A HORSE rider from Norway has become the world’s youngest billionaire after amassing a US$1.2 billion fortune at the age of just 19.

    Forbes magazine has named Alexandra Andresen, a professional dressage competitor, on their list of people from around the world worth at least US$1 billion.

    It is the first time the teenager and her sister Katharina, aged 20, have appeared on the list and they are ranked as the 1,475th richest people in the world.

    Alexandra accumulated her personal fortune after her father Johan F. Andresen transferred his stake in Norway’s biggest company, Ferd Holdings, to his daughters in 2007.

    Her family had made a fortune in the tobacco industry and her great, great, great grandfather founded Norway’s biggest cigarette producer.

    The company was sold for US$500 million in 2005 and the money then invested in property and hedge funds.

    Two years later her father gave 80 percent of his shares in the company Ferd Holdings to Alexandra and her sister.

    The sisters made the list this year for the first time as they both now are above 17 and are required to publish their tax returns, meaning their personal fortunes were made public.

    But despite her incredible personal wealth, Alexandra appears to be more at home with her horses and lives in Germany where she rides professionally.

    She has won several accolades on her horse Belamour at the European Junior Riders Championships.

    Her boyfriend is said to be Joachim Tollefsen, 24, a professional mixed martial arts fighter, also from Norway.

    In an interview on her company website, she talked about her family wealth but said it was not enough to just have money to succeed. She said, “I feel a great responsibility. In a way I think that I have not made me deserving of this, while I want to help develop Ferd and make it even better.”(SD-Agencies)