Richard Pratt
One Out of the Box: The Secrets of an Australian Billionaire
April 2012
400 Seiten, Softcover
Wiley & Sons Ltd
Richard Pratt was one of Australia's most successful, formidable
and charismatic businessmen. Yet for all this he was unfailingly
human, his life playing out like a drama even after the final
act.
Self-made billionaire, family man, generous philanthropist,
patron of the arts and Carlton Football Club saviour were just a
few of Pratt's many guises, and in this compelling biography the
truth behind the headlines is revealed. The twists and turns of
Pratt's life are chronicled with candour -- from humble
beginnings in Poland to the heights of global business success
tainted by the humiliating price-fixing scandal that earned Visy
the largest corporate fine in Australia's history.
Pratt's many achievements and controversies polarised public
opinion but made him one of Australia's most enigmatic public
figures. Though his legacy is debatable, no-one can deny that
Richard Pratt was ... one out of the box.
Acknowledgements ix
Introduction: the Last Days of a King xi
1 From Poland to Shepparton and beyond 1
2 The beginning of an empire 19
3 Keeping it in the family 41
4 The unreasonable man 57
5 Working five to nine 81
6 Giving back 101
7 A European affair 121
8 No shrinking violet 133
9 True blue Aussie 147
10 Mr Fix-it 169
11 The legacy of a Cardboard King 187
Notes 197
Index 205
Eureka Report and a weekly columnist on The Sunday Age. In
the past he has worked for The Australian Financial Review
and The Australian, as well as writing for Business
Review Weekly. James has written several books for John Wiley
& Sons, including Richard Pratt: Business Secrets of the
Billionaire Behind Australia's Richest Private Company and
Gerry Harvey: Business Secrets of Harvey Norman's Retailing
Mastermind.
Rod Myer is a Melbourne-based writer and journalist with
25 years' experience in the Australian media. He has worked as a
business writer for The Age, The Herald and the
Herald Sun and has made radio documentaries for the ABC,
3RRR and Public Radio News. Rod also worked as a speech writer,
political adviser and researcher for the Australian Democrats in
the 1980s.
