William Heinecke

William Ellwood Heinecke, an American-born Thai businessman, was born on 4 June 1949 and moved to Bangkok at 14 after living in Japan, Hong Kong and Malaysia. At 17 he took over as advertising manager of the Bangkok World while still at International School Bangkok. In about 1968 he founded an office-cleaning business and a radio advertising firm with $1,200 borrowed, later selling the advertising company to Ogilvy & Mather, and in 1967 he founded Minor Holdings, later The Minor Group. His first hotel venture, the Royal Garden Resort Pattaya, followed in 1978. He is founder and chairman of Minor International, whose hotels arm, Minor Hotels, runs more than 550 hotels in over 55 countries under brands including Anantara, Avani, Oaks, NH Hotels and Tivoli, and whose food arm runs more than 2,600 outlets in 26 countries. In 2022 Minor Hotels bought the rest of Corbin & King for £60 million. He became a Thai citizen in 1991. Forbes has put him among the twenty richest men in Thailand as of 2025; no specific net worth figure was found. He wrote The Entrepreneur and received the ABLF Trailblazer Award in 2013.

• 1963 · Moved to Bangkok at 14 · Thailand
• 1967 · Founded Minor Holdings, later The Minor Group · Minor Group
• 1978 · Opened the Royal Garden Resort Pattaya · Minor Hotels
• Founder and Chairman · Minor International
• 2017 · Minor Hotels bought a 74% stake in Corbin & King · Minor Hotels
• 2022 · Minor Hotels bought the rest of Corbin & King for £60 million · Minor Hotels

• International School Bangkok

• ABLF Trailblazer Award, Asian Business Leadership Forum Awards, Dubai (2013)
• Included in the International Hospitality Institute's 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality (June 2022)
• Among the twenty richest men in Thailand (Forbes, 2025)
• Author of The Entrepreneur

• Minor Hotels