M aria Fernanda Amorim is the wealthiest person in Portugal, having inherited a vast and diversified business empire from her late husband, Américo Amorim. Américo, who was known as the "Cork King," transformed his family's small cork business, Corticeira Amorim, into the world's undisputed leader in cork products, particularly wine stoppers. However, the true scale of his success came from his exceptionally shrewd diversification strategy.

Américo Amorim reinvested the profits from his cork business into other, more lucrative sectors, building a massive fortune with holdings in energy and banking. The family's most valuable asset by far is its significant stake in Galp Energia, Portugal's publicly traded oil and gas giant, which operates in exploration, production, and refining. Upon his death in 2017, his widow Maria Fernanda and their three daughters—Paula, Marta, and Luísa—inherited the sprawling empire. While her daughter Paula now chairs the board of Galp, Maria Fernanda remains the matriarch of Portugal's most powerful business dynasty.