Gina Rinehart

Gina Rinehart
Born	Georgina Hope Hancock 9 2, 1954
Birthplace	Perth, Western Australia, Australia
Nationality	Australian
Occupation	Mining executive, company chairman
Known for	Executive chairman of Hancock Prospecting
Education	St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls
Children	4
Awards	Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women

Georgina Hope Rinehart (née Hancock; born 9 February 1954) is an Australian billionaire mining executive and businesswoman who serves as executive chairman of Hancock Prospecting, a privately held mineral exploration and extraction company founded by her father, Lang Hancock. Born and raised in Western Australia, Rinehart inherited control of the company following her father's death in 1992 and oversaw its transformation from a mid-sized mining concern into one of Australia's most valuable private enterprises, capitalising on the iron ore boom that reshaped the country's economy in the early 2000s. She has been recognised as Australia's richest person for extended periods — from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2020 onward — according to both Forbes and The Australian Financial Review. In 2012, her estimated wealth reached approximately A$29 billion, at which point she was reported to have overtaken Christy Walton as the world's richest woman. Beyond mining, Rinehart has invested in media companies, agriculture, and, more recently, critical minerals and rare earth elements, positioning Hancock Prospecting within the global supply chains for lithium, copper, and rare earths.

Early Life

Georgina Hope Hancock was born on 9 February 1954 in Perth, Western Australia, the only child of Lang Hancock and Hope Nicholas (later Hope Hancock). Her father was one of Australia's most prominent mining figures, credited with the discovery of vast iron ore deposits in the Pilbara region of Western Australia during the 1950s. Lang Hancock spent decades developing these holdings and building a mining enterprise that would ultimately become Hancock Prospecting.

Rinehart spent her formative years in the Pilbara, a remote and arid region of northwestern Australia defined by its vast mineral wealth and sparse population. The experience of growing up around mining operations in the Pilbara instilled in Rinehart an early familiarity with the resources industry that would shape her career.

For her secondary education, Rinehart boarded at St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls in Perth, one of Western Australia's established private schools. After completing her schooling at St Hilda's, she enrolled at the University of Sydney, but she did not complete her degree, choosing instead to return to Western Australia to begin working alongside her father at the family company.

As Lang Hancock's sole child, Rinehart occupied a unique position within the family business from an early age. Her decision to leave university and join Hancock Prospecting placed her on a direct path toward eventually assuming control of the company, a trajectory that would be realised upon her father's death decades later.

Education

Rinehart attended St Hilda's Anglican School for Girls in Perth as a boarder during her secondary school years. She subsequently enrolled at the University of Sydney but left before completing a degree to work with her father, Lang Hancock, at Hancock Prospecting.

Career

Early Work at Hancock Prospecting

Rinehart began working at Hancock Prospecting after leaving the University of Sydney, joining her father in the management and development of the company's mining interests. The company, which Lang Hancock had founded, held significant iron ore royalty interests and exploration rights in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Rinehart worked under her father's direction for a number of years, gaining experience in the operational and business aspects of the mining industry.

When Lang Hancock died in 1992, Rinehart succeeded him as executive chairman of Hancock Prospecting. The transition occurred during a period when the Australian mining industry was not yet experiencing the dramatic growth that would come in the following decade. Rinehart assumed control of a company with substantial mineral holdings but one that had not yet fully capitalised on the scale of demand for iron ore that would emerge from rapidly industrialising economies in Asia, particularly China.

Iron Ore Boom and Wealth Expansion

The early 2000s saw a dramatic increase in global demand for iron ore, driven primarily by China's rapid economic expansion and infrastructure development. This iron ore boom transformed the Australian mining sector and proved to be a turning point for Hancock Prospecting under Rinehart's leadership. Rinehart oversaw an expansion of the company during this period, developing the company's Pilbara holdings into major production assets.

By 2006, the sustained increase in iron ore prices and production volumes made Rinehart a nominal billionaire. Her wealth continued to increase rapidly over the following years. In February 2011, BRW (Business Review Weekly) named Rinehart Australia's richest person, making her the first woman to hold the top position on Australia's rich list.

The pace of Rinehart's wealth accumulation accelerated further. In early 2012, Forbes reported that Rinehart had doubled her fortune, making her the richest person in the Asia-Pacific region. By January 2012, SmartCompany reported that Rinehart's net worth had reached A$20 billion. The Australian reported that a POSCO-related transaction had made Rinehart a "A$20 billion woman."

By mid-2012, Rinehart's estimated wealth had reached approximately A$29 billion, and BRW declared her the world's richest woman, having overtaken Christy Walton of the Walmart fortune. The Australian placed her wealth at A$29.17 billion at the top of the BRW Rich List. She was also included on the Forbes list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women during this period.

Wealth Fluctuations

Rinehart's fortune was subject to significant fluctuations tied to the cyclical nature of commodity markets. Following the peak of 2012, a slowdown in the Australian mining sector led to a substantial decline in her estimated net worth. In 2013, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Rinehart's wealth had dropped by more than the entire net worth of the Lowy family (founders of the Westfield shopping centre empire).

Between 2007 and 2010, prior to the rapid escalation, the Australian rich lists showed considerable movement among the country's wealthiest individuals. In 2007, James Packer held the top position on the rich list. By 2009, the global financial crisis had reduced the wealth of many of Australia's richest people.

However, Rinehart's wealth recovered substantially during 2020, driven by increased global demand for Australian iron ore. By March 2021, The Australian Business Review stated her wealth equalled A$36.28 billion. The 2023 Financial Review Rich List estimated her net worth in excess of A$37 billion. As of the mid-2020s, she continued to hold the position of Australia's richest person.

Media Investments

In the 2010s, Rinehart expanded her investment portfolio beyond the mining sector, making significant forays into Australian media. In November 2010, she acquired a stake in Ten Network Holdings, one of Australia's major commercial television networks.

Rinehart subsequently turned her attention to Fairfax Media, the publisher of major Australian broadsheet newspapers including The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. Through a series of share purchases, she became the largest single shareholder in Fairfax Media. The investment attracted substantial commentary regarding the implications for editorial independence at Fairfax publications. The Australian reported on analysis suggesting that Rinehart's Fairfax interest would not necessarily give her control over the mining tax debate, despite concerns raised by some observers.

Rinehart sought a seat on the Fairfax Media board of directors, but Fairfax declined to offer her one, reportedly over disagreements about whether she would sign the company's charter of editorial independence. Rinehart eventually sold her interest in Fairfax Media in 2015.

Agriculture

In addition to media, Rinehart expanded into the agricultural sector during the 2010s, purchasing several cattle stations in northern Australia. The move into agriculture diversified Hancock Prospecting's portfolio beyond its core mining operations. However, within approximately a decade, the company divested these agricultural holdings.

Critical Minerals and Rare Earths

In the mid-2020s, Rinehart and Hancock Prospecting made significant investments in the critical minerals sector, encompassing lithium, rare earth elements, and copper. These investments positioned the company within global supply chains increasingly important for renewable energy technologies and electronics manufacturing.

In November 2025, it was reported that Rinehart had become the largest shareholder in MP Materials, a US-based rare earths producer. Bloomberg reported in October 2025 that Rinehart had doubled her stake in a rare earths firm. The Investing News Network reported that through Hancock Prospecting, Rinehart held investments in companies including Azure Minerals and Liontown Resources, spanning lithium, rare earths, and copper.

In February 2026, The Australian Financial Review reported that Rinehart had purchased shares in Netflix during a period of merger and acquisition activity, noting that US disclosure rules provided visibility into Hancock Prospecting's American share trading.

Personal Life

Rinehart has four children. Her personal and family affairs have been the subject of public attention in Australia, particularly regarding legal disputes within the Hancock family.

Her father, Lang Hancock, died in 1992, at which point Rinehart assumed control of the family company. Her mother was Hope Nicholas.

Rinehart has generally maintained a degree of privacy regarding her personal life, despite her status as one of the most prominent business figures in Australia. She has resided primarily in Western Australia, the state where Hancock Prospecting's mining operations are concentrated and where she grew up.

Recognition

Rinehart's status as Australia's wealthiest person and one of the richest women in the world has resulted in extensive coverage and recognition from financial and media publications.

In 2011, she became the first woman to top the BRW Rich List as Australia's richest person. Forbes included her in the list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women. In 2012, she was declared the world's richest woman by BRW after her estimated wealth reached approximately A$29 billion. Forbes reported her as one of the Asia-Pacific region's richest individuals.

As of September 2020, Forbes considered Rinehart one of the world's ten richest women. She has appeared continuously on the Forbes list of Australia's 50 richest people and has held the top position on both the Forbes and Australian Financial Review rich lists for extended periods: from 2011 to 2015 and again from 2020 onward.

In the 2026 edition of the Forbes Australia's 50 Richest list, published amid global uncertainty relating to US tariffs and geopolitical tensions, Rinehart continued to feature prominently as Australia's wealthiest individual.

Legacy

Gina Rinehart's career has been defined by the transformation of Hancock Prospecting from a company primarily holding iron ore royalty interests into a diversified mining and investment enterprise. Under her leadership, the company capitalised on the iron ore boom of the 2000s and 2010s to generate substantial wealth, and subsequently expanded into media, agriculture, and critical minerals.

Her rise to the top of Australian wealth rankings represented a notable development in Australian business, as she became the first woman to hold the top position on the country's rich list. The scale of her fortune — driven largely by the global appetite for Australian iron ore — made her one of the most prominent figures in the international mining industry.

Rinehart's media investments in the 2010s generated public debate in Australia about the relationship between concentrated wealth and media ownership. Her stake in Fairfax Media, in particular, prompted discussions about editorial independence and the influence of mining interests on public discourse, though she ultimately divested her holdings in the company.

Her more recent investments in rare earths and critical minerals have positioned Hancock Prospecting within sectors increasingly regarded as strategically important for energy transition and national security. The acquisition of a major stake in MP Materials, a US-based rare earths producer, signalled a geographic and sectoral expansion for the company beyond its traditional Australian iron ore base.

As of the mid-2020s, Rinehart remains one of the most significant figures in Australian business and one of the wealthiest individuals globally, with her fortune and business decisions continuing to attract attention from financial analysts, media commentators, and policymakers.

References

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