Neville_Crichton

Neville Crichton

Neville Crichton

New Zealand businessman, racing driver and sailor

Neville Alexander Crichton CNZM (born 4 June 1945) is a New Zealand-born Australian businessman who was also a competitor in Australasian motor and yacht racing.

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Early life and background

Born on a dairy farm in Otago, New Zealand, Crichton developed a skill for selling bicycles and left Rotorua Boys' High School,[1] aged 14 years, to start selling tractors and hay balers, door-to-door.[2][3]

Career

Automotive industry

Crichton entered the automotive industry in his local Ford dealership, where he was promoted to sales manager. A short time later, he became general manager of a General Motors dealership. In 1972, he acquired an ailing used car operation;[4][5] and in 1977 he acquired the Mazda distributorship for the state of Hawaii.[4][3] Crichton sold his Hawaiian interests in 1982 and moved back to New Zealand where he acquired a group of Ford dealerships that were in difficulty. Under his stewardship, he turned them into the country's largest Ford dealership.[4]

In the early-1980s Crichton immigrated to Australia and acquired[4] the Ateco Group that has historically imported Alfa Romeo, Audi, Chery, Citroën, Fiat, Ferrari, Foton, Great Wall, Kia, Lotus, Maserati, SsangYong, Suzuki, and Volkswagen motor vehicles into Australia and New Zealand.[6][5][7][8] As of 2023, in Australia, Ateco imports Alpine, LDV, Maserati and Renault motor vehicles as well as remanufacturing RAM Trucks into right hand drive for sale in Australia and New Zealand; and in New Zealand, Ateco distributes BYD battery electric and the Stellantis range of motor vehicles[9] (that includes Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Mopar, Opel, Peugeot, RAM Trucks, and Vauxhall).

Competitive touring car racing

In the 1980s, Crichton was a regular competitor in Australian touring car racing. As well as racing full-time in the Australian Touring Car Championship driving a JPS Team BMW 635CSi in 1985 and a Tony Longhurst Racing Ford Sierra RS500 in 1989, Crichton competed at the Bathurst 1000 in 1986 for the Volvo Dealer Team, 1987 and 1988 for Dick Johnson Racing and at the 1987 Spa 24 Hour for the Holden Dealer Team.[10][11][12][13][14]

Australian Touring Car Championship

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

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World Touring Car Championship

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

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† Not registered for series & points

Bathurst 1000

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Sandown endurance

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Spa 24 Hours

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Bathurst 12 Hour

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Ocean-race sailing

Crichton also had a distinguished sailing career, having owned ocean-racing maxi yachts Alfa Romeo I, Alfa Romeo II and Alfa Romeo III. Crichton skipped the line honours winning yachts in the 2002 and 2009 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Races.[15][16]

He was also the founder of Alloy Yachts, which he incorporated with the same team that, in 1985, built Chanel, his 28-metre (92 ft) sailing yacht. Over 29 years, Alloy Yachts launched sailing yachts in excess of 67 metres (220 ft) and motor yachts up to 47 metres (154 ft) in length. The company ceased trading in 2016.[17]

Personal life

In 1978, aged 29 years, Crichton was diagnosed with throat cancer. He underwent 30 operations and eventually had his voice-box and oesophagus removed. Doctors told him it was unlikely he would ever speak again, however he was one of the first people in the world to receive an artificial voice box during experimental surgery in Indianapolis.[5] This would lead to his nickname of "Croaky".[7]

Aged 71 years, in 2017 Crichton married his fourth wife,[18] Nadi Hasandedic, aged 38 years.[19][20] They live in Point Piper.[7][21][22]

Net worth

Crichton appeared in the National Business Review's 2016 list of wealthiest New Zealanders, with an assessed net worth of NZ$130 million.[23] It was also reported that Crichton's net worth increased from NZ$165 million to NZ$175 million.[1] As of May 2023, The Australian Financial Review assessed Crichton's net worth at A$1.06 billion, in the 2023 Rich List.[8]

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Awards and honours

In the 2012 Queen's Birthday and Diamond Jubilee Honours, Crichton was appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to yachting and business.[5] In 2015, he was inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame.[24]

References

  1. [1]
    "Rotorua's richest revealed". Rotorua Daily Post. n.d. Retrieved 12 August 2023 – via New Zealand Herald.
  2. [2]
    Stahl, Michael (30 December 2018). "Robb Reader: Neville Crichton". Robb Report. Australia and New Zealand. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  3. [3]
    Corby, Stephen (24 July 2016). "Neville Crichton interview". Which Car. Wheels. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  4. [4]
    "Popular drivers from NZ: Neville Crichton". Historic Racing. 4 June 2006. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Queen's Birthday Honours 2012: Neville Crichton". New Zealand Herald. 4 June 2012.
  6. [6]
    "About us". Ateco Group. n.d. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  7. [7]
    Davis, Tony (3 January 2020). "The man who beat cancer (and market crashes)". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  8. [8]
    Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (26 May 2023). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  9. [9]
    "Brand partners". Ateco Group. n.d. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  10. [10]
    Normoyle, Steve (1986). The Great Race 5. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  11. [11]
    Normoyle, Steve (1990). The Great Race 9. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  12. [12]
    Normoyle, Steve (1987). The Great Race 6. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  13. [13]
    Normoyle, Steve (1988). The Great Race 7. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  14. [14]
    Normoyle, Steve (1989). The Great Race 8. Hornsby: Chevron Publishing. ISSN 1031-6124.
  15. [15]
    "No race record but Crichton still delighted". Sydney to Hobart. 28 December 2002.
  16. [16]
    "Jubilant Crichton glad its all over". Sydney to Hobart. 29 December 2009.
  17. [17]
    "Alloy Yachts". Boat International. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  18. [18]
    "Skipper trims waist as well as sails". The Sydney Morning Herald. 28 December 2002. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  19. [19]
    Hornery, Andrew (13 May 2017). "$6 billion guest stable as millionaire car importer Neville Crichton ties knot". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  20. [20]
    Gibson, Anne (16 May 2017). "Glimpse inside Kiwi rich lister Neville Crichton's lavish Sydney wedding to Nadi Hasandedic". NZ Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  21. [21]
    Macken, Lucy (14 December 2017). "Neville Crichton buys $45m Point Piper mansion next door to Malcolm Turnbull". domain.com.au. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  22. [22]
    Macken, Lucy (3 April 2022). "Medical entrepreneur makes $60m return to Sydney's trophy home market". Domain; The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  23. [23]
    Gibson, Anne (6 May 2017). "Rich list Kiwi car mogul, 71, to wed fiancee, 38, in Sydney". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2023.
  24. [24]
    "Past laureates". Business Hall of Fame. Retrieved 19 February 2023.

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