Rupert Murdoch tops Executive Rich list despite horror year

Rupert Murdoch comfortably leads the pack in BRW’s 2012 Australian executive rich list, published today.

Murdoch has shareholdings of $AU6.01 billion in News Corp, up 5.7% on last yer. He was also paid $31 million for 2010-11 – despite it being one of his most difficult years as a business leader, with a phone-hacking crisis rocking his UK newspaper division.

Second on the list is James Packer, whose shares in gambling giant Crown are valued at $2.81 billion. As the executive chairman of Crown, it is his only form of renumeration.

Third was the executive chairman of Seven Group Holdings, Kerry Stokes, with $1.77 billion in shares plus $350,000 for the year. Next on the list were:

• Kerr Neilson, managing director of Platinum Asset Management, with $1.18 billion in shares and no remuneration.
• John Grill, chief executive of resources and energy company WorleyParsons, with $724.2 million in shares plus $3.46 million in remuneration.
• Tony Poli, executive chairman of Aquila Resources, with $644.4 million in shares and $572,000 in remuneration. The accountant-turned-miner’s shares were first issued at 20 cents in 2000 and reached $13.49 eight years later.
• Gerry Harvey, executive chairman of retailer, Harvey Norman Holdings, with $643.1 million in shares plus $1.15 million.
• Silviu Itescu, chief executive of medical technology company Mesoblast, with $523.4 million in shares plus $946,608.
• Stewart Elliot, executive chairman of LNG giant Energy World Corporation, with $485.4 million in shares.
• David Teoh, executive chairman of budget internet provider TPG. His shareholding is valued at $483.9 million and he took home more than $1.1 million in 2012.

The list tracks the 100 wealthiest executives of Australian-listed companies, based the value of shares they own.

To be eligible, an executive must be involved in the day-to-day running of the business. Non-executive directors are excluded.