Mr William Heinecke is Founder and Chairman of Minor International PCL.

Mr Heinecke’s leadership of Minor International has spanned close to six decades, guiding what began as a small start-up into one of the world’s largest hospitality groups. His career began at the young age of 17, when he launched his first company while still in high school. In the years that followed, he expanded what became known as Minor Hotels into a diversified global hospitality group to embrace a range of brands including Anantara, Avani, Oaks, Elewana Collection, NH Collection and Tivoli. Under his visionary leadership, Minor Hotels – which now boasts over 600 hotels in 63 countries – was an early pioneer in eco-friendly hospitality in Southeast Asia and has since established itself as a leader in sustainable tourism development.

In his role as Chairman of the Board of Minor International, Mr Heinecke also oversees Minor Food, one of Asia’s largest restaurant companies with more than 2,500 outlets globally, and Minor Lifestyle which operates nearly 400 retail stores. Beyond his professional achievements, he has been actively engaged in philanthropic endeavours including setting up the Heinecke Foundation to support education for less fortunate children, the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation to seek to improve the welfare of elephants, and the Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation to help rejuvenate the turtle population in the Sirinat Marine National Park in Thailand. He has also been involved in the annual St. Regis Bangkok Charity Gala and Auction, contributing to the fundraising for nominated organisations under Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn of Thailand.

Highly regarded for his exemplary accomplishments in hospitality, Mr Heinecke was named Entrepreneur of the Year at the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards in 2022 and HOTELS magazine’s Corporate Hotelier of the World 2017. A recipient of the Trailblazer Award at the Asian Business Leadership Forum Awards 2013, he authored the book The Entrepreneur: 25 Golden Rules for the Global Business Manager. He was also the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand and sat on the Prime Minister’s Foreign Investment Advisory Council. Mr Heinecke’s contributions continue to inspire and transform the industry, making him stand out as a beacon of excellence.