Blair Parry-Okeden (born 1950) is an Australian billionaire heiress and, according to Forbes Asia, Australia’s richest person by net worth.
Early life
Parry-Okeden was born 1950 in Honolulu, Hawaii, and educated there at La Pietra: Hawaii School for Girls, which was founded by her mother, Barbara Cox Anthony, and then trained to become a teacher.
Parry-Okeden’s grandfather James M. Cox founded the privately held media company Cox Enterprises. Her brother James C. Kennedy is the chairman, and her aunt, Anne Cox Chambers, is the largest shareholder and sits on the board. In 2007 following the death of her mother, Parry-Okeden inherited 25% of Cox Enterprises. She has no role at the company.
Career
Parry-Okeden first came to prominence in Australia in March 2009 when Forbes Asia assessed her net worth at A$7.0 billion. In January 2016, her net worth was assessed by Forbes at US$9.8 billion (A$12.49 billion).[1] Her philanthropic interests include the Shore School, the University of Hawaii’s Centre on Ageing, the Scone Grammar School, and Strathearn Village, a non-profit aged-care centre.
- Blair Parry-Okeden inherited a 25% stake in Cox Enterprises in 2007 when her mother, Barbara Cox Anthony, died.
- Cox Enterprises is a $20.4 billion (sales) automotive and media company based in Atlanta; it owns cable TV firm Cox Communications.
- Blair’s brother, Jim Kennedy, is the company’s chairman.
- Her grandfather, James M. Cox, founded the company in 1898 with the purchase of Dayton’s Evening News newspaper.
Source: