SPECIAL REPORT
Visionary entrepreneur William Heinecke made Thailand his home and seized his fortune seeing what others couldn ' t .
By BARBARA BOHN , MANAGING EDITOR
WILLIAM HEINECKE doesn ’ t do much by accident . The visionary entrepreneur and self-made billionaire has shaped circumstances and taken opportunities where he found them , founding Bangkok-based Minor International and as CEO building it into one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in the region .
Born in the United States , it was circumstances – his father ’ s U . S . foreign service job – that brought his family to Thailand , after stops in Japan , Malaysia and Hong Kong . Heinecke graduated from high school there , got married a year later and founded Minor in 1978 with a single resort in Pattaya . Two years after that he started a food company ; eight years after that he took it all public .
“ He sees things before anybody else sees them ,” says Michael Sagild , former COO of Minor Hotels and now principal and managing director of Sagild & Associates in Bangkok . “ He sees opportunity . He ’ s always a step ahead . It ’ s intuitive . It sits somewhere in his mind . He ’ s wired differently .”
The ideas don ’ t stop – Heinecke , 68 , is credited with popularizing fast-food pizza among Thais who historically ate little dairy – despite challenges : political crises and coups , a devastating tsunami , tottering Asian economies . Minor Hotel Group ’ s 155 hotels in 24 countries , and the company ’ s commitment to Thailand and its impact beyond , is why readers voted Heinecke HOTELS ’ 2017 Corporate Hotelier of the World .
‘ THAILAND IS HOME ’ He ’ s not interested in being the biggest . “ We ' ve set out to deliver a great experience in everything that we do ,” he says . “ It ’ s just as important how we serve people a pizza as it is how we serve them a thousand-dollar room in the Middle East … If you don ' t give great service and a great experience , they ' re not coming back .”
Heinecke , who arrived in Thailand at 13 and never left , turned in his U . S . passport for Thai citizenship more than 25 years ago . It was prompted by a business opportunity in Vietnam , then off-limits to
U . S . businesses . “ Trying to explain to your shareholders that are Thai that we can ’ t do business as a Thai company in Vietnam because I happen to be an American seemed very difficult ,” he says .
It was a personal decision as well . His two children and four grandchildren were born in Thailand and are Thai citizens . His son John is chief operating officer of Minor Food Group . “ I ' ll always be born and raised an American , but certainly Thailand is home ,” he says .
Another circumstance that Heinecke says “ quite by accident ” kept him there : turning 18 during the Vietnam War . The likelihood of being drafted as a resident of Thailand was low but rose if he were to return to the U . S . His parents pushed college , and he was accepted at Georgetown University , but “ my teachers didn ’ t think I would do very well ,” he says .
He didn ’ t go . “ Never served any time in the military , never served any time in the university .” He says he feels fortunate .
He sees
30 hotelsmag . com November 2017