Gina Rinehart honoured with Globee Lifetime Achievement Award
Hancock Prospecting Executive Chairman Mrs Gina Rinehart AO has been honoured with the prestigious Globee Lifetime Achievement Award under the renowned business award program’s 2026 schedule, and was also named Best in Category for Pioneers.
The recognition reflects the scale of Mrs Rinehart’s achievements across business, leadership and philanthropy. She received an average score of 9.28/10 from a global panel of 24 expert judges, including multiple perfect scores – placing her at the very top of an outstanding international field spanning multiple major industries.
Mrs Rinehart’s award citation described her as a “pioneering visionary who delivered Roy Hill”.
The award caps more than three decades of business leadership that has seen Hancock Prospecting grow from a small and struggling family business into the most successful private company in Australian history. And one of the most successful private mining companies in the world.
“I’ve worked alongside Mrs Rinehart for more than thirty years, and what sets her apart is that she never gives up – not when the experts say it can’t be done, not when the obstacles look insurmountable,” said Hancock Prospecting Executive Director Tad Watroba.
“Roy Hill is the proof. People forget how many doubted it, how many said it would never be built, that the odds were too long and the project too big. She backed herself and her team, and she delivered one of the largest single mines in the country – on a scale few believed possible. That is not luck. That is vision, courage and an extraordinary work ethic, day after day, year after year.”
“And before that was Hope Downs, now 4 major mines, and more in progress, which competitors had called, ‘Hopeless Downs’”.
The Globee Awards, established in 2003, are a globally recognised US-based business awards program celebrating excellence in leadership, innovation and organisational impact. Drawing entries from organisations and individuals across the globe, the awards apply a rigorous, merit-based and data-driven evaluation process, with an independent panel of industry experts assessing each entry through a structured scoring system and transparent framework.
The honour highlights a career dedicated to driving prosperity, innovation and beneficial change. Mrs Rinehart’s work has given thousands of Australians access to some of the nation’s highest-paying jobs, including in regional and remote areas, while her advocacy has consistently championed primary industry, farmers and miners and the regional businesses they support, outback Australians, and, Australia’s veterans.
“Mrs Rinehart has created opportunity for thousands of families, particularly in the regions, and she’s done it while never losing sight of the people too often forgotten – the farmers and miners, the small business owners, who keep this country going, and our veterans.” Mr Watroba added.
“This recognition is thoroughly well deserved, but anyone who knows her knows she won’t pause for long. She’ll already be focused on the next challenge, the next opportunity, the next way to do something worthwhile – because that is simply who she is.”
On behalf of Mrs Rinehart, we extend sincere thanks to the Globee Awards organisers, the panel of 24 independent judges, and everyone who supports the program. The award is a powerful reminder that principled hard work and relentless dedication can make a real difference and help achieve things that help many people to have better lives.
Full details on the Globee Awards and 2026 winners can be found here: https://globeeawards.com/2026-winners-pioneers-awards/
