An American-born Australian billionaire and philanthropist, Blair Parry-Okeden is a name that needs no introduction. Anyone involved in the business arena is familiar with her. According to Forbes Asia, she was named Australia's richest person with a net worth of $12.49 billion in 2016; most of her wealth comes from Cox Enterprises.
The secretive yet influential personality, Blair's life story is something that many fans want to know about. Therefore, we are bringing you this short biography which includes her personal life and professional career. We hope her story will fascinate you in some way or another.
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She Grew Up In Hawaii
The influential woman was born on 21 May 1950 in Honolulu, Hawaii, the U.S., as per Astro-Databank. She was welcomed into this world by her dad, Stanley C. Kennedy Jr., and her mom, Barbara Cox Anthony. While Okeden's father was an airline executive, her mother was the director of Cox Enterprises. Unfortunately, her mom, Barbara, passed away in 2007, and she inherited 25% of Cox Enterprises' stake.
Blair comes from a very strong family. So growing up, she must have had access to every possible privilege. Furthermore, she is the granddaughter of James M. Cox, the founder of the privately held media company Cox Enterprises. James founded the company by purchasing Dayton's Evening News newspaper in 1898.
Similarly, Blair's brother, James C. Kennedy, is the family company's chairman, and her aunt, Anne Cox Chambers, co-owned Cox Enterprises for thirty-three years.
Talking about her educational background, Blair attended the school founded by her mother, La Pietra: Hawaii School for Girls. Later, the businesswoman studied to fulfill her aspiration of becoming a teacher. The billionaire attended the University of Denver and earned a Bachelor of Arts/Science.
Blair Parry-Okeden Net Worth - $7.6 Billion
Cox Enterprises, Inc. is a privately held multinational conglomerate with its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, the United States, with about 55,000 employees and $21 billion in annual revenue. Blair Parry-Okeden's net worth primarily comes from her inherited wealth from Cox Enterprises. As mentioned earlier, she and her brother own almost one-quarter of the Enterprises they inherited from their mother.
The billionaire initially gained popularity in Australia in March 2009, when Forbes estimated her net worth at $7.6 billion. Similarly, Forbes projected her wealth to be $9.7 billion in January 2016 and $9.3 billion in 2019. Despite these estimates, she was no longer included on the list of Australians with the highest net worth due to her US citizenship.
Apart from this, Blair is also involved in charities and donations. Some of her philanthropic interests include the Scone Grammar School, the Shore School, the University of Hawaii's Center on Aging, and Strathearn Village, a non-profit aged-care center. Moreover, Blair is a former teacher, and she also wrote a children's book in 1989 named Down By The Gate. Through her book sales, she must also have amassed some money.
Besides, little is known about her professional career as she is very private and secretive. The billionaire is living a low-key life at her Scone property Rockview Station. Her late mother bought it in 1970 for $590,720. It was formerly known as Winderadeen and was passed to Mrs. Parry-Okeden, who has since added neighboring lots, most notably 21 hectares for $925,000 in 2000.
Overall, with a net worth of $7.6 billion, Blair must live a comfortable lifestyle with her family. Now, let's move on to learn about her personal life.
She Is A Divorcée
While some marriages last a lifetime because the people involved in them compromise on several things and overlook each other's flaws, some marriages, on the other hand, don't. Although the two people involved in it give in all their efforts, it might not be worth it. Similar is the case with billionaire Okeden's personal life.
Blair was previously married to Simon Parry-Okeden, the son of notable agriculturalist William Parry-Okeden and the brother of broadcaster Ian Parry-Okeden. Furthermore, Blair Parry-Okeden's ex-husband's father was the Royal Agricultural Society of NSW director, Lieutenant, and Colonel.
The former couple exchanged wedding vows in 1977 but unfortunately divorced due to several undisclosed reasons. Maybe it was a mutual decision, but the two seem to have moved on and now prefer to keep their personal life low-key.
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A Loving Mother Of Two
A mother's love is kind and giving, she sees no flaws in her children. They support their kids no matter what and provide every kind of support possible. Likewise, Blair is also a loving mother who made no compromises while raising her kids. Alongside her husband, she welcomed two sons, Andrew Parry-Okeden and Henry Parry-Okeden.
Andrew is living his life away from the limelight, whereas the duo's younger son, Henry, is the founder of the investment and advisory firm Oakview Group. Moreover, in recent days, Henry serves as a board member at Cox Enterprises.
Blair Parry-Okeden's younger son, Henry Parry-Okeden serves as a board member at Cox Enterprises. Image Source: Cox Enterprises Instagram.
Alongside sharing a prosperous professional career, Henry also shares a happy personal life as he is blissfully married to his pretty wife, Sarah Parry-Okeden.
Nonetheless, Blair Parry Okeden's children have grown up and share established professional careers. We hope they work hard to make their mother proud of their achievements.
Overall, Blair seems to be living happily while maintaining her life low-key. She is at an age where she prefers no drama and wants to live peacefully by creating beautiful memories. We hope the billionaire is happy and healthy. Our good wishes follow her way.
Trivia And Facts
- Miss Okeden is not active on social media platforms.
- At present, Blair holds no role at Cox Enterprises company.
- Her grandfather, James M. Cox, served as the three-term governor of Ohio.
- She bought a $575,000 cottage in Burradoo in the NSW Southern Highlands in 2012.
