WORLD’S RICHEST AND A JOURNALIST?

We’ve heard news of the likes of Janet Mbugua, Beatrice Marshall, Michael Oyier, Robert Nagila, Julie Gichuru and Jimmy Gathu earning astronomical amounts at the media houses they work for, sometimes gratuities to stay loyal and other times stark displays of their valuability to brands.

Apart from the ‘top tier’ of journalists, most graduates fear venturing into the career because they feel interns and ‘freshmen’ are grossly underpaid or go through struggles.

If you thought being a journalist doesn’t pay off, then do we have news for you! Meet this ambitious and goal driven woman who has risen through the ranks to become the richest woman on earth.

Wu Yajun was the Chief executive of real estate development company Longfor Real Estate Development Co. Ltd, which she co-founded with husband Cai Kui, up until August last year. A former factory worker, Wu Yajun is not only China’s wealthiest female, but also the world’s, holding an estimated 430 billion yuan ($6.6 billion) in assets, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Ms. Wu started a 16 year career in journalism nearly two decades ago, at the ‘China City Newspaper’ though she later moved to the Southern Weekend Reporter. By the time Yajun left the SW Reporter, she was already the wealthiest female reporter in all of China.

She then decided to venture into the world of business,  beginning a career selling real estate across China’s Mainland. Her enterprise has been growing rapidly over the last eighteen years, expanding from her home in Chongqing to include major cities like Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Changzhou and Dalian.

Ms. Wu’s extraordinary rise to the world’s wealthiest woman in a short time illustrates the value of land in the new China. As one of the only tangible investment vehicles in China, property has attracted many Chinese looking for a play to grow wealth.

Longfor Properties operations range from investment planning, development and construction, and commercial management to property management. Its projects include residence and office buildings, hotels, business apartments, garden houses and villas.