Martin Herrenknecht Net Worth

Martin Herrenknecht has an estimated net worth of $1.4 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Martin Herrenknecht profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is down from a peak of $1.5 billion.

Martin Herrenknecht is a German engineer and businessman who built one of the best-known makers of tunnel boring machines. The son of an upholsterer from Schwanau in Baden-Württemberg, he earned an engineering degree in 1964. He started an engineering company in 1975, and two years later it became Herrenknecht AG. Forbes counts him as a self-made billionaire.

His company designs and builds huge, heavy machines that dig tunnels for subways, rail lines and road links. Herrenknecht machines have worked on major projects around the world, including the Doha Metro in Qatar, the extension of the New York City subway's 7 line and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia. In 2010 his company drilled what was described as the largest tunnel in the world.

How Martin Herrenknecht built his fortune

Herrenknecht's wealth comes almost entirely from the company that carries his name. Forbes reports that he owns almost 96% of Herrenknecht AG, with the rest held by his brother. That near-total ownership means the value of the business flows straight to him. The company sells and supplies tunnel boring machines used in large infrastructure projects, a niche where few firms can compete.

The business is large. Forbes notes that Herrenknecht AG had sales of 1.2 billion euros in 2023, the latest figure the company has disclosed. Its workforce has also grown over the years, reaching 4955 employees by 2015. Big public transport and road projects tend to need machines built for specific ground conditions, and that steady demand from cities and governments has kept the company busy across many countries.

Forbes net worth and recognition

Forbes added Herrenknecht to its World's Billionaires List in 2026 with an estimate of $1.5 billion. Later in the year the figure dipped slightly. As of October 20, 2026, Forbes' real-time billionaires tracker put him at $1.4 billion. Because he owns nearly all of a private company, his estimate depends on how Forbes values the business rather than on daily stock market prices.

Beyond money, Herrenknecht has earned recognition for his engineering work. In 2015 he received the Werner von Siemens Ring, a German honor for achievement in technology. He studied at the University of Constance and still leads the firm he founded decades ago. His story is a classic example of an engineer turning a specialized skill into a global business that he continues to control.