Ursula Bechtolsheimer-Kipp (born November 1951) is a German-born billionaire, businesswomen and
heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...
ess.
Bechtolsheimer-Kipp is the only daughter of German retail tycoon
Karl-Heinz Kipp
Karl-Heinz Kipp (12 February 1924 – 11 October 2017) was a German billionaire, and founder of the department store chain. He sold the business but kept the property, and had a large property portfolio. In 2017, ''Forbes'' estimated his net we ...
, founder of the Massa department store chain.
After her father died in October 2017, Ursula
inherited much of his fortune.
Bechtolsheimer-Kipp was married to Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer.
Together, they are estimated to be worth £1 billion by the ''
Sunday Times Rich List
The ''Sunday Times Rich List'' is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families resident in the United Kingdom ranked by net wealth. The list is updated annually in April and has been published as a magazine supplement by British national ...
''.
Early life
Bechtolsheimer-Kipp was born in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
.
She is one of two children born to Karl-Heinz Kipp and Hannelore Kipp.
Her father, Karl-Heinz Kipp, was a self-made billionaire who made his fortune in retail and property.
He is most famous for owning the Massa department store chain in Germany, which he founded in 1965 and sold two decades later in 1985.
Her brother, Ernst-Ludwig Kipp, died in 2003 leaving behind seven children.
Career
Tschuggen Hotel Group
According to ''Forbes'', Ursula took over the
Tschuggen Hotel Group as its
chairwoman
The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the gro ...
in 2016, having been operationally involved in the company for many years prior.
Tschuggen Hotel Group is a luxury resort group and was set by Karl-Heinz Kipp in 1980. The group owns multiple resorts in Europe including the Tschuggen Grand Hotel in Arosa and the all-suite Carlton Hotel in
St. Moritz
St. Moritz ( , , ; ; ; ; ) is a high Alpine resort town in the Engadine in Switzerland, at an elevation of about above sea level. It is Upper Engadine's major town and a municipality in the administrative region of Maloja in the Swiss ...
, Switzerland.
Horse breeding
Ursula and her husband Wilfried own and run a
horse training
Horse training refers to a variety of practices that teach horses to perform certain behaviors when commanded to do so by humans. Horses are trained to be manageable by humans for everyday care as well as for equestrianism, equestrian activities ...
and breeding centre in
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
.
Personal life
Dr Wilfried Bechtolsheimer died on April 8, 2020, aged 71 in Ascona, Switzerland.
Ursula and Wilfred have three sons and one daughter.
Her eldest son Felix is a member the
gothic band, Curse of Lono. Another son, Gotz is an academic at the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
.
Her youngest son, Till (b. 1982), a former racing driver, set up New York-based investment management company Arosa Capital Management.
Bechtolsheimer-Kipp's only daughter is British dressage rider
Laura Tomlinson
Laura Tomlinson MBE (''née'' Bechtolsheimer; born 31 January 1985, in Mainz, Germany) is a German-British dressage rider competing at Olympic level.
As of 30 June 2012 the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) ranked h ...
(née Bechtolsheimer), who won two medals at the
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in London.
Laura married English professional polo player
Mark Tomlinson in a ceremony in 2013, which was attended by the
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the
Duke of Sussex
Duke of Sussex is a substantive title, one of several Royal dukedoms in the United Kingdom, royal dukedoms in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is a hereditary title of a specific rank of nobility in the British royal family. It has been c ...
.
Bechtolsheimer-Kipp
moved her family to Gloucestershire from Germany in the late 1980s. According to ''Forbes'', she currently resides in Switzerland.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bechtolsheimer-Kipp, Ursula
1951 births
Living people
20th-century German businesswomen
20th-century German businesspeople
German billionaires
Female billionaires
21st-century German businesswomen
21st-century German businesspeople