A Conversation with Entrepreneur & Philanthropist
Bill Heinecke - Redux (Editor’s Note: One of our most popular interviews ever was with Bill Heinecke, which appeared in our December 2017 issue. We are pleased to present it to you once again with updated information.) Bill Heinecke is a business legend. Heinecke moved to Bangkok in 1963 at age 14 with his family, having already lived in Japan, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. Bill attended the International School in Bangkok but was more interested in go-karting than studying. He approached the editor of the now-defunct Bangkok World, asking if he could write a column on go-karts. The editor agreed on one condition; young Bill had to also sell advertising for the newspaper. Earning a commission on his sales, within months he was making more money than the newspaper’s full-time sales staff. At the age of 17 he was promoted to advertising manager of the paper. After completing high school, Bill borrowed $1,200 USD’s from a money lender and used the money to buy rags, mops, and buckets. He then set about getting contracts to clean commercial office buildings in Bangkok. In 1967 he founded Minor Holdings. “Minor,” being a nod to his youth. Fast forward in time and from that $1,200 borrowed, Bill, now a billionaire has built MINOR International (MINT), into a global powerhouse with 2019 revenue of almost 4 Billion USD and employing more than 85,000 people. MINT is a hotel owner, operator and investor with a portfolio of over 78,000 rooms across more than 530 hotels, resorts and serviced suites under the Anantara, AVANI, Oaks, Tivoli, Elewana, NH Collection, NH Hotel, nhow, Marriott, Four Seasons, St. Regis, Radisson Blu, and Minor International brands. Today, Minor Hotels’ hotel and spa portfolio spans across 57 countries in the Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Europe, and the Americas.
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