| Nathan Tinkler | |
|---|---|
| Born | Inverell, New South Wales, Australia |
| Occupation | Director and Owner Tinkler Group |
| Net worth | AUD $1.13 Billion[1] |
| Website | |
| http://www.tinklergroup.com/ | |
Nathan Tinkler (born 1976) is a mining magnate and businessman from the Hunter Region, New South Wales, Australia.
Contents |
Tinkler was an electrician in a coal mine before starting his own business. His big break came in 2006 when he borrowed $500,000 to buy a mine. He sold his company to Macarthur Coal for $275 million. [2] In 2008 he was on BRW's Young Rich list, worth about $441 million.[3] He is the richest man in Australia under 40 years old.
In July 2010, Tinkler floated his company Aston Resources with $400 million worth of shares offered, leaving Tinkler with $600 million worth of the company.[4] In early October 2010, it was announced that Tinkler was set to purchase a 50% share in the Ford V8 Supercar team, Dick Johnson Racing, taking over from Charlie Schwerkolt as Dick Johnson's partner within the team.
Tinkler lives in a $13.3 million house at Merewether Beach.[5] Tinkler's Ferrari California was stolen along with other items from his home.[6] The $500,000 car was later found burnt out in bushland north of Newcastle.[7]
On September 22, 2010, the FFA announced that Tinkler had purchased the A-League club Newcastle Jets from Con Constantine, holding the licence temporarily. On 2 October, 2010, he secured the future of the club by extending his ownership until 2020.[8] Tinkler has had a positive influence at the Jets. A new price for tickets includes a season pass for children younger than 15, a family pass for 11 home games with reserved grandstand for $100 and general admission for $10. As part of a new initiative called "Be a part of it", the Jets hosted a community day, where 10,000 fans were admitted free for the clash against Melbourne Heart on October 31, 2010.[9][10]
The club has a new sponsor with Hunter Medical Research Institute. The Jets will have the institute's logo on the front of their playing strip and will donate $5000 for every goal they score at home and $2500 for an away goal. The changes continued when the club set up a new administration office, extended the contract of coach Branko Culina until March 2015 and unveiled a $2.5 million blueprint for the football department.[11]
Tinkler successfully took ownership of the Newcastle Knights rugby league club on the 31 March 2011 by a landslide vote, voted on by the eligible members of the Knights.[12][13] In a major coup for the club, he signed Wayne Bennett to a four-year coaching contract with the club starting in 2012.
Tinkler's attitude to journalists is apparently less than positive. When Tinkler was contacted by a journalist from Fairfax in 2010, he is reported to have responded "You're a f---ing deadbeat, people like me don't bother with f---ing you. You climb out of your bed every morning for your pathetic hundred grand a year, good luck."[14]