Gina Rinehart

About Gina Rinehart

Australia's richest citizen, Gina Rinehart built her wealth on iron ore.

The daughter of iron ore explorer Lang Hancock, Rinehart rebuilt her late father's financially distressed company, Hancock Prospecting, becoming executive chairwoman in 1992.

Hancock's biggest asset is the Roy Hill mining project, which started shipments to Asia in 2015. She's paid off the $7.2 billion debt taken on for this project.

Rinehart has made significant investments into rare earth minerals and the gas sector. She's also Australia's second-largest cattle producer, with a portfolio of properties across the country.

In December 2023, Hancock Prospecting and Chilean mineral company SQM made a joint $1.1 billon bid to acquire lithium outfit Azure Minerals in western Australia.