Starting life as a property development, construction, investment and management company, Toga Group was founded by Charlotte Vidor with her husband Ervin after they migrated to Australia from Poland and Hungary. Having diversified and expanded its reach considerably, the group now owns and manages four hospitality brands – Medina, Adina, Vibe and Travelodge Hotels – comprising 6800 – apartments and rooms and 1800 employees.
And this figure is set to grow after the group sealed a lucrative deal with Singaporean property group Far East Orchard in May 2013.
BRW placed Vidor’s personal wealth at $700 million in May 2013.
Hollis founded TravelEdge with Grant Wilson in 2000. She told SmartCompany the travel services business is focusing on developing new solutions to a relatively traditional model.
“Our goal is to be the most dynamic and respected deliver of travel related service to corporate Australia,” Hollis says.
“For us, this means continually staying ahead of traditional industry trends through initiating new models, developing technology that gives clients greater control, and continually evolving services ahead of client need.”
Retail Zoo, parent company of Boost Juice bars, Boost International, Salsa’s Fresh Mex Grill and CIBO Espresso, opened 58 new stores and saw revenue soar to $223 million in FY13.
Recently, rumours of a sale negotiation with Asia Pacific group Affinity Equity have been circulating, in a deal that could be worth $200 million. Allis ranked 20th on last year’s BRW Rich Women list, with an estimated wealth of $60 million. If the sale goes ahead, she’s likely to receive around $50 million.
What does Allis think it takes to be a successful entrepreneur? “What comes first is attitude. You might not be the most educated, intelligent, or qualified person for a role, but you might be that someone who has the drive and a twinkle in their eyes, but didn’t have the chance to have the education.”
Offering corporate consulting, recruitment and labour hire, on top of helping the unemployed secure work, Brisbane-based Ingeus has a grown a global presence in the past 25 years and now operates 150 offices internationally.
Managing director and CEO Therese Rein (two-time ex-prime minister Kevin Rudd’s wife) admits she was inspired by the challenges faced by her wheelchair-bound father (he was injured while serving in the Australian Air Force) and says that it is a desire to enable people to “reconnect with their communities, to reconnect with independence, to reconnect with their potential” that motivates her.
The construction business behind a number of luxury property developments in Melbourne, Sydney and Hong Kong, Lustig & Moar is headed up by Iris Lustig-Moar along with her ex-husband Max Moar – the pair’s combined fortune is $379 million. The business was founded by Lustig-Moar’s late father.
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Cara Waters is a former SmartCompany editor. Previously, Cara was a senior reporter for the Financial Times’ website and worked for The Sunday Times in London.
