As the founder of merino clothing firm Icebreaker, Jeremy Moon bagged $95 million from the sale of the company last year.
It marked quite the journey for Moon, who began Icebreaker as a 24-year-old student with a $200,000 investment from family and friends.
He turned the company into a global success story that sells product into 47 countries, employs 340 people and generates annual revenue of $220m.
Early last year VF Corporation, which owns iconic brands such as The North Face, Timberland and Vans, bought Icebreaker for $288m.
Moon held a 33% stake in the company, meaning he would have received approximately $95.04m from the takeover deal.
He was chief executive of Icebreaker for 19 years until now-chairman Rob Fyfe assume the reins in June 2014. Greg Smith now heads the company. However, Moon is still involved.
Icebreaker had a helping hand from some astute angel investors. Sam Morgan’s Jasmine Investments and Sir Stephen Tindall’s K1W1 took minority stakes, and there was a major selldown in 2015 when Pencarrow Private Equity snared almost 38%.
NYSE-listed VF Corporation has a market capitalisation of $U29.5 billion and distributes to more than 170 countries worldwide.
Recently, Icebreaker moved its design and product creation team, which has been based out of Portland for the past decade, to join the rest of the staff at Icebreaker’s HQ in Auckland from the beginning of April.
The company will turn over close to $300 million this year but Smith believes it could be a $1 billion company within five years. It plans to unveil three new fabric innovations within its range for 2020.
Moon was appointed as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to business in 2008.
2018: $120 million