Meyers as a serious-minded intellectual.
01:54 Thus, her interest in much more serious aspects of life started to come about.
02:01 She devoted a great amount of time in understanding the Greek mythology and history of religion.
02:08 During her college, she received a degree in International Jewish-Christian Relations
02:14 and the study of the genealogy of Greek mythology.
02:18 Her work is quite proactive and insightful, giving the reflection of a very deep thinker.
02:24 It is no surprise that she is the author of a five-volume biblical study.
02:30 The story of a young academic ending up becoming the richest woman alive starts from her grandfather,
02:37 Eugène Schuller.
02:38 Schuller was a French chemist who developed a hair dye formula he called L'Oreal.
02:44 He sold that and other products he created to hairdressers in Paris.
02:51 In July 1919, he registered his company as the Société Française d'Éténchon Inoffensives
02:58 Pour Chez Vous, which in English means Safe Hair Dye Company of France.
03:04 Eventually, Schuller changed the name of his company to L'Oreal, and thank you for that.
03:10 Schuller provided the financing for a violent fascist and anti-communist group called La
03:17 Cagoule, which he ran out of the headquarters for L'Oreal.
03:22 The group was involved with the Nazis during the war.
03:26 L'Oreal branched out into other beauty products and saw massive growth and become one of the
03:31 biggest brands in the industry.
03:33 U.S. is in the works.
03:36 Schuller died in 1955, passing on his incredible wealth to daughter Liliane Berncourt.
03:44 Liliane was the only child of Eugène Schuller.
03:47 She was only five when her mother passed away.
03:50 She went to work at her father's company as an apprentice when she was 15 years old, mixing
03:56 products and labeling bottles.
03:59 Not much is known about her involvement in the company over the years.
04:04 In 1950, she married André Berncourt, a French politician with pro-Nazi leanings who was
04:11 deputy chairman of L'Oreal.
04:14 Berncourt had been a member of La Cagoule, a violent French fascist group that Liliane's
04:19 father had funded in the 1930s and that collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.
04:28 After the war, her husband, like other members of La Cagoule, was given refuge at L'Oreal,
04:34 despite his politically inconvenient past.
04:38 She held an active seat on the L'Oreal board of directors until 1995.
04:44 Berncourt was well known for her discipline and hard work.
04:47 Even when she was in her 80s and suffering from dementia, she went for long walks every
04:53 day and stayed in shape with several hours of exercise starting at 4 a.m.
05:00 Liliane Berncourt had a net worth of $46 billion at the time of her death.
05:06 When she passed away at the age of 94, she was the richest woman in the world.
05:12 Upon Liliane's death, the torch of the mighty L'Oreal was passed down to Françoise Berncourt,
05:18 making her the wealthiest writer and woman on the planet.
05:22 From the very beginning, Françoise had a completely different vision for the company
05:27 and its image.
05:29 She was among the French billionaires who pledged almost $1 billion after Notre Dame
05:35 burned in April 2019.
05:38 On top of that, she had played a crucial role as the president of the Berncourt-Schuller
05:43 Foundation, the charity she co-founded in the 1980s.
05:48 The foundation issues grants to support research in the life sciences and arts projects.
05:55 Despite the wealth, her hard work in academia is still considered of great importance.
06:01 The heiress has written books on topics ranging from Greek mythology to Jewish-Christian relations.
06:07 Her most recent book, A Biblical Commentary, was published in 2008, of which she made a
06:13 lot of public appearances for signing out copies.
06:18 Like all celebrities, despite all the fame and money, they always find themselves under
06:23 highlights and not in a good way.
06:27 In 2007, there was a huge controversy between the mother and daughter.
06:33 Françoise launched a lawsuit against her mother's close friend and celebrity photographer
06:38 Françoise Marie Bagné, whom she accused of attempting to take a share of the family's
06:45 fortune.
06:46 The trial soured the mother-daughter relation, as a lot of personal information is made public.
06:53 At one point, Lillian said, "I don't see my daughter anymore, and I don't wish to.
07:00 For me, my daughter has become something inert."
07:04 The case later became known as the Bettencourt Affair and would last until 2015.
07:10 Bagné was ultimately convicted for capitalizing on Lillian's struggle with dementia to gain
07:17 family assets.
07:19 There was a lot of public backlash on Françoise, but she remained determined and eventually
07:24 proved everybody that she was right.
07:28 Things weren't too easy for Françoise, as her grandfather's involvement with the Nazis
07:33 created some problems with her marriage as well.
07:37 Her husband, Jean-Victor Meyers, is Jewish.
07:41 He is the grandson of a rabbi who was murdered at Auschwitz.
07:46 When Françoise and Meyers got married, it created quite a scandal.
07:52 The couple revealed they were raising their children as Jewish, which also caused a stir
07:57 in the Bettencourt family.
08:00 The couple has two adult sons, Jean-Victor and Nicolas.
08:05 Jean-Victor began serving on L'Oreal's board alongside Bettencourt Meyers in 2012,
08:12 making the entire family directly involved with the business.
08:16 According to Forbes in 2021, Françoise's net worth has become a whopping $93.3 billion,
08:24 making her not just the richest woman alive but also one of the richest human beings.
08:31 Despite her enormous wealth, her lifestyle is not that extravagant.
08:36 She still prefers a private and quiet life above everything else.
08:41 Her story provides valuable lessons for us all.
08:46 Keeping a positive attitude will make life much more interesting and invite positive
08:50 events in your life.
08:53 Most of the valuable lessons come from setbacks, failures, and defeats.
08:58 No matter what, always follow your passion and dreams, simply because no one can put
09:04 a price on your dream and what you love to do in life.
09:09 And the way to find your passion is through exploration of new things, gaining experiences,
09:15 and learning from your mistakes.
09:17 Stick to what you know is a strict school of thought in many entrepreneurship circles.
09:22 Last, but perhaps the most important aspect is always giving something back to society.
09:30 Thank you for watching this video.
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09:42 And I'll see you in the next video.
09:44 (upbeat music)