Isabella Seràgnoli

Isabella Seràgnoli is the sole shareholder of Coesia, one of the world's largest packaging firms, with operations ranging from cigarettes to cosmetics.

Coesia started out as a motorcycle production firm named G.D. in 1923 and was taken over by her father, Enzo, in the late 1930s.

The firm moved into packaging in the 1950s, initially for confectionery and soap, when Enzo's brother Ariosto invented an automatic wrapping machine.

G.D. took off in the 1960s with the invention of the cigarette packing machine 4350/Pack, making it the dominant supplier in the tobacco industry.

Isabella took over in 2002 and renamed the firm Coesia in 2005; she has diversified her fortune by investing in private equity and public stocks.