Happy Women’s Day 2026: Meet ‘Roofing Queen’ Hendricks — world’s richest self-made woman’s net worth is…
According to Forbes, only 13-14% of the world’s billionaires are women. This means roughly 1 in every 7 billionaires is a woman. Diane Hendricks and Alice Walton are among these women who left their mark on the global economy.
This International Women’s Day, meet ABC Supply’s ‘Rooftop Queen’ Diane Hendricks and Walmart’s Lice Walton, two women heading to the top of the Hurun Global Rich List 2026.
The Hurun rich list revealed that there are 285 self-made women in the world, mostly from China.
According to the list, Wisconsin-based 78-year-old Diane Hendricks became the richest woman in the world for the fourth time with $24 billion, while 76-year-old Alice Walton became the richest woman in the world with $119 billion.
Meet Diane Hendricks
Real Time Net Worth: $22.3 billion
Diane Hendricks is the co-founder of ABC Supply, one of the largest wholesale distributors of roofing, siding, windows and other select exterior and interior building products, tools and related materials in the United States.
Accordingly BloombergThe Beloit, Wisconsin-based company sells shingles, soffit and gutters and had $20.7 billion in sales revenue in 2024.
Accordingly ForbesShe founded the business in Beloit, Wisconsin, in 1982 with her late husband, Ken. He has chaired the company since Ken’s death in 2007 and became sole owner of ABC in 2013.
In 2008, Diane founded Diane M. Hendricks Enterprises, Inc. (“DMHE”) to serve as the parent company of ABC, HHC and other Hendricks investments.
In 2025, HHC was merged with DMHE and DMHE merged itself with Hendricks Holding Company, Inc. Renamed as .
Under his leadership, ABC Supply made the two largest acquisitions in its history: It acquired rival Bradco in 2010 and construction materials distributor L&W Supply in 2016.
Today, the company has more than 900 branches and has revenues of $20.7 billion in 2024.
It also controls closely held Hendricks Holding Company, which owns companies related to trucking, insurance, manufacturing and recycling. Revenues cannot be confirmed so they are not included.
Hendricks has spent millions on local economic development, rebuilding entire blocks in Beloit and bringing several new businesses to the state, Forbes reported.
Before he met roofer Ken, Hendricks was selling custom homes for a builder.
Early life: Diane Hendricks was born in 1947. A native of Wisconsin, Diane grew up on a dairy farm as one of nine sisters. He received a degree and has seven children.
Richest self-made woman” Hendricks became the richest self-made woman in the world for the fourth time in 2026.
Hendricks’ wealth comes from being the sole owner of ABC Supply. It also has investments in trucking, insurance, production and recycling.
It also controls closely held Hendricks Holding Company, which owns companies related to trucking, insurance, manufacturing and recycling. According to Bloomberg, the revenues were not included because they could not be confirmed.
In addition to ABC Supply and Hendricks Holding Company, Hendricks has served on the boards of a number of Wisconsin-based organizations, including Forward Janesville, Beloit College and the Hendricks Family Foundation.
It is also the underwriter of the Wisconsin Eye Public Relations Network, the first privately funded state public relations network.
Meet Alice Walton
Real Time Net Worth: $130.4 billion
According to Forbes’ report in 2025, the richest woman is Walmart heiress Alice Walton and her fortune is estimated to be around $101 billion. However, according to the Hurun Global Rich List 2026, Alice Walton’s wealth has increased to $119 billion.
Alice Walton, only daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton
Instead of serving on Walmart’s board of directors like his brothers Rob and Jim, he focused on curating art and philanthropy, Forbes reported.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts/Science from Trinity University. After graduating from Trinity College in 1971, Walton briefly worked as a children’s clothing buyer at Walmart.
After graduating from Trinity College in 1971, Walton briefly worked as a children’s clothing buyer at Walmart.
His art collecting career began when he was 11 years old, purchasing a 25-cent print of Picasso’s “Blue Nude.”
In 2011, Walton opened the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in his family’s hometown of Bentonville, Arkansas, which features works by artists such as Andy Warhol, Norman Rockwell, and Mark Rothko.
In July 2025, Walton welcomed the inaugural class of 48 four-year medical students at the new Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville.
