Andrew Forrest facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Dr Andrew Forrest
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Forrest in 2017
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| Born |
John Andrew Henry Forrest
18 November 1961 Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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| Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
| Occupation | Non-executive chairman, Fortescue Metals Group |
| Spouse(s) |
Nicola Forrest
(m. 1991; separated 2023) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives |
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| Awards | |
John Andrew Henry Forrest (born 18 November 1961), often called Twiggy, is a well-known Australian businessman. He is famous for leading Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), a big mining company. He used to be the CEO and is now the chairman. He also has interests in other mining projects and large farms called cattle stations.
Andrew Forrest is one of Australia's richest people. In 2023, his wealth was estimated at over $33 billion Australian dollars. He was ranked the second richest Australian. In 2008, he was named the richest person in Australia.
In 2013, Andrew and his wife, Nicola Forrest, became the first Australian billionaires to promise to give most of their money to charity. He had stepped down as CEO of Fortescue Metals in 2011 to focus more on other projects. The Forrest family gives a lot of money through their Minderoo Foundation. This foundation helps with education and supports Indigenous Australians. They also started the Walk Free Foundation to help end modern slavery around the world.
Contents
Early Life and Education
John Andrew Henry Forrest was born on 18 November 1961 in Perth, Western Australia. He was the youngest of three children. His family has a long history with Minderoo Station, a large farm in the Pilbara region. His great-great uncle, John Forrest, was even Western Australia's first leader. Andrew spent his early years at Minderoo. His family sold the farm in 1998 because of a long drought. However, Andrew bought it back in 2009.
Andrew went to Onslow Primary School and learned through the School of the Air. This is a special way for kids in remote areas to learn using radio. Later, he moved to Perth to attend Christ Church Grammar School and Hale School. As a child, he had a stutter. He became friends with Ian Black, whose Aboriginal father, Scotty, became an important mentor to Andrew. He later studied economics and politics at the University of Western Australia.
In 1991, Andrew Forrest married Nicola Maurice. They have four children together. In July 2023, after 31 years of marriage, Andrew and Nicola announced they had separated. They said this would not affect their work with their companies and charities.
Business Career
After finishing university, Andrew Forrest worked as a stockbroker. He noticed that the demand for stainless steel was growing. This led him to get involved in nickel mining.
Anaconda Nickel
In 1993, Andrew Forrest started a company called Anaconda Nickel. He became its first CEO. However, in 2001, he left the company when it faced big financial problems. The company was later taken over by another company and renamed.
Fortescue Metals Group
In 2003, Andrew Forrest started a new company called Fortescue Metals Group (FMG). This company focuses on mining iron ore in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. He is still a major owner of FMG.
Fortescue sent its first shipment of iron ore to China in May 2008. The company has grown a lot since then. It now has many large iron ore deposits. These include places like Mount Nicholas, Christmas Creek, Cloudbreak, and Tongolo.
Andrew Forrest has sometimes disagreed with government plans, like a proposed mining tax. He argued that such taxes could harm the mining industry.
In 2021, it was announced that Andrew Forrest would receive a large payment from Fortescue's record profits.
Tattarang
Tattarang is a company that manages the Forrest family's private businesses. It invests in many different areas. These include food and farming (Harvest Road), energy (Squadron Energy), health technology, property, and lifestyle brands like Akubra hats.
Global Rapid Rugby
Andrew Forrest is also interested in sports, especially rugby. In 2017, a rugby team from Perth, the Western Force, was removed from a major competition. Andrew Forrest then decided to create a new rugby tournament.
This new competition was first called World Series Rugby in 2018. It was a series of friendly matches. In 2018, it was renamed Global Rapid Rugby. A full season was played in 2019. The 2020 season was stopped because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cattle Industry
After buying back his family's farm, Minderoo Station, in 2009, Andrew Forrest bought more land. He acquired other large farms like Nanutarra and Uaroo Stations. This increased his total farm land in the Pilbara to a very large area. He later bought more farms in the Kimberley region as well.
Allied Medical
In 2005, a company called Allied Medical was created from Fortescue Metals Group. This company dealt with medical equipment. Andrew Forrest was a director. Later, Allied Medical joined with another company and became Allied Healthcare Group, which then became Anteris Technologies.
Awards and Recognition
Andrew Forrest has received several awards for his work. He has an Australian Centenary Medal and an Australian Sports Medal. In 2017, he won the Western Australian of the Year Award.
In 2017, he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia. This is a high honor given for his great service to the mining industry. It also recognized his efforts in creating jobs and businesses, supporting foreign investment, and his charity work.
In 2019, Andrew Forrest earned a PhD in Marine Science from the University of Western Australia. He cares a lot about keeping the oceans healthy.
Other Important Roles
Andrew Forrest has many connections in politics, business, and sports. He is a special professor at the Chinese Southern University. He has also been a director for several important organizations, including Australia's Export Finance and Insurance Corporation. He used to be the chairman of Athletics Australia.
He often gives talks about important topics. In 2020, he gave the Boyer Lectures, where he talked about hydrogen energy and how humans can protect the oceans.
Helping Others (Philanthropy)
Andrew Forrest spends a lot of his time on charity work, especially helping Indigenous Australians. He became an ambassador for the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation. Inspired by other famous givers like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, Andrew and Nicola Forrest started the Australian Children's Trust in 2001.
He also started a project called GenerationOne. This project aims to create lasting solutions to help people who are struggling. GenerationOne and the Australian Children's Trust work to improve education and create job opportunities. Andrew Forrest has encouraged businesses to hire Indigenous Australians, believing they bring great value to companies.
In 2013, Andrew Forrest was asked by the Australian Government to review programs for Indigenous employment and training. His review suggested creating the Cashless Welfare Card.
Other Charity Work
By 2007, Andrew Forrest had given a lot of money to his children's charity. He has also given gifts to his old school, Hale School. He participates in charity events like the St Vincent de Paul Society CEO sleepouts. He even donated money from selling iron ore to help with the 2008 Sichuan earthquake relief in China.
In 2013, he donated $65 million Australian dollars to support higher education in Western Australia. This was one of the biggest charity donations in Australia at the time. Most of it went to funding scholarships for students.
The Minderoo Foundation is Andrew Forrest's main charity. It has given hundreds of millions of dollars since 2001. In 2014, Andrew and Nicola Forrest promised $65 million over ten years. This money created the Forrest Research Foundation, which offers scholarships for PhD students at Western Australian universities.
In 2017, he donated $400 million for medical research and social causes. In 2019, he gave another $655 million to expand the Minderoo Foundation's work. This included supporting cancer research, early childhood development, ocean health, and fighting modern slavery. This was the largest donation ever made by a living Australian.
Personal Life
Andrew Forrest and his family have several homes. In 2015, he bought a historic mansion called Tukurua in Cottesloe, Western Australia. For a while, his family even housed refugees there. In 2022, he bought another historic house nearby, Le Fanu House.
In 2018, Andrew Forrest bought a large superyacht called Pangaea. He turned this yacht into an ocean research vessel for the Minderoo Foundation. It now has laboratories and special equipment for studying the ocean.
Andrew Forrest is a Christian.
See also
In Spanish: Andrew Forrest para niños
