One of the great things about living in the Territory is that doors open for us, and this is a classic example. Phil Ruthven is arguably the Warren Buffett of Australia. He’s rented a house for 30 years even though his privately owned company, IBIS World, is worth half a billion dollars. Originally from Sydney, Phil graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of New South Wales in 1961. After spending some time working as a food engineer for Peters (remember the ice cream), Phil received a 3 months Rotary scholarship to travel to the US. It changed his life. He came back with a vision for how data could be used to run businesses more efficiently. He literally embraced ‘Big Data’ years before it was a thing. He applied this thinking to start IBIS World, which is an international corporation providing online business information, forecasting and strategic services. In 2014, Phil became a Member of the Order of Australia. Phil shares his fascinating story and his views on the Northern Territory. It is a great conversation. If you’d like any of the material Phil has shared with us, please email leonloganathan@wardkeller.com.au.
