Craig Leonard Heatley (born 29 May 1956) is a New Zealand businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is one of the wealthiest men in New Zealand according to the New Zealand National Business Review. His net worth is estimated to be $550 million.

Career

Heatley set up

Rainbow Corporation A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows cau ...

in the 1980s which had interests in Woolworths supermarkets, entertainment theme parks and property. Rainbow was acquired by Brierley Investments in the late 80's to gain control of Rainbows significant stake in Woolworths. Rainbow shareholders agreed to a stock swap deal worth $500 million, of which Heatley controlled 20%. Heatley was appointed to the Brierley board. He then went on to set up

Sky Network Television Sky Network Television Limited, more commonly known as Sky, is a New Zealand broadcasting company that provides pay television services via satellite, media streaming services and broadband internet services. It is also a wholesale channel pro ...

, Famously with a personal investment of only $1, he managed to turn it into New Zealand's only pay TV provider and one of the 10 largest New Zealand companies, whilst still retaining a 15% stake. Heatley has since sold his stake in Sky Network Television, and now has diversified interests throughout New Zealand, Asia and the U.S. which include property, infrastructure, equities and aviation. He is also a major player in the New Zealand

private equity In the field of finance, the term private equity (PE) refers to investment funds, usually limited partnerships (LP), which buy and restructure financially weak companies that produce goods and provide services. A private-equity fund is both a typ ...

and

currency A currency, "in circulation", from la, currens, -entis, literally meaning "running" or "traversing" is a standardization of money in any form, in use or circulation as a medium of exchange, for example banknotes and coins. A more general ...

markets. In the 2013 Queen's Birthday Honours, Heatley was appointed a

Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...

, for services to business.

Other

He was born in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most ...

and educated at

Heretaunga College Heretaunga College is a state coeducational secondary school located in Upper Hutt, New Zealand. The school has approximately students from Years 9 to 13 (ages 12 to 18). The college grounds are a large area with primary access via Ward Street ...

and the

Victoria University of Wellington Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Z ...

. A keen avatior he is one of a very few New Zealanders to own their own private jet, a $30m Bombardier Global. He owns several properties in New Zealand (including a private island) and the United States. Heatley is a competitive amateur golfer who won the 2003 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am at

Pebble Beach Pebble Beach is an unincorporated community on the Monterey Peninsula in Monterey County, California. The small coastal residential community of mostly single-family homes is also notable as a resort destination, and the home of the golf course ...

with professional golfer Phil Tataurangi, and the 2004

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is one of the richest golf tournaments on the European Tour. It is played in September, on three different links courses, centred on the "home of golf", St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. The tournament is a pr ...

pro-am with professional golfer

Fred Couples Frederick Steven Couples (born October 3, 1959) is an American professional golfer who has competed on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. A former World No. 1, he has won 64 professional tournaments, most notably the Masters Tournament ...

. He is a member of

Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does no ...

where he is Chairman of the Masters Tournament Media Committee.

References

External links

Douglas Myers, Craig Heatley mansions touted to foreignersHeatley page at Ocean Partners
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heatley, Craig 1956 births Living people New Zealand businesspeople Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit People from Lower Hutt