Since 1986 the number of women on the Forbes list of richest Americans has fallen by half and of the 1,000 people on Britain’s Rich List, only 105 are women. But one woman is seemingly defying the odds and is on the radar to become the richest person in the world.

Australian mining heiress, Georgina “Gina” Rinehart, is expected to soon overtake the current richest person in the world, Carlos Slims.

Rinehart currently has three coal and iron ore projects that are among the 10 most promising mining projects in the world, according to a recent report in the Australian press that looked mainly at 400 of the world’s top mining projects. Rinehart’s projects could be enough to catapult her to the top of the rich list.

If Rinehart’s private company, Hancock Prospecting, were publically traded she could have a current net worth of $30 billion which is enough to secure a position in the top 10 globally. According to a business analysis done in Australia, based on mine outputs and commodity prices, Rinehart’s annual profits could soon be $10 billion raising her net worth to $100 billion.

Rinehart’s father founded the company, but it control was eventually passed down to Rinehart after a family feud involving her stepmother.

If the next richest person in the world does become a woman, and specifically Rinehart, don’t expect to hear too much from her about it. She is famously very private and has only given a handful of interviews in her life.

Source: Wall Street Journal