With his Christchurch Helicopters business booming, former IT entrepreneur Lester Singleton continues to quietly fly under the radar.
In tandem with business partner and fellow Rich Lister Nigel Walkington, Singleton’s fortune stems back to the duo’s Global Information Solutions. Created in 1991, the company was sold to SunGard Data Systems for $164m in 2000.
Singleton is a director at Christchurch Helicopters, which was last year given a humanitarian award for its work during the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake and the 2017 Port Hills fires by the prestigious Helicopter Association International. The company’s most visible face is pilot and former All Black captain Richie McCaw.
Singleton and Walkington also founded private charter company Pacific Jets, which touts itself as New Zealand’s premier private jet charter airline. The company was sold to Australian interests in 2014.
2018: $100 million