Paul Little (CEO)

Paul Little (born 1947) is an Australian businessman who was the managing director of Toll Holdings, a prominent Asian region integrated logistics provider. He retired from that position on 1 January 2012 after 26 years service. He is one of the richest people in Australia, with an estimated net worth of $880 million in 2013.

Little has been in the transport industry for nearly all his business life, first as an employee at Mayne Nickless, where he progressed to become national operations manager of the Seapak Transport Services division, and then at Peko Wallsend as a consultant where he assessed the desirability of purchasing the Toll business and then led the takeover which went on to become a prominent Australian transport services provider.

Little subsequently further developed his ability to acquire new businesses, buying many between 1989 and 2000. He then began taking over two companies a year until 1997, when Toll paid $145 million for eight TNT transport and logistics businesses. In 2000, it paid $120 million for rival Finemores.

Little also oversaw Toll's investments in technology, wine, rail freight and cargo shipping.

In 1985, Little, along with businessmen Peter Rowsthorn as well as Rowsthorn's son, Mark Rowsthorn, and Lyall McLachlan, led a management buyout team which purchased Toll Holdings which in 1993 listed on the .

Little and his team developed Toll from an 18-truck operation worth $1.5 million, into a $3.8 billion international organisation with 45,000 employees and operations in 50 countries. As a result of his involvement in Toll Holdings, Little has become one of Australia's richest men.

In 2011, Little founded Little Projects, a residential and commercial property projects group. His business philosophy is to provide a 'one-stop shop' approach, where clients deal with the one entity for all their real estate requirements encompassing buying, selling and comprehensive property management. To this end Little has purchased a range of complementary businesses including three L. J. Hooker real estate franchises. He has a large number of projects underway in Melbourne with a value of over $1 billion.

Little also owns an aviation charter business, Little Aviation, which owns a $65 million Gulfstream G650ER jet. It employs three pilots.

Little has been prominently involved in professional sport in Australia. Initially in motor racing, Little sponsored John Sidney Racing and Anthony Tratt's Porsche racing team. In 1998 Tratt's team moved into V8 Supercars under Little's ownership as Paul Little Racing. The team folded in 2005 after eight seasons of racing.

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Wikipedia