They lead businesses that have benefitted from this new and unprecedented scenario, driven by hygiene-obsessed and homebound consumers. Their fortunes stem from a huge surge in stock market value, as investors flocked to these companies which are mainly involved in developing vaccines, treatments and medical devices, among others. Below are the top five on the Forbes list.
- LI JIANQUAN
Fortune: 5.715 billion euros
Company: Winner Medical
Country: Hong Kong
Leads this surgical products company. His company manufactured billions of protective masks and gowns for healthcare workers fighting the virus, as well as bandages and gauze products.
- STÉPHANE BANCEL
Fortune: 3.614 billion euros
Company: Moderna
Country: France
CEO and owner of 8% of the company that created one of the vaccines licensed against Covid-19 in 2020, and also a pioneer in launching its clinical trials in humans.
- LIU FANGYI
Fortune: 3.530 billion euros
Company: Medical [Intco Medical]
Country: China
Founder and president of Intco Medical, manufacturer of personal protection equipment such as disposable gloves and gauze.
- UĞUR ŞAHIN
Fortune: 3.362 billion euros
Company: BioNTech
Country: Germany
CEO and co-founder of BioNTech, a startup that he founded together with his wife and medical director, Özlem Türeci. They divorced in 2020. The company partnered with Pfizer to manufacture the first vaccine licensed by regulators in the United States.
- YUAN LIPING
Fortune: 3.026 billion euros
Company: Shenzhen Kangtai
Country: Canada
This woman owns a 24% stake in Shenzhen Kangtai Biological Products, a vaccine manufacturer. In August the company signed an agreement with pharmaceutical giant Astra-Zeneca to manufacture at least 100 million doses of its Covid-19 vaccine. Yuan Liping is divorced from Chinese tycoon Du Weimin, considered the “emperor” of Hepatitis B vaccines.
