Gina Rinehart is an Australian business magnate and mining heiress. She is the chairman and managing director of Hancock Prospecting, a privately owned mineral exploration and extraction company founded by her father, Lang Hancock. Rinehart inherited Hancock Prospecting from her father upon his death in 1992, and subsequently became its sole owner.
Rinehart is one of the world’s richest people, with a personal fortune estimated at US$12.9 billion as of 2019. She has been ranked by Forbes as the wealthiest woman in Australia and the 36th wealthiest person in the world. In 2012, she was ranked the 72nd most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.
Rinehart was born in Perth, Western Australia, the only child of Hope Margaret Nicholas and Lang Hancock. Her paternal grandfather, James Hunter “JH” Hancock, was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1890 to 1901. Rinehart’s father had inherited a large share of the family business from his own father, and established Hancock Prospecting in 1955.
Rinehart was educated at St Hilda’s Anglican School for Girls in Perth, and later attended the University of Sydney, where she studied economics. After her father’s death in 1992, Rinehart inherited a controlling stake in Hancock Prospecting and became its chairman and managing director.
In the early 2000s, Rinehart diversified the family’s holdings beyond mining, investing in media and agriculture. She became a major shareholder of Fairfax Media in 2012, and in 2015 she acquired a stake in Kidman Resources. Rinehart is also a major shareholder in Pilbara Iron Ore, and has interests in coal and gas.