Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
Swiss-based businesswoman; co-founder and, according to Forbes, half-owner of MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company
| Rafaela Aponte-Diamant
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 26 3 1945 (age 81 years old (as of 2026)
) |
| Occupation | businesswoman |
| Known for | Co-founder of Mediterranean Shipping Company; interiors of MSC Cruises ships |
| Spouse(s) | Gianluigi Aponte |
| Children | Diego Aponte; Alexa Aponte |
Rafaela Aponte-Diamant (born 26 March 1945) is a Swiss-based businesswoman who, with her husband Gianluigi Aponte, entered the shipping business in 1970. Forbes says that venture became MSC, now the world's largest container shipping line, and that she and her husband each own 50% of it.[1][2] On 20 October 2026 the Forbes Real-Time Billionaires list ranked Rafaela Aponte-Diamant 40th in the world (tied with her husband, Gianluigi Aponte), with an estimated net worth of US$46.85 billion; Forbes lists the source of wealth as Shipping.[1][3] In the annual World's Billionaires list published in 2026, Forbes had ranked Rafaela Aponte-Diamant 44th, at US$44.5 billion.[4]
Early life
Forbes gives her date of birth as 26 March 1945.[1] Al Jazeera reported in 2026 that she was born in Haifa, then under the British Mandate for Palestine.[5] Forbes reports that she met Gianluigi Aponte on a trip to Capri in the 1960s, when he was a ship's captain.[1]
Business career
Forbes reports that the couple went into shipping together in 1970, buying a ship with a US$200,000 loan, and that their second ship was named after her.[1] The MSC Group dates its founding to 1970 in Brussels, with the small conventional ship MV Patricia. It is now headquartered in Geneva and says it has more than 200,000 employees.[2] Forbes says that Aponte-Diamant is responsible for decorating the ships of MSC Cruises, that her husband is executive chairman, and that their son Diego is president.[1]
MSC announced in April 2026 that ownership of the company had passed during the last quarter of 2025 from "its founder Captain Gianluigi Aponte" to Diego and Alexa Aponte. The announcement does not mention any holding by Aponte-Diamant.[6] Forbes's 2026 profile still attributes a 50% stake to her.[1] This profile has not resolved the discrepancy.
Wealth
Forbes gives the source of her wealth as shipping and gives her the same estimate as her husband.[1]
Wealth history
Forbes has included this entry in its annual World's Billionaires list in 4 of the editions from 2001 to 2026 checked for this profile, starting with 2023. The table gives the rank and estimated net worth in each annual list.[4][1]
| Year | World's Billionaires rank | Net worth (US$ bn) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 43 | 31.2 |
| 2024 | 48 | 33.1 |
| 2025 | 44 | 37.7 |
| 2026 | 44 | 44.5 |
Philanthropy
No documented personal philanthropy by Aponte-Diamant was found in the sources checked. The MSC Foundation's website was checked, but no substantive text could be retrieved.
Political activity
No party donations or political roles were found in the sources checked.
Controversies and legal issues
No legal proceedings involving her personally were found. For company-level matters (the 2019 seizure of the MSC Gayane and 2026 reporting on shipments from settlements), see Gianluigi Aponte.[7][5]
International and political links
This section uses the same ten headings for every profile in this series. Only specific, sourced actions are included; company-level and foundation-level actions are labelled as such. Where nothing was found, the entry reads "No documented involvement found in sources checked."
Israel (investments, operations, donations, contracts, statements)
Al Jazeera reported her birthplace as Haifa. Its February 2026 investigation with the Palestinian Youth Movement reported that MSC had carried at least 957 shipments from Israeli settlement companies to the US in 2025 and that it has vessel-sharing agreements with the Israeli line ZIM. MSC said it respects legal frameworks wherever it operates.[5] No donations by Aponte-Diamant to Israeli or pro-Israel organisations were found.
Zionist or pro-Israel organisations and lobbying groups
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Jewish communal charities
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Gulf states
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
China
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Russia
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
India
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Palestinian or Arab causes
See Israel above.[5]
Home government
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
Other international links
No documented involvement found in sources checked.
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Forbes, Forbes profile record for Rafaela Aponte-Diamant (Forbes data feed behind forbes.com/profile/rafaela-aponte-diamant/) Forbes, live record, read 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 MSC Group, About Us MSC Group, undated (accessed 20 October 2026), accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ Forbes, Forbes Real-Time Billionaires data feed Forbes, live; downloaded 20 October 2026 11:51 UTC, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Forbes, Forbes World's Billionaires list data feed, annual editions 2001–2026 (one file per year at this path with the year substituted; all 26 files downloaded and read) Forbes, annual lists; downloaded 20 October 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Federica Marsi, Shipping giant MSC facilitates trade from Israeli settlements through EU Al Jazeera, 9 February 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company, MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company Announces Ownership Transfer MSC (press release), 13 April 2026, accessed 20 October 2026.
- ↑ U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Seizes MSC Gayane following Record Cocaine Seizure U.S. Customs and Border Protection (press release), 8 July 2019, accessed 20 October 2026.