William E. Heinecke came to the Kingdom of Thailand in 1963 and founded the Minor Group in 1967. Almost five decades later the group has grown substantially into a large company with revenue of over USD2bn and market cap of over USD4bn. Listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand in 1988, Minor International Public Company Limited (MINT) is now a global company focused on three primary businesses: restaurants, hospitality and lifestyle brands distribution, all of which are now under one umbrella. The group currently employs more than 50,000 employees.

MINT is one of Asia’s largest restaurant companies with over 1,700 outlets operating system wide in 21 countries under The Pizza Company, Swensen’s, Sizzler, Dairy Queen, Burger King, Thai Express, BreadTalk, the Coffee Club, Ribs & Rumps and Riverside brands. In addition it operates several food manufacturing facilities. MINT is also a hotel owner, operator and investor with a portfolio of over 120 hotels and serviced suites under the Anantara, AVANI, Oaks, Per AQUUM, Tivoli, Marriott, Four Seasons, St. Regis, Elewana, Radisson Blu and Minor International brands in 21 countries across Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Europe and South America. In addition, MINT operates mixed-use businesses which are complementary to the hotel business. This includes real estate, retail and commercial development, comprising sale of luxury residences and the Anantara Vacation Club, MSpa and entertainment. MINT is one of Thailand’s largest distributors of lifestyle brands focusing primarily on fashion and cosmetics. Its brands include Gap, Banana Republic, Esprit, Bossini, Charles & Keith, Pedro, Red Earth, Zwilling J.A. Henckels, ETL Learning and Mysale, an online shopping website. MINT is also a contract manufacturer of household products, with its own manufacturing plant.

Now 65, Mr. Heinecke currently serves as a Chairman on the Board of Directors of MINT. The author of 'The Entrepreneur - 25 Golden Rules for Global Business Manager’, Mr. Heinecke also serves as a Director of Indorama Ventures PCL, the largest PET company in the world. Mr. Heinecke became a naturalized Thai citizen in 1991.

Business Leadership