Early Life
Angela Bennett was born around 1943/1944 in Western Australia. She is the eldest adopted child of Pauline McClemans and Peter Wright, who co-founded Wright Prospecting and was a business partner of Lang Hancock. Bennett's family connections gave her a unique perspective on the mining industry from a young age.
Rise to Success
After her father's sudden death in 1985, Bennett and one of her brothers, Michael Wright, took over Wright Prospecting. In 2010, Bennett and Michael Wright received A$1 billion from Gina Rinehart after the latter was forced to give up twenty-five per cent in the Rhodes Ridges iron ore mine.
Key Business Strategies
Her wealth comes from a share of a royalty paid by mining giant Rio Tinto on every ton of iron ore it mines in Western Australia. Bennett also holds a major stake in Wright Prospecting, which is in litigation with Rinehart's Hancock Prospecting over various iron-ore properties. In 2025, Bennett sold a fifteen per cent stake in the Rhodes Ridges iron ore deposit to Mitsui & Co for A$2 billion and retained a ten percent interest in the project.
Philanthropy
In October 2024, it was reported that Bennett made a donation for an undisclosed amount to support the construction of an 11-storey shelter in Perth for women and children who are homeless, named The Angela Wright Bennett Centre. In 2015, the Angela Wright Bennett Foundation granted $250,000 to support autism research at the Kids Research Institute Australia.
