Francoise Bettencourt Meyers Steps Down from L’Oréal Board, Son Jean-Victor to Succeed Her

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

February 7, 2025

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the heiress to L’Oréal and Europe’s richest woman, is stepping down from the company’s board after nearly three decades. She will pass the vice-chairmanship to her son, Jean-Victor Meyers, while Alexandre Benais, deputy CEO of Téthys Invest, will take her seat on the board. The changes, announced alongside L’Oréal’s fourth-quarter earnings report, will take effect following a shareholder vote in April.

A Legacy at L’Oréal

Bettencourt Meyers, 71, has been a board member since 1997 and vice-chair since 2020. As the granddaughter of L’Oréal’s founder, she inherited a 35% stake in the company in 2017, following the passing of her mother, Liliane Bettencourt—once the world’s richest woman.

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Beyond business, she is an author and philanthropist, known for her five-volume study of the Bible and a genealogy of Greek gods. She also leads her family’s foundation, which funds advancements in science and the arts.

A Fortune Built On Beauty

Bettencourt Meyers ranks as the world’s second-richest woman, with a net worth of $76.1 billion, trailing only Alice Walton of Walmart.

Her family has played a pivotal role in France’s cultural heritage, notably donating $226 million to restore Notre Dame Cathedral after its devastating 2019 fire.

As she steps back, the next generation is set to take over—a dynasty in transition, but still firmly in control of one of the world’s most powerful beauty empires.

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Only 1% Of Cyprus Farms Use Precision Farming Technologies

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

July 24, 2026

Cyprus remains one of the European Union’s least digitised agricultural economies, with just 1% of farms using precision farming technologies in 2023, according to Eurostat.

The findings come as the EU continues to encourage the adoption of digital tools aimed at improving agricultural productivity, efficiency and sustainability.

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Internet Access Expands, But Digital Uptake Lags

Internet access has improved across the bloc, although adoption remains uneven. Eurostat found that 43% of EU farms had internet access in 2023, with northern and central European countries leading the way.

Denmark, Germany, Slovakia, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Austria all reported internet access rates above 90%.

Greater connectivity, however, has not translated into widespread digital adoption. Farm management information systems, which help farmers manage day-to-day operations, were used by only about 11% of EU farms. France was a notable exception, with around 60% of farms using the technology.

Precision Farming Concentrated In Larger Operations

Robotics adoption also remained relatively limited, with only about 7% of EU farms using robotic technologies. Overall, around 18% of farms with utilised agricultural area employed at least one precision farming technology or practice in 2023.

These included robotics for plant protection, band spraying, variable-rate application, precision crop monitoring and soil analysis. Despite representing fewer than one in five farms, these holdings accounted for around 44% of the EU’s utilised agricultural area.

The figures suggest that precision farming remains concentrated among larger agricultural businesses, where investment in digital technologies is typically easier to support.

Cyprus Lags Behind EU Leaders

Luxembourg, Finland and Estonia recorded the highest shares of utilised agricultural area managed by farms using precision farming technologies, each exceeding 75%.

At the other end of the ranking, Cyprus recorded just 1%, while Greece and Romania reported between 10% and 15%. The results indicate that Cyprus remains at an early stage of digital adoption in agriculture, even as precision farming becomes more widespread across parts of the European Union.

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