Former WiseTech Ltd CEO and chairman Richard White has given himself a $442 million Christmas gift after offloading shares in on-market transactions between October 2 and December 20.
The embattled tech billionaire’s stake in the company remains significant at 36.3% compared to 37.7% before the sale for a total of $15 billion.
White hit the headlines in October following allegations of affairs with women and buying homes for some of them. The allegations forced him to step away from the company’s management and resign from the board of the Tech Council of Australia.
“It has been a challenging time for me personally, my family and close friends, and for the company that I have built and truly love,” White said in a statement in October.
“I want to assure all those who have supported WiseTech, as customers, colleagues and shareholders, that I remain absolutely committed to seeing this incredible organisation continue to thrive and grow in the coming years.”
Despite WiseTech shares dropping 20% in October, shares have climbed 64% over the past year.
Board members offload shares
WiseTech has witnessed a series of share sales by its board members in recent months.
Director Charles Gibbon sold more than 1.5 million shares this month, netting nearly A$200 million.
Gibbon, a shareholder since 2005, sold 8.8% of his stake, citing the need to “undertake necessary personal estate planning measures.” This marks his first sale of WiseTech shares since 2019.
Rachel Waterhouse, chief executive of the Australian Shareholders Association, stated that the association would seek further details from WiseTech regarding the transaction.
In November, co-founder and director Maree Isaacs sold her stake to White amid the fallout from allegations involving White exchanging business advice for personal benefits. Isaacs offloaded 10.2 million shares.
Isaacs held her shares through an 8% stake in RealWise Holdings, which owns 37.4% of WiseTech. White holds the remaining 92% of RealWise Holdings.
Isaacs stated that the sale would enable her to “access the value and liquidity of her shares,” adding that she “remains committed to WiseTech and its future.”
“I am extremely grateful to Richard for his work and leadership in creating WiseTech. After 30 years of helping to build WiseTech, I was keen to start to unlock and realise some of the value in the WiseTech shares I hold through RealWise Holdings Pty Limited,” she said.