Atlassian owner Mike Cannon-Brookes ‘too busy for love’

News only filtered through last week that Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife Annie were to split and rumours have been rife he already has a new love interest.

News only filtered through last week that Mike Cannon-Brookes and his wife Annie were to split, and rumours have been rife he has a new love interest, however those close to him say he’s too busy for romance.

A representative for Mike Cannon-Brookes on Saturday laughed off suggestions he was already seeing another woman, saying he was way too busy for romance.

The newly single billionaire, who recently separated from Annie, his wife of 13 years, was rumoured to be seeing a younger woman following the breakdown of his marriage, however a rep said he didn’t have time for a relationship.

The news he is too busy for love will no doubt devastate the many single Sydney housewives, who have been badgering Confidential as to where they could find Cannon-Brookes and what kind of a woman he usually goes for.

When their wealth is divided, Annie Cannon-Brookes is set to walk away from the marriage with billions, and will secure herself a spot on the richest women in Australia list.

Mike and Annie Cannon-Brookes in 2018. Picture: Monique Harmer

The couple is said to split their wealth from Cannon-Brookes’ successful software company Atlassian, as well as their impressive property portfolio.

“They’re both focused on their children as their number one priority right now,” a source close to the family said in a statement following news of the split. “They ask that their privacy is respected.”

The separation makes the second high-profile billionaire breakup in less than a fortnight, with Andrew Forrest announcing a split with wife Nicola earlier this month.

The Cannon-Brookes family, including their four children, reside at Point Piper mansion Fairwater, a 1.12ha estate that had been held by the Fairfax family for more than 100 years.

Too busy for romance... Mike Cannon-Brookes is back on the bachelor circuit after his marriage split.

The couple paid a record $100m for the property in late 2018, making it Australia’s most expensive house, and beating the previous record set by best friend Scott Farquhar who had earlier paid $71m for the house next door.

The tech titan co-founded software firm Atlassian with his long-time friend Mr Farquhar in 2001 and while the company is listed on the Nasdaq exchange in the US they have chosen to keep its headquarters in Sydney. The company builds enterprise collaboration software for teams, and its products including Jira and Confluence have racked up more than 10 million active monthly users globally.

Atlassian has been a stunning success since he and Farquhar started the business after meeting at the University of NSW. The 2015 Nasdaq float catapulted the pair into the ranks of the wealthiest people in the country. As of August 2022 the co-founders held about 43 per cent of Atlassian shares, but had planned to slowly sell a portion of those shares over the next 12 months.

Mike and Annie Cannon-Brookes will split their fortune. Picture: James Croucher

Annie Cannon-Brookes is a fashion designer who runs a fashion label, dubbed House of Cannon.

Mike and Annie Cannon-Brookes have been active investors since they first met at a Qantas lounge more than a decade ago. In 2021 they committed to invest $1.5bn into climate projects by 2030, and more recently Mr Cannon-Brookes and fellow billionaire Andrew Forrest were involved in a spat over the $30bn Sun Cable project they both back that resulted in the large renewable development going into administration after a dispute about its future.

Mike and Annie are also among Australia’s most active property investors and have shelled out for numerous high-end properties across NSW, including $12m for a house that backs on to Fairwater, $15m for a 155ha property in the NSW Southern Highlands, a $5.35 million purchase of the nearby 45ha Rosehill Farm, along with another Highland farm, Joadja Creek, bought for $3.3m in 2016.

Tech billionaire Mike Cannon-Brookes bought this grand Bowral home for $3 million. Source: realestate.com.au

In August 2020 Mr Cannon-Brookes was revealed as the $24.5m buyer of the Koichi Takada-designed Newport trophy home previously owned by model Jennifer Hawkins, after spending $8.7m in 2013 to buy a six-bedroom, eight-bathroom house set on 1107 sq m in Palm Beach.

In August 2020 he spent $2.3m on a private getaway at Great Mackerel Beach further up the NSW coast, and in 2020 also spent $18m to buy the former official residence of the German consul-general in Woollahra, which Annie Cannon-Brookes was expected to use as an office and studio for her House of Cannon fashion enterprise.

In other dating news, there’s chatter property investor Theo Onisforou is believed to be dating much young glamour, Madina Tao — a member of one of Cambodia’s ruling families.

Theo Onisforou is believed to be dating Madina Tao.

Tao, a Cambodian French divorcee, whose name has hit the headlines in recent years thanks to her and her ex-husbands record property sales (most recently a $32.18 million abode in Clontarf which was sold by BlackDiamondz’s Monika Tu), is believed to have been seeing the former financial adviser to the late billionaire Kerry Packer for a number of months.

While Onisforou wouldn’t return Confidential’s calls, it’s the chatter within a number of Double Bay hairdressing salons.

The mother-of-three speaks French and Cambodian with English her third language, leaving many wondering what beauty and southern highlands farmer actually have in common.

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