W illiam "Bill" Heinecke is an American-born, Thai billionaire who is the founder and chairman of Minor International, a major global hospitality and restaurant conglomerate. He moved to Thailand as a teenager and became a Thai citizen, renouncing his U.S. citizenship. A quintessential self-made entrepreneur, he started his first business while still in high school and founded Minor International in 1978. He has since built it into one of Asia's largest hospitality and lifestyle companies.

Heinecke's empire is built on three main pillars: hotels, restaurants, and lifestyle brand distribution. The group's hotel division owns and operates hundreds of hotels and resorts under its own luxury Anantara brand, as well as under other brands like AVANI and Marriott. The food division is one of Asia's largest restaurant operators, with thousands of outlets for brands like The Pizza Company, Swensen's, and Burger King. He is renowned for his aggressive deal-making, most notably his successful and hostile takeover of the Spanish hotel group NH Hotel Group in 2018.