Three-minute biography: How billionaire Anthony Pratt became the ‘Cardboard King’

At first glance, it might appear to be a strange juxtaposition of names.

Donald Trump, Scott Morrison, Don Bradman and Anthony Pratt.

Yet, there they were.

It was 2019 and the occasion was the official opening of a new factory in Wapakoneta, Ohio, by Mr Pratt, the boss of Visy, a packaging and recycling business.

As Mr Pratt, the billionaire dubbed “The Cardboard King”, and the two leaders toured Visy’s vast $250 million facility, the businessman told the president that Mr Morrison was “the Don Bradman of Australian job creation — Don Bradman was our Babe Ruth.”

Such are the circles in which Mr Pratt moves.

According to Visy, the story started in 1948 when Mr Pratt’s grandfather, Leon Pratt, saw apple growers had a problem: wood crates were a heavy and expensive way to transport apples.

“His solution: a cardboard box that was just as sturdy but much lighter.”

And so it was in Shepparton, Victoria, “amongst the region’s fruit growers that Visy was born.”

Anthony Pratt’s late father Richard expanded the business.

“We went on to make an even better box — made from 100 per cent recycled content,” says Visy.

“As we grew, we partnered with our customers to develop other packaging for their iconic brands. From Australia’s first milk bottle with 50 per cent recycled plastic to 90 per cent recycled glass bottles, sustainability remains at our heart.”

Preparing for his turn at the wheel, Anthony Pratt graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Economics (Hons.) in 1982.

After graduation, he joined the consulting firm, McKinsey & Company, before joining Visy.

“Across 150 sites, our 7000 employees are powering the circular economy by closing the loop on recycling, remanufacturing and logistics,” Visy says.

Last year The Herald Sun valued the empire at $27b, with Visy turning over $4b a year.

Its massive US arm made Pratt Industries Australia’s biggest investor there.

By October 2023 Pratt Industries had 72 sites in 26 US states and had opened six out of the past eight new paper mills in the US.

Mr Pratt told the paper: “Since I arrived here (the US) in 1991, we have grown from the 57th largest (box-making) company to the fourth largest.”

“We’ve got there by investing to the value of $US12b and employing 12,000 people.

“The great thing about America is that steady growth is forever.”

And pointing to one of the issues of the era, Mr Pratt is proud his packaging is recycled, “an important weapon against climate change.”

Mr Pratt can enjoy the fruits of his investments with stars such as singer Katy Perry said to be among those to have been lined up to perform at his New York residence.

But he also directs much into philanthropy and has vowed to give away $1b over his lifetime through the Pratt Foundation, according to The Herald Sun.

And he is a keen promoter of the US-Australia alliance.

Mr Pratt and his partner Claudine Revere were among a who’s who of Australian and American business and political elite at a lavish state dinner hosted by Mr Trump in 2019 at the White House.

Mr Pratt’s links to Mr Trump saw him embroiled in controversy over allegations Mr Trump shared sensitive details about US nuclear submarines with Mr Pratt just a few months after the former president left the White House.

Mr Trump denied the claims, saying they were “fake news”, adding that he had not spoken about submarines, but about creating jobs.