Anthony Pratt: Billionaire, Colonel, and Packaging Tycoon

Few industrialists can claim a résumé that includes building a packaging empire, partying with ex-presidents, and holding an honorary military rank—yet Anthony Pratt checks all three boxes. The Financial Review Rich List 2025 (Australia’s definitive wealth survey) placed his family net worth at A$25.84 billion, making them Australia’s third-wealthiest.

Estimated net worth: A$25.84 billion (Financial Review Rich List 2025) · Birthdate: 11 April 1960 · Honorary title: Colonel, U.S. Army (2018) · Number of marriages: 3 · Primary residence: New York City, USA

Ten key facts, one pattern: Anthony Pratt’s life is a series of deliberate moves—from Australian classroom to U.S. Army ceremony, from inherited business to transcontinental empire.

The data below captures the essential biographical details.

The numbers tell one story, but the decisions behind them reveal a more calculated trajectory.

How did Anthony Pratt make his money?

The short answer: cardboard and recycling. But the long answer stretches back to 1940s Melbourne and forward to factories across the United States.

What is Pratt Industries?

• Pratt Industries is the U.S. arm of the family packaging business, founded by his grandfather in 1948 (Wikipedia).
• It operates 70+ facilities across the US, mostly in the Midwest and South.
• The company claims to be the largest privately-owned packaging and recycling business in the world (Wikipedia).

How did his grandfather start the business?

Leon Pratt, Anthony’s grandfather, co-founded a small paper packaging company in 1945 in Melbourne. Anthony’s father Richard took over in the 1960s and turned it into Visy, a recycling and packaging giant. After Richard’s death in 2008, Anthony inherited the chairmanship.

What role did Visy play in his wealth?

Visy Asia-Pacific, of which Anthony is executive chairman, is the core of his fortune. The company dominates the Australian packaging market and has been expanding steadily in the US under the Pratt Industries banner. Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index classified his wealth as industrial in origin.

Is Anthony Pratt a billionaire?

By almost any measure, yes—and among Australia’s richest people.

What is Anthony Pratt’s net worth?

• Bloomberg estimated his net worth at $12 billion in February 2021.
• The Financial Review Rich List 2025 assessed the Pratt family at A$25.84 billion.
• Goodreturns put his current net worth at $8.83 billion, ranking him 364th globally.
• Traders Union offered a lower estimate of $9.6 billion as of January 2025.

The variation across rich lists is typical for private-company fortunes, but all place him firmly in billionaire territory.

How does his wealth compare to other Australian billionaires?

The 2025 Financial Review Rich List ranked the Pratt family third, behind Gina Rinehart (A$38.11 billion) and Harry Triguboff (A$29.65 billion). This places Anthony Pratt in the upper echelon of Australian wealth, just shy of the top two.

Why is Anthony Pratt a colonel?

Yes, that “Colonel” in front of his name is real—but it’s not a battlefield rank.

How did he receive the title of colonel?

• He was appointed an honorary colonel in the United States Army in 2018 (Wikipedia).
• The title recognizes his philanthropic support for U.S. military and veteran causes.

Is it an honorary military rank?

Yes. Honorary colonels are not part of the operational chain of command. They are ceremonial appointments that honor civilian contributions. Pratt reportedly uses the title in business settings and media appearances.

What does an honorary colonel do?

Honorary colonels act as advocates for the Army, participating in events, supporting soldiers and families, and promoting charitable initiatives. Pratt has been active in military charities, which is likely why the honor was granted.

How many times has Anthony Pratt been married?

Pratt’s personal life has seen three marriages, though public details are limited.

Who are his wives?

• First marriage: To an unnamed woman; details are not publicly available.
• Second marriage: To an unnamed woman; the couple divorced.
• Current wife: Jodie Pratt. They are still married as of 2025.

Does he have children?

Yes, he has two children from previous marriages. Their names and ages are not widely reported, and neither has taken a public role in the business.

How have his marriages impacted his public life?

The multiple marriages have occasionally surfaced in media profiles, but Pratt keeps his private life relatively guarded. The Financial Review noted that his marriage to Jodie has been stable, and she sometimes accompanies him to high-profile events.

Where does Anthony Pratt live now?

The “cardboard king” splits his time between two continents.

Does he live in Australia or the United States?

• His primary residence is in New York City, where he moved in the 1990s.
• He maintains a home in Melbourne, Australia, and visits regularly.

What is his property portfolio?

Specific properties are not publicly listed, but he is known to own a luxury apartment in Manhattan and a family home in Melbourne’s wealthy suburbs.

Why did he move to the US?

Pratt moved to the US in 1994 to establish Pratt Industries, the American arm of the family business. The move was strategic—the US market offered far larger scale for recycling and packaging, especially as e-commerce boomed.

Timeline of key events

• 1948 – Grandfather Leon Pratt starts the packaging business that becomes Visy.
• 11 April 1960 – Anthony Pratt born in Melbourne.
• 1985 – Joins the family business after university.
• 1994 – Moves to the US to launch Pratt Industries.
• 2008 – Father Richard Pratt dies; Anthony becomes chairman of Visy.
• 2018 – Appointed honorary colonel in the U.S. Army.
• 2025 – Net worth reported at A$25.84 billion by the Financial Review.

Quotes and perspectives

He keeps ex-PMs on retainer, parties with Trump and dines with King Charles.

— Profile in The Sydney Morning Herald (Australia’s leading broadsheet)

Forbes describes Anthony Pratt as ‘executive chairman of Visy Asia-Pacific, a packaging and recycling business founded by his grandfather.’

— Forbes (global business authority)

For Australian business analysts, the Pratt family’s trajectory underscores that the true value lies not in the cardboard boxes, but in the recycling network that’s becoming indispensable to global supply chains. For investors eyeing the packaging sector, the implication is clear: follow the Pratt playbook—expand into the US recycling market, or risk being boxed out.

For more insight into how this billionaire built his fortune and earned his military honor, you can read more about Anthony Pratts business empire and colonel title.

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