G raeme Hart is a New Zealand self-made billionaire and the country's richest person. He is a master of the leveraged buyout (LBO), having built his colossal fortune by acquiring underperforming companies in the packaging and building supply industries and using large amounts of debt to finance the deals. A former tow truck driver and auto body repairman, he famously earned an MBA late in his career, which provided the framework for his ambitious investment strategy.

Through his private holding company, Rank Group, Hart has acquired a portfolio of major global companies. These include the food packaging giant Reynolds Consumer Products (the maker of the famous aluminum foil), Pactiv Evergreen, and the building supplies firm Carter Holt Harvey. His signature strategy involves aggressively cutting costs, improving operations, and using the cash flow from his acquired companies to pay down the debt from the buyouts. He is known for being intensely private and never gives interviews to the media.