BRW Rich 200 List 2014 includes mysterious billionaires David and Vicky Teoh and others

THE annual rich list has become a roll call of familiar names.

But hidden among the Rineharts, Packers and Lowys of the world is a crop of fiercely private billionaires who have made a fortune in everything from telecommunications to tobacco packaging.

These are some of Australia’s richest people we know virtually nothing about.

MORE: Australia has a new richest man

DAVID AND VICKY TEOH — $2 billion

TPG’s 700,000 broadband and 370,000 mobile customers have never seen a picture of the company’s head honchos, David and Vicky Teoh. The reclusive founders of the telco business are renowned for guarding their privacy fiercely, despite their increasingly high profile due to their growing wealth.

The Teohs’ fortune has almost doubled in the past year to $2 billion, up from $1.06 billion. The pair migrated to Australia from Malaysia in 1986 and started off with a computer hardware store called Total Peripherals, according to BRW. A shift into internet services in the early 2000s led TPG to an ASX listing in 2005 through a reverse takeover of SP Telemedia — when the company being bought (in this case TPG), ends up running the whole show. The Teohs’ stake in the merged business was initially $150 million.

An ambitious and successful bid by TPG for AAPT’s business and wholesale division late last year saw TPG’s share prices double in the aftermath. TPG is also poised to play a key role in Australia’s digital future as it surges into battle against Telstra for a share of NBN infrastructure as it looks to build its own wholesale broadband fibre network, David Teoh revealed in a rare interview with the AFR.

Now multibillionaires, the reclusive couple are still largely unknown in the business community. According to an extensive investigation by BRW of their start-up investments, the Teohs don’t front up for business networking events, won’t be photographed and rarely are interviewed. The Teohs have four sons who have also waded into business with a number of ventures.

ANGELA BENNETT — $1.55 billion

Gina Rinehart might hog the column inches dedicated to Western Australian mining billionaires, but she has a lesser known twin in fellow billionaire Angela Bennett.

Little is known about the 69-year-old mother of seven, who’s father Peter Wright founded Wright Prospecting. Working alongside Gina Rinehart’s late father Lang Hancock the pair pioneered mining in the Pilbara and worked together for more than 50 years according to BRW, when they sold their leases in exchange for royalties from Rio Tinto.

The move made Peter Wright a fortune which Angela inherited along with her brother Michael. However it also led the children of the former business partners to court in a legal dispute over ownership at an area called Rhodes Ridge — which Ms Bennett won. She’s also put money into property investments and sold her Perth riverside mansion for a record $57.5 million in 2009.

HUANG BINGWEN — $1.26 billion

The Chinese-born Australian citizen made the highest debut on this year’s rich list at number 26 with a fortune of about $1.26 billion. The 60-year-old entrepreneur is the chairman of Shantou Dongfeng Printing, a company based in China which makes paper packaging for cigarettes, wine and make-up.

He founded the company in 1983 and listed it on the Shanghai stock exchange in 2012, although it’s now run by his son. Huang Bingwen now has an import-export business in Australia called Well Glory and donated $50,000 to the NSW Liberal Party in 2010, BRW reports.

GORDON FU AND FAMILY — $750 million

Taiwanese migrant Gordon Fu arrived in Australia in 1991 as part of a business migration program. The son of a street vendor, he started his professional life working at a cinema. By the time he left Taiwan, the property guru had built some 3000 properties and owned a chicken fast-food chain.

The Queensland-based Mr Fu owns a raft of shopping centres, particularly in south east Queensland. One of the most high profile is Australia Fair on the Gold Coast, which he purchased for $162 million in 2001. Other shopping centres in Mr Fu’s portfolio includes Mt Gravatt Plaza, Redbank Plaza, Sunnybank Plaza, Stafford City and Fairfield Gardens.

According to the Courier Mail, Mr Fu speaks little English and relies on sons Luca and Michael and son-in-law Jack Lin to be involved in the business. The family is based in Sunnyvale in Brisbane, which has a large migrant community from Taiwan and China.

ERVIN AND CHARLOTTE VIDOR — $745 million

They’re not technically billionaires but this high-profile couple has made a fortune in the property and hotel industry. Ervin, 81, and Charlotte, 79, Vidor founded Toga Group in 1963 to provide apartment style-rooms for travellers, but quickly expanded into construction and property management.

They now run the Medina, Adina, TraveLodge and Vibe hotel chains and boosted their wealth even further with a $450 million partnership with Singapore’s Far East Orchard Group in 2013, according to BRW.

The couple now have more than 1500 staff in Australia, New Zealand in Europe as well as interests in aquaculture. Ervin has received an Order of Australia for services to sea culture while Charlotte has been recognised for her role in boosting the tourism industry.

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