Richard White (Australian businessman)

Last updated

Richard White (born April 1, 1955) is the billionaire former CEO and co-founder of WiseTech Global, an Australian technology company specialising in transport logistics.

Contents

Early life and career

White was born in Sydney in 1955, and grew up in the suburb of Bexley. His father ran an engineering business, his mother sold cookware through house parties and as a youth he washed dishes for his grandparents wedding reception business. [1]

He worked as a musician in a band called Jade [2] and refrigeration mechanic, later standing a small business repairing guitars called Rock Repairs. [3] [4] He taught himself electronics and programming when he started building lighting systems for bands. [1]

Education

He graduated Sydney Technical High School in 1972 [1] and completed a master's degree in IT management in 2002. [4]

WiseTech

White co-founded WiseTech (then Eagle Developments International) with Maree Isaacs in 1994, having worked together previously. [5] [1]

The company became established in the Australian logistics industry by 2000, and expanded into the US market in 2006 under the name CargoWise. [4] They changed the name to WiseTech in 2011. It was listed on the ASX in 2016. [6]

Philanthropy

Both White personally and his company invested in Grok Academy, an Australian technology education company led by James Curran, with the aim of providing free technology education to students, and encouraging other Australian technology companies to act similarly. [7] [8]

Sexual harassment allegations

White stepped down as CEO of WiseTech in October 2024 after he was involved in a bankruptcy case with Linda Rogan, who alleged he was trading sex for investing in her business, and similar allegations from other women, some from within WiseTech. [3] [9]

He was later cleared by WiseTech of bullying and intimidation allegations, and remains on as a consultant at his former salary. [10] It was noted by the Australian Financial Review that the "salacious revelations" had little effect on his position and influence. [11]

Net worth

In 2017, Forbes listed him among Australia's 50 richest people with an estimated net worth of over A$1  billion. [12] By January 2025, the Forbes estimated his net worth at US$9.2 billion; [13] and the AFR at A$11.62 billion. [14]

Related Research Articles

Spanx, LLC is a United States shapewear company, founded by Sara Blakely in Atlanta, Georgia in 2000. The company offers innerwear and outerwear, including activewear, apparel, denim, shapewear, swimwear, intimates, leggings, and hosiery. As of 2021, the company was valued at $1.2 billion and its products are sold in over 50 countries.

Joel Macdonald is a businessman and former Australian rules footballer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthony Pratt (businessman)</span> Australian businessman

Colonel Anthony Joseph Pratt is an Australian businessman. He is the chairman of Pratt Industries and Visy, the world's largest privately owned packaging and paper company. Pratt is the heir to former chair of Visy Richard Pratt, who was the son of Leon Pratt, who co-founded the company in 1945.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xero (company)</span> Accounting software company

Xero Limited is a New Zealand–based technology company that provides cloud-based accounting software for small businesses. The company has offices in New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, South Africa and Singapore. Xero's products are based on the software-as-a-service model and sold by subscription, based on the type and number of entities managed by the subscriber. The products are used in over 180 countries.

Patrick Y-Kin Grove is a Singaporean and Australian tech entrepreneur of mixed heritage.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Cannon-Brookes</span> Australian businessman (born 1979)

Michael Cannon-Brookes is an Australian businessman who is the co-founder and chief executive officer of the software company Atlassian.

David Hains was an Australian businessman, engineer, and horse breeder. He was the founder and once CEO of Portland House Group, Australia’s largest private investments management firm and hedge fund. According to Forbes, Hains had at the time of his death a personal net-worth of around $2 billion, making him one of Australia’s richest person.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lei Jun</span> Chinese billionaire entrepreneur (born 1969)

Lei Jun is a Chinese billionaire entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is known for founding the consumer electronics company Xiaomi. As of 2025, Lei's net worth was estimated at either US$27.4 billion according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, making him the 76th wealthiest person in the world, or at $28.6 billion by Forbes, ranking him 70th worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liu Qiangdong</span> Chinese Internet entrepreneur (born 1973)

Liu Qiangdong (Richard) (Chinese: 刘强东; born March 10, 1973) is a Chinese Internet entrepreneur. Liu founded JD Multimedia as a business-to-consumer single retail store for magneto-optical products in June 1998 and later moved the company into an e-commerce website known as JD.com (also known as Jingdong) in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Farquhar</span> Australian businessman (born 1979)

Scott Farquhar is an Australian businessman who is the co-founder and the former co-chief executive officer of software company Atlassian. Farquhar often carries the epithet of accidental billionaire after he and his business partner Mike Cannon-Brookes founded Atlassian with the aim to replicate the A$48,500 graduate starting salary typical at corporations without having to work for someone else. Farquhar and Cannon-Brookes were Australia’s first technology billionaires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whitney Wolfe Herd</span> Founder and former CEO of Bumble (born 1989)

Whitney Wolfe Herd is an American entrepreneur. She is the founder, executive chair, and former CEO of publicly traded Bumble, an online dating platform, launched in 2014. She is a co-founder of Tinder and was previously its Vice President of Marketing.

Brett Blundy is an Australian billionaire businessman. He is the founder and former chairman of BB Retail Capital, which owns companies such as Sanity Entertainment, Bras N Things, and Aventus Property Group. He is part-owner of BridgeClimb Sydney, one of Australia's biggest tourist attractions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Spenceley</span> Prominent Australian investor

James Roland Travers Spenceley is an Australian investor, entrepreneur, company director, and politician. He is the founder of Vocus Communications and an active venture capital investor. He was a seed investor in Airtasker in 2012, and was chairman of the board from 2015 until 2023, when he resigned his position in order to concentrate on his humanitarian aid organisation Aus Ukraine Aid. In December 2021, Spenceley was elected in first position as a councillor for St Leonards Ward of North Sydney Council, and was re-elected in October 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Armstrong (businessman)</span> Coinbase CEO and cryptocurrency billionaire

Brian Armstrong is an American business executive, billionaire, and investor who is CEO of cryptocurrency platform Coinbase. He received media attention for his policy of keeping the workplace free of political activism.

Colin Huang Zheng is a Chinese businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He is the founder and former CEO of the e-commerce company Pinduoduo, which is now the largest agriculture platform in China. Huang is also the owner of at least three other limited liability Cayman companies, including Pinduoduo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zhang Yiming</span> Chinese internet entrepreneur (born 1983)

Zhang Yiming is a Chinese Internet entrepreneur. He founded ByteDance in 2012, developed the news aggregator Toutiao and the video sharing platform Douyin. Zhang is one of the richest individuals in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$45.6 billion as of October 2024, according to Forbes and US$43.1 billion according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index. On November 4, 2021, Zhang stepped down as CEO of ByteDance, completing a leadership handover announced in May 2021. According to Reuters, Zhang maintains over 50 percent of ByteDance's voting rights. The surging global popularity of TikTok made Zhang the richest man in China in 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Yuan</span> Chinese-American billionaire businessman

Eric S Yuan is a Chinese-American billionaire businessman, engineer, and the chief executive officer and founder of Zoom Communications, of which he owns 22%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melanie Perkins</span> Australian technology entrepreneur (born 1987)

Melanie Perkins is an Australian technology entrepreneur, who is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Canva. She owns 18% of the company.

Michael Heine is an Australian businessman. He is best known as the founder and managing director of Netwealth, an ASX-listed funds management and financial technology firm established in 1999. He became a billionaire in 2018 and as of 2023 according to the Financial Review Rich List he had a net worth of A$2.67 billion. He was previously involved in various other ventures with his father Walter and brother Leslie, including Heine Brothers, Heine Management, Heine Finance, and Eurolynx.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devin Finzer</span> American entrepreneur and technology executive

Devin Finzer is an American entrepreneur and technology executive. He is the co-founder and chief executive officer of OpenSea, a marketplace for non-fungible tokens.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Whittaker, Mark (2023-06-11). "From mechanic to a $10 billion fortune: Inside Richard White's rise to the top". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  2. ↑ Sprague, Julie-anne (2024-06-17). "The Rich Lister who avoids risk at all costs". AFR. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  3. 1 2 Doherty, Ben (2024-10-24). "WiseTech Global billionaire CEO Richard White steps down as company rocked by allegations of secret affairs". The Guardian. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  4. 1 2 3 Smith, Michael (2015-12-12). "From AC/DC to the ASX: Richard White is no ordinary tech tycoon". AFR. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  5. ↑ "WiseTech co-founder Maree Isaacs is one of only three women on Rich Bosses list". AFR. 2018-07-12. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  6. ↑ "Wisetech Global Limited (ASX: WTC) - Float & IPO Details". Intelligent Investor. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  7. ↑ Kitney, Damon (2022-10-04). "WiseTech founder Richard White issues funding challenge to fellow tech entrepreneurs". The Australian. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  8. ↑ Swan, David (2024-12-16). "Grok Academy finds new home after disgraced CEO's exit". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  9. ↑ "Billionaire Richard White steps down as CEO of WiseTech Global, effective immediately". ABC. 2024-10-24. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  10. ↑ Barrett, Jonothan (2024-11-22). "WiseTech's billionaire founder Richard White cleared of allegations by company review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2024-12-29.
  11. ↑ Thompson, James (2024-10-24). "WiseTech's Richard White 'fix' just creates another problem". AFR. Retrieved 2025-01-16.
  12. ↑ Froelicher, Christian (2018-01-23). "Rich and counting: Australia's 33 billionaires". SBS. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  13. ↑ "Richard White". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-01-17.
  14. ↑ https://www.afr.com/rich-list
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.