Kerry Packer and His Influence in Australia’s Media Industry

Kerry Packer, the owner of Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL), is one of the richest men in Australia. PBL’s ownerships include Australia’s Channel 9 TV station, several major newspapers and magazines, some gambling interests like Crown Casino and Burswood, financial interests, and several internet and media businesses.

The Packer family’s fortune began in the 1920s when Packer’s grandpa Robert Packer became a part of a local newspaper. Packer’s father is the publisher of Australian Women’s Weekly, a popular magazine in Australia. The weekly magazine was so successful that the family was able to acquire publishing business to become a media empire that it is today.

PBL’s 9 TV is the leading free to air TV network in Australia. The station produces more shows that any other TV outfits in the country. 9 TV also own stakes in several pay TV stations like Sky News Australia and Foxtel.

The magazine publisher Australian Consolidated Press (ACP) is also owned by Packer. Since its founding in 1933, ACP has published over 60 magazines circulated within Australia and another 30+ magazines circulated in New Zealand and Asia.

PBL’s Burswood Casino also involves in financial interests on top of online gaming. Crown Casino Complex, on the other hand, is composed of function venues, night clubs, cinemas, gaming, restaurant and bars.

In spite of his fortunes, Packer has faced health problems while leading his media empire. He had a heart attack in 1990 and had undergone a kidney transplant. Slowly, Packer relinquished the control of his empire to his son James Packer.

The Forbes Rich List has listed Packer as one of the richest in the world since 2001 until his death on December 27, 2005. At his death, Packer was known not only as the richest Australian but Australia’s most influential media magnate and businessman.

At his funeral, Prime Minister John Howard honored Packer “as a great Australian. He was larger than life character and in so many ways he left his mark in the Australian community over a very long career in business. It’s fair to say that he was one of the dominant figures, if not the dominant Australian figure, of the media scene in this country for more than a generation.”

Harvey Mackay: Topnotch Businessman, Columnist and Business Speaker

Harvey Mackay is a businessman, columnist and one of the most sought-after business speakers in the US. He authored five bestselling business books and founded the Mackay Envelope Corporation where he serves as Chairman and CEO.

From the age of eight, Mackay started earning money for his family. During his high school days, he was a working student at the Associated Press. He worked there even after his graduation and became an AP correspondent for 35 years.

He took up history at the University of Minnesota. Throughout college, he worked as salesman for a men’s clothing store in Saint Paul. Later, Mackay would finish his higher education at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Mackay’s bestselling books have been translated into 35 different languages, distributed in over 80 countries, and sold over 10 million copies. More than 200 universities use his books and are found in virtually all public libraries across US.

As an accomplished business speaker, his citations included his induction into the National Speakers Association Hall of Fame and the 1993 top speaker on Commerce and Industry given by the Toastmasters International.

Amancio Ortega: The Unschooled Boy who Made a Name in the Fashion Industry

Amancio Ortega Gaona, more popularly known as Amancio Ortega, is a wealthy entrepreneur and fashion designer. He co-founded the Inditex Group and later became its chairman. He was listed by the Forbes magazine as one of the wealthiest men in the world.

Ortega was born in Leon, Spain on March 29, 1936. His love for fashion and business started at the age of 13 when he worked as a delivery boy for a local shirt maker in La Coruna, Galicia. His work from one tailor and store to another gave him the chance to study how costs and products changed as they travel from the factory to the end user. He realized that costs are minimized when the products reach the end user directly, without passing through a middle man.

Although he never finished his higher education, Ortega became a manager of a local clothier until 1963 when he started his own business which he named Confecciones Goa. He made quality fine bathrobes made of cheaper fabric he bought from Barcelona. He was just 27 when he started Confecciones Goa.

In 1975, Ortega opened Zara, his first retail store. Zara became popular for selling high quality designer clothes at very reasonable prices.  In 1985, Ortega established Inditex to serve as the holding company for Zara and his other small chains. Zara became very successful. Ortega operated close to 100 Zara outlets by 1989. Inditex became one of the biggest clothing and textile companies in the world.

Inditex became a public company in 2001. Ortega owned over 59% of the stakes at Inditex, instantly making him one of the richest in the world. In spite of his fortune, Ortega remained a low profile person. He rarely appears in public events and would not even grant requests for interviews.

Ortega lives a very private life with his wife in La Coruna. Despite his fortunes, he still enjoyed designing for his fashion brands.

Dr Phil McGraw: Psychology, Health and Legal Counselor

Dr Phil McGraw is one of the more popular talk show hosts in the US. He was known as a regular guest in The Oprah Winfrey show before he hosted his own TV program, the Dr Phil Show. In his show, McGraw covers all subjects in human psychology, health issues, and even legal issues. His regular patrons include families and couples.

McGraw was born Phillip Calvin McGraw in his native hometown Vinita, Oklahoma on September 1, 1950. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the Midwestern State University in 1975. He took his master’s in experimental psychology and doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of North Texas.

McGraw established the Courtroom Sciences Inc.® (CSI®) in 1980. The firm was the consultant of several Fortune 500 companies, especially in legal issues that involve jury level researches. CSI offers community polling, focus groups, mock trials, private trials and several others.

Spotlight on a Finance Professional: Marco Bitran of AI Exchange, Inc.

A Harvard Business School (HBS) alumnus with nearly 15 years of professional experience, Marco Bitran currently devotes the bulk of his time and energy toward his duties as Chief Executive Officer of AI Exchange, Inc., a technology-driven hedge fund he co-founded in 2011. Utilizing an innovative separately managed account platform, Mr. Bitran and his colleagues secured $1.5 million in venture funding from LaunchCapital, Common Angels, General Catalyst, and Founder Collective to develop AI Exchange’s unique company model. With the patent-pending disruptive technology created by Mr. Bitran created, the firm offers wealth advisors a multifaceted portfolio of alternative investment strategies designed to produce optimal rates of return.

Playing a key role in the enterprise’s early success, Marco Bitran handpicked his team from a pool of highly qualified candidates, bringing in a Senior Sales Executive from industry leader Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. to facilitate a seamless first years of operations. Opting to base AI Exchange in Boston, Massachusetts, a hotbed of commerce recognized as one of the world’s major finance hubs, Mr. Bitran looks forward to a bright future for this exciting new endeavor that bookends his productive five-year tenure at Clearstream Investments, LLC.

Marco Bitran served as a Portfolio Manager at Clearstream Investments from 2006 to 2011, growing the firm’s assets to $550 million despite the stubbornly unpredictable economic climate that has plagued U.S. and global markets in the recent past. As the Founder of this quantitative exchange-traded fund (ETF), Mr. Bitran enlisted the help of two close affiliates from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), leveraging the fund model they designed to solidify Clearstream’s prime position in the notably competitive ETF sphere.

Prior to his achievements at the helm of Clearstream Investments and AI Exchange, Marco Bitran applied his skills as a Section-Fund Manager and Global Industry Analyst at the Wellington Management Company in Boston. In addition to his Harvard Business School M.B.A., Mr. Bitran holds a B.S. in Electrical Engineering with a minor in Economics from MIT.  

How Suze Orman Used her Investment Misfortunes to Become One of the Most Successful Stock Brokers

Susan Lynn Orman is a TV personality, financial advisor and personal finance author. She has inspired thousands of people with her speeches both on and off cam on the subject of banking, investments and credit. She has a large following because her own success in her investments speaks volumes of about the credibility of her financial strategies.

Orman, more popularly known as Suze, was born in Chicago, Illinois on June 5, 1951. She had difficulty forming words that’s why her reading and writing were challenged as a young girl. Despite her struggles, she finished her high school and was accepted at the University of Illinois. She was able to pay her school bills out of her salary as a dishwasher at the school cafeteria.

Unable to finish her degree in social work, Orman and some friends moved to Berkeley, California in 1973. She finished her degree in Spanish at Hayward State University while working as a waitress at the Buttercup Bakery.

While at the Bakery, Orman dreamt of owning a restaurant. She applied for a loan of $50,000 from a sympathetic customer. She hired the brokerage firm Merrill Lynch to take care of her investments. However, her broker invested her money in a falling market. Within three months, Orman was broke.

She knew it would be impossible to pay the loan. So she worked with Merrill Lynch as a stock broker. Soon, she sued her own employer for the lost $50,000. Because of the lawsuit, Merrill Lynch could not fire her. While working at Merrill Lynch, Orman became successful as a stock broker.

In 1983, Orman left Merrill Lynch to work with Prudential Bache Securities as Vice President of Investments. After 4 years, she resigned from Prudential to open the Suze Orman Financial Group. She was her own firm’s Director until 1997 when she shifted her focus on her speaking and writing career.

Orman’s books were bestsellers. Some of her known books include The Road to Wealth, The Courage to be Rich, and The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom. She had a weekly TV show with QVC entitled Suze Orman’s Financial Freedom and another with CNBC entitled The Suze Orman Show.