Hancock Prospecting is poised to become Western Australia's biggest private company after a investment and acquisition spree in iron ore and agribusiness which is expected some time this year to push its revenue past that of the incumbent number one for the past 12 years, home builder BGC. A 2018 reranking appears certain following research for the Business News Private Companies list published today in a special report.
Private Perth company Wright Prospecting has bolstered its already impressive ranks with the recruitment of top lawyer Peter Wiese, who will guide it through continuing legal disputes with fellow Perth company Hancock Prospecting.
Energy giant Woodside Petroleum has bolstered its board with the appointment of a former Shell executive, while Dacian Gold has welcomed a prominent lawyer to its board.
Former corporate lawyer Ian Cochrane has joined the board of Ausdrill as deputy chairman, adding to a suite of board positions on the private companies of some of Perth's wealthiest families.
The billionaire Rinehart and Wright families have scored a multi-million dollar High Court win against mining giant Rio Tinto over iron ore royalties derived from the Pilbara.
The third daughter of late mining heir Michael Wright has succeeded in her bid to extract much more than she was left from his will, with a judge ruling she should get $25 million.
Some of Perth's top company directors and dealmakers, including Michael Smith, Ian Cochrane, Michael Ashforth and Tony Iannello have been recruited to help run prominent family companies.
Rio Tinto has boosted its global iron ore production to a record level during the June 2013 quarter, as it reviews new options to achieve its growth target at its Pilbara operations. Rio has also disclosed the high cost of a legal dispute with Gina Rinehart's company Hancock Prospecting.
Gina Rinehart's private company Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd has belatedly revealed the scale of its income and profits by lodging annual returns for 2010 and 2011 with the Australian Securities and
