Heloise Waislitz: Australia’s quiet philanthropic leader

Within Australia’s circles of wealth, influence, and giving, few names are as well-known as Heloise Waislitz. She leads one of Australia’s largest private charitable foundations, the Pratt Foundation, representing the next generation of a wealthy family that has been significant in Australian business and philanthropy. Her narrative represents a combination of both privilege and purpose, as she attempts to honour her family legacy, but also seeks to pursue her own path and use her agency to influence positive change in Australia.

The early path that defined her mission

Heloise grew up in the Pratt family dynasty as the daughter of the late Richard Pratt, the Multimillionaire founder of Visy Industries, and Philanthropist Jeanne Pratt. Coming from Melbourne, she spent much of her early life in an environment where conversation ranged from a focus on business or philanthropy to innovation.

Heloise is believed to have studied in Australia, possibly at Monash University, where she developed a strong grounding in business and management. Surrounding herself from an early age with an interest in entrepreneurship, while developing a desire to help her community, are personality traits that would serve as precursors to her career.

Profile summary: Heloise Waislitz

• Full name: Heloise Pratt Waislitz.
• Family: Daughter of Richard and Jeanne Pratt; sister of Anthony Pratt.
• Former spouse: Alex Waislitz, investor and founder of Thorney Group.
• Children: Three.
• Roles: Chair of the Pratt Foundation; former executive at Thorney Investments.
• Focus areas: Philanthropy, investing in sustainability, and social equity.
• Location: Melbourne, Victoria.
• Public image: Considered to be reserved, ethical, and community-oriented.

The Pratt family legacy

Heloise’s life can also be viewed through the lens of the Pratt family and their great power in Australia. Richard Pratt built Visy, a multi-billion-dollar packaging and recycling empire. In addition to his business empire, he and his wife Jeanne founded the Pratt Foundation in 1978 as a charitable vehicle to help enhance lives in the areas of education, arts, and social welfare. 

Heloise grew up learning first-hand about her parents’ values and passion for supporting communities and addressing inequality. Growing up in this environment heavily shaped her worldview and later efforts in philanthropy.

Career and rise to leadership

Chair of the Pratt Foundation

Currently, Heloise Waislitz is Chair of the Pratt Foundation, which gives millions of dollars a year in support of arts, health and medical research, education, and community programs across Australia. 

The foundation is under her leadership and continues to tackle social challenges. It might be health research you are funding or arts institutions you support, Heloise’s focus is on sustainable impact and community, and people empowerment. 

Her style of leadership represents a new wave of philanthropy – it is less focused on writing cheques and more on measuring impact with a longer tail.

Laying the foundations of a visionary leader

Prior to the investment partnership that began in 1994, Heloise was developing her own leadership capability. Upon finishing a combined Law and Commerce degree at Monash University, she started to extrapolate her experiences working in her family-owned business and charitable initiatives, where she garnered experience in governance, investment oversight, and philanthropic strategy. 

Heloise grew up in the vibrant atmosphere of the Pratt entrepreneur household, where business and community support were part of her experience; she drew upon these years for her perspectives and values in her two new roles – that of an investor and a social leader, respectively. This phase built a foundation for Heloise’s capacity to leverage her position at Thorney and later as Chair of the Pratt Foundation.

Marriage to Alex Waislitz and building Thorney Investments

In 1994, Heloise married Alex Waislitz, an Australian investor, entrepreneur, and founder of Thorney Investment Group. There was a shared financial partnership and investments in diverse industries from resources and property to technology and venture capital. 

Key milestones in her professional life

• Co-leadership at Thorney Investments: For many years, Heloise played an important strategic role in the governance of the company, and notably in relation to ethical investing and community-minded decision-making. 
• Support for start-ups and innovation: Through Thorney and as well as her own networks, she has assisted in providing funding to Australian entrepreneurs and nascent industries. 
• Influence within the Pratt Foundation: In her role as Chair of the Pratt Foundation, she continues to locally deploy philanthropic grants in relation to social welfare, education, and health initiatives. 

Although the couple ultimately separated, their collaborative endeavors and overlapping professional lives will always be a part of the larger financial narrative of Australia.

A quiet but powerful philanthropic presence

In contrast to many prominent philanthropists who seek the spotlight, Heloise Waislitz takes a humble yet highly purposeful path. Heloise approaches philanthropy not as engagement in a “public relations fight” to get headlines, but as an investment of personal assets towards the goal of measurable and long-term benefit to communities. 

Her philanthropic priorities include

• Education and youth empowerment – Supporting better learning opportunities for disadvantaged young Australians through funded projects.
• Arts and culture – Supporting industries that make contributions to a stronger national identity for Australia
• Health and well-being – Funding a range of research, facilities, and programs that improve community health
• Environmental sustainability – Continuing the Pratt family’s long-standing commitment to the sustainability of business and conservation of natural resources. 

Through her work as the Chairman of the Pratt Foundation, Heloise has supported many smaller organisations and projects that are typically overlooked for larger grants, reflecting her preference for local impact over international recognition.

Legal disputes and the question of family wealth

In recent times, Heloise Waislitz has attracted attention for her legal case against her ex-husband, Alex Waislitz, concerning Thorney Investment Group and its fiduciary duties. The Australian Financial Review has reported on the case, which is about the governance of family investment arrangements following their separation.

The case has received media interest, but Heloise has dealt with the issue in a professional manner and with dignity – characteristics that align with her reputation for confidentiality and integrity.

Broader implications

This case is generally illustrative of broader issues in Australia: 

• Governance transparency of family investment vehicles
• Wealth management complexities of family business.
• The increasing contribution of female leadership.

Heloise Waislitz: Redefining women’s leadership

Heloise Waislitz stands out as a female leader who achieves empathy and business sense in a male-dominated corporate world. She is an active contributor to strategies, philanthropy, and management, and is highly respected.

Key lessons from her leadership style

• Strategic patience: Creates sustainable and authentic influence.
• Values-based decisions: Her community’s purpose is to ensure a balance between profit and good.
• Long-term vision: Investments focusing on the impact of multiple generations.
• Empowerment: Equips Australian women to connect their business and philanthropy impact.

Upholding and evolving the Pratt legacy

The legacy of the Pratt family is still felt in Australian industry, philanthropy, and forward-looking environmental practice and education. While her brother Anthony Pratt is the head of Visy and Pratt Industries USA, Heloise is the crucial connection to ensure the family’s charitable agenda remains both contemporary and inclusive. 

Her role as Chair of the Pratt Foundation ensures the organisation continues to be progressive in its grantmaking agenda. This role has led to new priorities around Indigenous education, mental health programs, and women’s advancement programs. 

Heloise’s involvement contributes to the family vision: the use of an enterprise for the benefit of life and flourishing communities together.

Why do Aussies respect Heloise Waislitz?

The Australians appreciate the equilibrium that she keeps between the privilege and the purpose. Rather than making herself wealthier with the family’s fortune, she utilizes it to initiate a change that is permanent in the local society.

What sets her apart

• Genuine intention to influence society positively, more than the attention given to her.
• Integrity to balance the family and corporate spaces.
• Generational and purposeful investment in educational and innovative practices.

Her quiet influence reminds Australians that wealth can be owned and used for the good of humanity through compassion and purpose.

Conclusion

Heloise Waislitz represents a more understated form of leadership — one that prioritises integrity over headlines, compassion over competition, and sustainability over short-term yields. In a moment when the poison of corporate influence has corrupted the very notion of moral responsibility, Heloise reminds Australians that true success may not simply be about accumulating, but instead contributing.

Her life’s work, which includes philanthropy, business, and family obligations, only reaffirms a common-sense truth that her father would often express: “The more you are blessed with, the more you owe back.”

For Heloise Waislitz, that ideal is not only a family philosophy — it is a way of living.