Magdalena Franciszka Wierzycka[1] (born 1969 in Gliwice, Poland[2]) is a Polish-South African billionaire businesswoman.

[9] Wierzycka grew up in Jastrzębie-Zdrój, Poland[2] where she shared a 2 bedroom flat with her sister, brother, grandmother and parents who were medical doctors.

[12][13] With the gradual economic collapse of Poland due to political sanctions and the subsequent imposition of martial law, Wierzycka moved with her family in 1982 to Austria where they lived for a year in the Polish refugee camp at Traiskirchen.

[15] Wierzycka had to learn English and Afrikaans swiftly because they are the primary media of instruction in South African schools and she spoke neither of the languages.

At Coronation, she played a pivotal role in making the company one of the largest asset management firms in South Africa.