William E. Heinecke

William Ellwood Heinecke is a successful businessman in Thailand. He is the CEO and Chairman of Minor Corporation, the CEO and Chairman of Minor International, and Chairman of Minor Food Group.

Biography

Founder, CEO and Chairman of the Minor Group

One of the best-known expatriates in Southeast Asia, Bill Heinecke is the driving force behind the unparalleled successes of the stable of subsidiaries under the Minor Group umbrella. These companies add up to an impressive list of leading global brands across the lifestyle and leisure sectors with a proud heritage that is deeply rooted in Thailand. Minor Corporation manufactures and markets a portfolio of leading fashion, cosmetics and leisure brands, while Minor International currently operates 16 world-class hotels and resorts and more than 630 branded food service outlets across Asia and the Middle East.

A visionary, entrepreneurial spirit, an unshakable commitment to succeed, and a hands-on management style have formed the cornerstones of Bill Heinecke’s meteoric rise as an icon in the business world.

Born in 1949, William Ellwood Heinecke moved to Bangkok in 1963 with his family. Having previously been based in Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, the expatriate life was no novelty to them. His father served 25 years with the US military through two wars and later joined the foreign service, while his mother worked as an Asia correspondent for Time magazine. Bill became a student at the International School and, almost at once, began demonstrating the rare entrepreneurial skills that would become a hallmark of his remarkable career. Passionate about go-karting, he persuaded the editor of Bangkok World to let him write a column on the subject, his wish was granted but on condition that he secured advertisements to run alongside it.

Bill’s first venture proved so successful that, at the age of 17, he took over from the paper’s advertising manager while still attending school. By the time he graduated a year later, he launched Inter-Asian Enterprise to supply office cleaning services, and Inter-Asian Publicity – a radio advertising company – with around US$ 1,200 he had borrowed. The latter he later sold off to Ogilvy & Mather and, in 1967, founded Minor Holdings that would grow into The Minor Group over the next four decades, spanning more than 30 companies. Bill Heinecke was on his way, with an extraordinary series of triumphs and a few setbacks that he met philosophically: “Deals are like buses,” he was quoted as saying. “There will always be another one along the way.”

He married his high school sweetheart, Kathleen, in 1968 and they have two sons, David and John. A fine balance between family life and empire building saw him embark on his first hotel venture in 1978, the Royal Garden Resort in Pattaya. Though his endeavours have included advertising agencies and other hotels in Bangkok, Hua Hin, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and beyond Thailand’s borders, he is probably best known as the man who successfully introduced American-style fast foods to Thailand in the late 70’s and 80’s – brands like Mister Donut, Pizza Hut, and Burger King.

In 1991, Bill Heinecke became a Thai citizen. Still actively involved in a day-to-day basis in the empire he founded – especially overseeing global expansion plans – he now makes time to enjoy hobbies like piloting his airplane, scuba diving or racing vintage cars. A two-time past president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand, he sat on the Prime Minister’s Foreign Investment Advisory Council, and is also a keen supporter of the Thai Elephant Conservation Centre. He authored The Entrepreneur, which has subsequently seen several reprints and has been translated into a number of languages.

Minor International

On the hospitality front, Minor International Plc is one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in the Asia Pacific region. The company’s hotels and resorts are operated under the Four Seasons, Marriott Resort & Spa, Anantara and other brands in Thailand, Vietnam, the Maldives, the Middle East and Indonesia, and its spa brands like Mandara and Anantara have consistently been named among the best in the world.

The creation of Minor’s own Anantara brand – luxury boutique-style resorts inspired by local architectural and design elements to provide a unique and authentic destination experience – has been the realization of a lifelong dream for Mr. Heinecke. “The Anantara experience offers guests luxury and tranquility in surroundings that are culturally and environmentally uplifting,” he said. Anantara Resorts are currently located in the seaside town of Hua Hin (220km south of Bangkok), on Koh Samui in the Gulf of Thailand, in the Golden Triangle in the country's north, the Maldives, and Bali’s trendy Seminyak area. Over the next ten years, Anantara Resorts expects to continue an extensive development to include at least 40 resorts in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Among key locations being targeted are Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Dubai, as well as two additional Thailand properties in Khao Lak and Phuket.

MINOR Food Group

Today, MINOR Food Group is the largest quick-service restaurant operator in the country with four international franchised brands (Swensen's, Sizzler, Dairy Queen, and Burger King) and its own brand The Pizza Company. The Pizza Company has also branched out as far as Kuwait and Dubai. The group is a market leader in Thailand with nearly all of its subsidiaries being leaders in their respective segments. Its restaurants in Thailand alone served over 67 million customers in 2006. In addition to a significant presence in the retail market, the company is also one of the largest players in the airport and remote site catering segments, together with having its own ice cream and cheese factories.

Quotes

* "I was born an American, I was raised an American. I adopted Thai citizenship, but I don't think just because you carry a Thai passport that you become a Thai. I think of myself as a guest in Thailand." ( [http://goldsea.com/Asiagate/508/14thai.html source] )

Timeline

* 1949 - Born
* 1963 - Moved to Bangkok
* 1974 - Sold radio business to Ogilvy & Mather
* 1978 - Started Minor International
* 1980 - Opened first Pizza Hut restaurant in Thailand
* 1991 - Thai citizenship
* 1998 - Regent saved from Goldman Sachs
* 2006 - Anantara enters Dubai at The Palm Jumeriah [http://www.menareport.com/en/business,real_estate/194899 source] and [http://www.itp.net/business/news/details.php?id=21167&category= source2]
* 2008 - 50% of Elewana Afrika acquired for US$12 million [http://www.etravelblackboard.com/index.asp?id=76929&nav=1 source]

Biography Links

* [http://time-proxy.yaga.com/time/archive/preview/0,10987,998054,00.html Thailand's Big Cheese, by Robert Horn] Time Magazine - September 25, 2000
* [http://www.escapeartist.com/efam18/Expats_In_Asia.html Expats in Asia - Bill Heinecke]
* [http://www.thaipro.com/thailand_00/92_thailand_pizza.htm Thailand's Pizza War] Thaipro.com 12-Jul-2003
* [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1990/10/01/74128/index.htm Dedicated to their work, by Louis Kraar] Fortune Magazine - October 1, 1990

Company Links

* [http://www.minorcorporation.com/ Minor Corporation PCL]
* [http://www.minorbook.com/ Minor Book PCL]
* [http://www.minorinternational.com/ Minor International PCL]
* [http://www.pizza.co.th/ The Pizza Company]