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. She is the richest person in the Netherlands, with a net worth of $16.7 billion as of May 2021, according to the Forbes billionaires list.
The majority of de Carvalho-Heineken’s fortune is derived from a 46.8% economic interest in Heineken Holding, a company created by her father to control Dutch beermaker Heineken. The Amsterdam-based business is Europe’s largest brewer and has about 300 drink brands, according to its website.
The billionaire owns the shares through her family’s 88.9% stake in L’Arche Green, a Dutch investment company with a 52.6% stake in Heineken Holding, according to the 2022 annual report. She’s also has a 0.03% stake in the business, according to the annual report.
The value of her cash investments is based on an analysis of dividends, insider transactions, taxes and market performance.
Biography
Education: Leiden University
Charlene de Carvalho-Heineken was born in Amsterdam to Freddy Heineken and Lucille Cummins, in 1954. Her father had bought back the majority of his family’s beer brewery during the 1940s, and created Heineken Holding to ensure ongoing family control in 1952. During his tenure as Heineken CEO and chairman, Freddy elevated the Amsterdam-based brewer from a local brand to the world’s third-largest beer producer by focusing on brand marketing and growth through acquisitions.
Charlene started law school at Leiden University in 1972. She dropped out and moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where she received a bachelor’s degree in French literature from the University of Geneva in 1975. She undertook a six-month apprenticeship at Heineken before marrying investment banker Michel de Carvalho in 1983.
The billionaire joined Heineken Holding’s board in 1988, one year before her father stepped down as CEO and chairman of the brewer. Freddy died in 2002 and Charlene inherited Heineken Holding’s majority stake in the company.
Charlene and her husband have five children and live in London and Switzerland.
Career
She owns a 25% controlling stake in Dutch brewer Heineken, of which she is also an executive director.
The biannual Heineken Prize for cognitive science is named after her
Personal life
She is married to Michel de Carvalho, a financier and director of Citigroup, whom she met on a ski holiday in St. Moritz, Switzerland. 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.
Upon the death of her father in 2002, she inherited about £3 billion, making her the wealthiest person with Dutch citizenship. 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
Milestones
- 1952 Father Freddy creates family investment vehicle, Heineken Holding.
- 1954 Born in Amsterdam to Freddy Heineken and Lucille Cummins.
- 1975 Studied French in Geneva and photography in New York City
- 1981 Undertakes a six-month Heineken apprenticeship.
- 1983 Marries banker Michel de Carvalho; the marriage produces five children.
- 1988 Becomes Heineken Holding board member, overseeing family stake.
- 2002 Father dies at age 78; inherits majority stake in Heineken.
- 2010 Heineken acquires FEMSA’s beer division for $7.7 billion.
