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Rich List 2024

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Alex Waislitz and Heloise Pratt are fighting in the Supreme Court of Victoria over the control of Thorney Investment.

Pratt denies she ‘abdicated responsibility’ to Waislitz

Billionaire Visy heiress Heloise Pratt rejects claims by her ex-husband that she failed to pay attention to the couple’s business affairs, new court documents reveal.

  • Patrick Durkin and Max Mason

Private empire behind property developer Bob Ell suffers profit slide

Leda Holdings has reported a near-halving in annual profit due to a higher cost of sales, according to newly filed accounts.

  • Jenny Wiggins
James Packer’s girlfriend, Renee Elizabeth Blythewood, posted pictures of him dining with Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

James Packer dines with Trump, Elon Musk

New social media photos show the Australian billionaire seated with Elon Musk and the new president at dinner in Mar-a-Lago.

  • Primrose Riordan
Leigh Jasper and Sam Kroonenburg entrepreneurs who are starting from scratch again as founders, despite already having billion-dollar exits.

These founders with nothing to lose are coming back for a second act

A chance at being part of tech’s next wave was too great an opportunity for founders Sam Kroonenburg and Leigh Jasper to resist, even though they’ve already staged billion-dollar exits.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Prominent investor Alex Waislitz and property developer Tim Gurner. Mr Waislitz has accused Mr Gurner’s Gurner Group of delays and defects at its Saint Moritz development.

Alex Waislitz and Tim Gurner feud over luxury St Kilda tower

The wealthy businessmen are at loggerheads over problems at the Saint Moritz development. Mr Waislitz says Mr Gurner is trying to silence residents.

  • Primrose Riordan and Sarah Thompson
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January

Richard Weinberg and Adam Shell from the Terrace Tower Group.

The secretive Saunders family is going all in on lending to the rich

The late John Saunders founded Westfield with Frank Lowy. The family investment vehicle sees plenty of opportunities in helping the cash-strapped wealthy.

  • Primrose Riordan

December 2024

Rich Lister Sam Arnaout caps year with mega Sydney pubs deal

The real estate magnate has bought Sydney’s Cabramatta Hotel and the El Cortez Hotel in a transaction worth more than $180 million.

  • Nick Lenaghan

Smorgon stoush triggers gold mine fire sale

One of Australia’s most powerful families have pushed their Chinese partners in the Stawell gold mine into receivership.

  • Peter Ker
Naomi Simson started RedBalloon in 2001 and has become one of the country’s most recognisable founders.

‘A man is not a plan’: How Naomi Simson created an experiences empire

Naomi Simson founded RedBalloon in 2001 on a shoestring budget. Now she’s looking to expand the company into the international market.

  • Yolanda Redrup
The Financial Review’s Primrose Riordan interviewing Andrew Forrest.

I sent Andrew Forrest 50 hard questions. He invited me to have a talk

After months of reporting, and only carefully worded written responses from Fortescue, I found myself with the iron ore billionaire on the company jet in the Pilbara.

  • Primrose Riordan
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Inside the ‘unending chaos’ at Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue

After a frenetic world tour, the billionaire had to wind back his hydrogen plans. A Financial Review investigation looks at what led to an exodus of executives.

  • Primrose Riordan

Fortescue executive chairman Andrew Forrest in his own words

After The Australian Financial Review sent 50 questions following an investigation, the iron ore billionaire and green energy advocate sat down for an interview.

  • Primrose Riordan
Jevan Bouzo, CEO of Convenience & Mobility at Viva and Yasser Shahin.

$3 hot dogs and a mini-shop behind $1.2b petrol bet

Service stations with the lot have arrived in Sydney as part of Viva Energy’s national rollout of the OTR brand, in a makeover that is 30 years overdue.

  • Simon Evans
The late David Haines was a pioneering hedge fund manager and amassed a significant fortune before his death last year.

Late billionaire David Hains’ sons go their separate ways

People close to the family said that the split of assets was amicable. One son of the pioneering hedge fund manager has quietly started his own family office.

  • Primrose Riordan
Paris Neilson (left) and Griffin Theatre Company executive director Julieanne Campbell at Stables Theatre, which a Neilson gift - and a last-minute Canberra grant - has helped save.

How a billionaire and government saved a key Sydney theatre

Griffin Theatre Company gave the world Cate Blanchett and David Wenham, but a soaring budget for a much-needed rebuild almost took it away.

  • Updated
  • Michael Bailey

November 2024

Declan Sherman has been an investment banker, a fitness studio owner and a labour hire CEO, but Infragreen is where his real passion lies.

Billionaire John Van Lieshout backs sustainability investor Infragreen

Infragreen has secured a $40 million investment from Rich Lister John Van Lieshout’s fund to acquire a peaking power plant.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Australia’s wealthiest women and those leading philanthropic foundations gathered in Canberra on Thursday to boost female giving.

Australia’s wealthiest women join forces to supercharge philanthropy

Women from Australia’s biggest philanthropic donors met in Canberra on Thursday for She Gives’ first roundtable, including Fiona Geminder and the Fox family.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Wes Maas at the Maas Group’s  company headquarters in Dubbo. It announced on November 28 the acquisition of three businesses - Cleary Bros in NSW, Capital Asphalt in the ACT and a quarry and land holding just outside of Melbourne.

One of the few remaining building groups on the ASX hits the gas

Maas Group was founded by former Rabbitohs player Wes Maas two decades ago. With three acquisitions in one day, it is turbocharging its expansion plans.

  • Simon Evans
Blackmagic Designs founder Grant Petty with the company’s URSA Cine 17k camera.

This Rich Lister has a plan to save cinema (and his business)

Blackmagic Design’s Grant Petty hopes his new camera, which shoots at 16 times the standard image quality, can lift box-office sales and those of his company too.

  • Michael Bailey
Dr Rohan Hockings and Alan Tribe have led the turnaround of PYC Therapeutics.

The stock set to propel one of WA’s richest back onto the Rich List

Alan Tribe’s net worth has soared in line with ASX-listed PYC Therapeutics, which after more than 23 years in businesses is finally on the edge of success.

  • Yolanda Redrup
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Lonely Planet founders Tony and Maureen Wheeler.

Lonely Planet founders not content with giving away half their wealth

Tony and Maureen Wheeler are doubling down on their commitment to Melbourne’s Wheeler Centre with a big commitment to match donations.

  • Yolanda Redrup
Doug Rathbone is a small shareholder and chairman of Delta Ag, which has been bought out by Elders Ltd in a $475m deal. He also owns luxury wine brands Yering Station, Mount Langi Ghiran and Xanadu.

Nufarm entrepreneur Doug Rathbone a winner in $475m Elders buyout

The 79-year-old, who made his fortune via the crop chemicals business, will pocket a small windfall from the buyout of Delta Agribusiness by its larger rival.

  • Simon Evans
Laurence Escalante built Virtual Gaming Worlds into a multibillion-dollar business.

Laurence Escalante’s VGW bulks up exec ranks as casinos bristle

Virtual Gaming Worlds was one of the early beneficiaries of a US legislative loophole in states where gambling is otherwise banned. It’s now under attack.

  • Primrose Riordan and Zoe Samios
Dom Pym has founded more than 22 companies, but you probably only know him as the guy who built neobank Up.

‘If we lose everything, we can just get a regular job’

From a childhood that was “pretty tough” in parts, Dom Pym founded 22 companies including neobank Up, which he sold for $116 million. Now he wants to elevate Australia’s venture ecosystem.

  • Yolanda Redrup

October 2024

Property downturn nips into Walker Group profit

The empire founded by the late Lang Walker is powering on, with a $36 billion development pipeline and landmark projects stretching from Sydney to Malaysia.

  • Nick Lenaghan