Valerie Mars, a fourth-generation member of the Mars family, is an heir to the private candy, pet care, and food fortune behind brands such as M&M’s, Snickers, Pedigree, Whiskas, and Royal Canin. Unlike lower-profile family heirs, she has held senior roles inside Mars Inc., including leadership positions in corporate development and governance, giving her profile both ownership and operating depth within one of America’s largest family-controlled companies.

Helen Johnson-Leipold, chairman and CEO of Johnson Outdoors, is an heir to the SC Johnson family fortune and one of the family’s most active business leaders. She has led Johnson Outdoors since 1999, overseeing brands such as Minn Kota, Humminbird, Jetboil, Old Town, and SCUBAPRO, while also serving as chairman of Johnson Financial Group. Her profile connects inherited consumer-products wealth with direct leadership in outdoor equipment and private family finance.

Robyn Jones, cofounder and vice chairman of Goosehead Insurance, helped build the company from a 2003 startup into one of the fastest-growing personal-lines insurance agencies in the U.S. She launched the business with her husband, Mark Jones, and shaped its culture before stepping back from active management while remaining on the board. The couple also made a $101 million gift to Montana State University to support nursing education.

Randa Duncan Williams, non-executive chairman of Enterprise Products Partners, is the most publicly active heir to the energy fortune built by her father, Dan Duncan. Enterprise Products, founded in 1968, became one of America’s largest pipeline and midstream energy companies, with the Duncan family retaining major ownership. Williams, the only one of Dan Duncan’s four children with an active role in the business, also owns Texas Monthly and remains a prominent figure in Houston business and philanthropy.

Jane Lauder, granddaughter of Estée Lauder and daughter of Ronald Lauder, is a longtime executive and board member of Estée Lauder Companies. She joined the family business in 1996, later leading brands including Origins, Ojon, Darphin, and Clinique before becoming executive vice president, enterprise marketing, and chief data officer. She stepped down from her executive role at the end of 2024 but remains part of the Lauder family’s next-generation influence over one of the world’s largest beauty companies.

Jayshree Ullal, president and CEO of Arista Networks, helped turn the cloud-networking company into a major supplier of high-speed switches and software for data centers, cloud providers, and AI infrastructure. Born in London and raised in New Delhi, she spent more than 15 years at Cisco before joining Arista in 2008 and leading its 2014 IPO. Her long run at the company has made her one of the most successful women executives in enterprise technology.

Aerin Lauder, granddaughter of Estée Lauder and eldest daughter of Ronald Lauder, is an heir to one of the world’s great beauty fortunes and founder of the luxury lifestyle brand AERIN. She serves as style and image director at Estée Lauder while building her own business across fragrance, beauty, home décor, and accessories. Her profile combines family ownership, inherited beauty-industry influence, and a personal brand built around taste, design, and luxury living.

Larry Van Tuyl, former chairman and CEO of Van Tuyl Group, built one of America’s largest privately held auto dealership networks before selling the company to Berkshire Hathaway in 2015. The deal created Berkshire Hathaway Automotive and cemented Van Tuyl’s reputation as one of the most successful figures in U.S. car retail. Known for disciplined expansion and a low public profile, he later remained active through private investments and real estate.

Ignacio “Nacho” Torras, founder, president, and CEO of Tricon Energy, built the Houston-based company into one of the world’s largest traders and distributors of chemicals and plastics. Born in Barcelona and shaped by early commodity-trading experience in Brazil, he founded Tricon in 1996 with four employees and expanded it into a global platform with more than 20 offices, 400 employees, and over $14 billion in revenue. Beyond commodities, Torras is also active in Houston’s restaurant, arts, education, and philanthropic circles.

Greg Abel, president and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, is the executive chosen to succeed Warren Buffett after decades inside the conglomerate. A Canadian-born accountant, he rose through MidAmerican Energy and Berkshire Hathaway Energy before becoming vice chairman of non-insurance operations in 2018. Known for operational discipline, deep knowledge of Berkshire’s businesses, and a low public profile, Abel now oversees one of the world’s largest and most closely watched companies.

Trae Stephens, partner at Founders Fund and cofounder and executive chairman of Anduril Industries, is one of the key investors and operators behind the rise of defense technology. A former early Palantir employee focused on intelligence and defense work, he helped launch Anduril in 2017 and has backed companies at the intersection of national security, AI, autonomy, and hard tech. Anduril was valued at $30.5 billion in 2025, making Stephens one of the most prominent figures in Silicon Valley’s defense-tech boom.

Amjad Masad, cofounder and CEO of Replit, built one of the fastest-growing AI coding platforms from a browser-based programming tool into a major “vibe coding” company. Born in Jordan, he previously worked at Codecademy and Facebook before launching Replit with Haya Odeh and Faris Masad in 2016. The company was valued at $9 billion after a $400 million funding round announced in March 2026, making Masad a billionaire.

Bret Taylor, chairman of OpenAI and cofounder of Sierra, has built one of Silicon Valley’s most unusually varied résumés. He co-created Google Maps, served as CTO of Facebook, founded Quip, became co-CEO of Salesforce, and chaired Twitter’s board during its sale to Elon Musk. Now leading Sierra, an AI customer-service startup, Taylor sits at the center of the generative AI boom while helping guide OpenAI’s board.

Andy Konwinski, cofounder of Databricks and Perplexity, is a computer scientist and investor focused on AI, data infrastructure, and research-driven startups. He earned his Ph.D. in computer science at UC Berkeley, where he contributed to Apache Hadoop and co-created Apache Mesos and Apache Spark. He later cofounded Laude Ventures and Laude Institute, including a $100 million commitment to support AI researchers.

Gary Fegel, founder and chairman of GMF Capital, built his fortune first in commodities at Glencore and then through a single-family office investing across private equity, real estate, media, technology, and alternative assets. Since launching GMF Capital in 2013, he has turned it into a broad global investment platform with interests ranging from aviation and infrastructure to digital media, combining trader instincts with long-term asset ownership. Known for a low public profile and highly diversified approach, Fegel has emerged as one of the more discreet billionaires in modern private investing.

Gary Fegel, founder and chairman of GMF Capital, built his fortune first in commodities at Glencore and then through a single-family office investing across private equity, real estate, media, technology, and alternative assets. Since launching GMF Capital in 2013, he has turned it into a broad global investment platform with interests ranging from aviation and infrastructure to digital media, combining trader instincts with long-term asset ownership. Known for a low public profile and highly diversified approach, Fegel has emerged as one of the more discreet billionaires in modern private investing.

Alexandra Andresen, Norwegian heiress and board member of Ferd, is one of Europe’s youngest billionaires, with her wealth tied to the Andresen family’s investment group spanning private equity, financial assets, real estate, and impact ventures. Beyond business, she is also known for her serious involvement in equestrian sport, which has made her public profile more distinctive than that of many heirs of large family fortunes. Though she maintains a relatively low-key presence, Andresen represents the next generation connected to one of Norway’s most powerful private investment families.

Katharina Andresen, heiress to Norway’s Andresen family fortune, is a board member and indirect owner of Ferd, one of the country’s largest privately held investment groups. Her wealth stems from the family’s long-running business empire, which spans private equity, financial investments, real estate, and social-impact ventures. Though she keeps a relatively low public profile, Andresen remains one of Europe’s youngest billionaire investors and part of the next generation shaping Ferd’s long-term future.

Johan H. Andresen, owner and chair of Ferd, oversees one of Norway’s largest privately held investment groups, with interests spanning industrial companies, financial assets, real estate, and impact-driven ventures. A member of the family behind the business’s 19th-century roots, he helped transform Ferd from its tobacco legacy into a modern investment powerhouse while building a reputation for long-term ownership and social entrepreneurship. Known for pairing private capital with public-purpose ambitions, Andresen stands out as one of Norway’s most influential business figures.

Matthew Moroun, owner of CenTra and the Ambassador Bridge, oversees one of the Midwest’s most entrenched transportation empires, spanning trucking, logistics, and cross-border infrastructure. After inheriting control of the family business in 2020, he emerged as a low-profile but influential force in Detroit commerce, tied to assets that have long shaped trade between the U.S. and Canada. Known for preserving tight family control over strategic transportation holdings, Moroun remains one of Michigan’s most consequential private businessmen.