Graeme Hart Net Worth

Graeme Hart has an estimated net worth of $9.9 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Graeme Hart profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $9.1 billion in 2019.

Graeme Hart is a New Zealand businessman who built a fortune in packaging through leveraged buyouts. He is known for buying underperforming companies with steady cash flow, then reshaping them through tighter cash management, cost-cutting, and restructuring. He left school at 16 and reportedly once worked as a truck driver. Later, he completed an MBA in 1987 and used that deal-focused approach to expand Rank Group, his private investment company.

His big break came in 1990 with the purchase of the Government Printing Office. The following year, he bought Whitcoulls Group, and within 2 years it controlled 40% of New Zealand's book and stationery market. From there, he moved into larger deals. Since 2006, he has focused heavily on paper and consumer packaging, including Carter Holt Harvey, Evergreen Packaging, SIG, and Alcoa's Packaging & Consumer group, later renamed Reynolds Packaging Group.

How Graeme Hart built his fortune

Hart made his money by using leveraged buyouts to assemble a large packaging empire. Through Rank Group and related holdings, his businesses make everyday items such as milk cartons, water bottles, paper, and aluminum foil. He has often targeted companies that were undervalued or underperforming, then worked on financing, recapitalization, and restructuring rather than direct day-to-day management. That approach helped him become New Zealand's perennial richest person, according to Forbes profile notes.

A major shift came after his 2006 purchase of Carter Holt Harvey, when his attention moved more deeply into paper packaging. In 2007 he bought Evergreen Packaging for NZ$725 million, SIG for NZ$3.2 billion, and Blue Ridge Paper Products for US$450 million. In 2008 he made his biggest acquisition, buying Alcoa's Packaging & Consumer group for US$2.7 billion and later renaming it Reynolds Packaging Group. In 2011, Reynolds Group Holdings completed the Graham Packaging acquisition for approximately US$4.5 billion.

Recent money moves and Forbes estimate

Hart has kept reshaping his holdings in recent years. In 2015, Reynolds Group Holdings completed the sale of SIG to Onex Corporation. Rank Group was the 100% owner of Reynolds Consumer Products until a public share offer in 2020. Hart has also remained active in food assets through Walter & Wild since 2018. In April 2025, he sold his 77 percent stake in Pactiv Evergreen to Novolex for $2.5 billion.

Forbes put Hart's net worth at $9.9 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker as of October 20, 2026. Its annual estimates have moved up and down over time, including $9.1 billion in 2019, $10.5 billion in 2020, $8.7 billion in 2021, $9.4 billion in 2022, $8.6 billion in 2023, $10.4 billion in 2024, $9.3 billion in 2025, and $10.2 billion in 2026. Those shifts fit a business built around acquisitions, sales, and large packaging holdings.