Partnership Philosophy Across All Ventures

"Everywhere Rupert stuck to his policy of working through partnerships."

"Once again Rupert had acquired an interest in an enterprise with partners that were old, established firms. Again he had chosen his partners carefully, people who also had networks of influential friends and acquaintances. Heineken was an old Dutch brewery with a strong family tradition.10 Whitbread (London) had been launched in London by Samuel Whitbread I in 1742. Colonel Whitbread, who had close links with the royal family, was chairman of the British company in the 1960s and became vice-chairman of the South African company."

"His knack for bringing in specialists on an equal footing was also applied in Australia. Sir Kenneth Coles of Coles Stores provided the retail expertise, Clive Ogilvy of 2GB was in charge of publicity, and the intense, ambitious Ronald Irish, whose accountancy skills were supplemented by previous experience in the tobacco industry, served as chairman. Even Bill Gunn’s presence on the Australian board had a South African model, namely Jan Henry Moolman, the South African wool farmer who was a ‘top panjandrum’ of South African wool politics."