Rich List reveals influencer’s mind-boggling net worth
Kayla Itsines’ wealth rivals that of Margot Robbie’s $191 million, and other Aussie social media stars aren’t far behind.
The list of richest young Australians has been revealed with some surprising names in the mix.
The 2024 Australian Financial Review Young Rich list reveals the 100 wealthiest self-made people aged 40 and younger.
The ranking is dominated by tech entrepreneurs, like Canva’s Melanie Perkins who shares her $14.01 billion fortune with partner Cliff Obrecht, and Immutable co-founders James and Robbie Ferguson who are worth a combined $1.71 billion.
However, there are also plenty of well-known influencers who made bank this year, helping set a new record for the list’s total wealth figure of $41.7 billion.
According to the publication, social media influencer turned fitness mogul Kayla Itsines is the 34th richest young person in Australia, with an estimated net worth of $171 million.
Ms Itsines is the co-founder of the fitness app Sweat, which charges its one million members $24.99 per month in exchange for fitness and meal plans, shopping lists and exercise advice.
Her former fiance and co-founder, Tobi Pearce, who is now married to fellow fitness queen, Rachel Dillon, is a passive investor and sits just below his ex on the list at number 35.
Ms Itsines and Mr Pearce initially sold the company in 2021 in a deal worth $400 million but bought it back for what’s believed to have been a fraction of this price.
Both co-founders have also amassed significant wealth through their impressive real estate investments.
Coming in at number 44 was Instagram influencer and swimwear brand founder Natasha Oakley, who is thought to be worth around $128 million, which is a 16.4% year-on-year increase for her.
Ms Oakley is the co-founder of Monday Swimwear with friend and model Devin Brugman, which is estimated to have turned over more than $50 million in 2023-24.
The rich lister, who has 3.6 million Instagram followers, is also behind The Pilates Class, a joint venture with influencer Jacqui Kingswell offering at-home workout programs.
Ms Oakley tied the knot with Theo Chambers last year, who is the heir to the Chambers Cellars fortune.
Jennifer Hawkins, who has a net worth of $112 million, ranked number 48 on the list and is now in her final year of eligibility before she turns 41 in December.
Ms Hawkins is the founder of Cozi swimwear, Jbronze tanning products and Sesion Tequila, but is now most active in property development alongside her husband Jake Wall.
The couple is currently building a mega-mansion on the cliffside at Whale Beach in Sydney, which they have already sold for $30 million.
Online fashion maven, Jane Lu, the founder and CEO of Showpo, came in at 52 and has seen a considerable 46.6% increase in her wealth since last year.
The fashion entrepreneur serves as a judge on Shark Tank and is also a podcast host.
Matilda Murray and her husband, Don Robertson saw their net worth grow to $67 million after their activewear label, Stax, boomed in popularity this year, recently selling its one-millionth product.
The Perth couple, now living in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, secured the 71st spot on the list.
They credit their success to the brand’s early embrace of the body positivity movement, which saw them launch hoodies, crop tops, and leggings in sizes ranging from XXS to XXXXL.
Tammy Hembrow, worth $56 million, took the 80th spot with her wealth from her booming fitness and wellness app, Tammy Fit.
Ms Hembrow started to gain traction in the lead-up and following the birth of her now nine-year-old son, Wolf, when she went on her own prenatal and post-partum fitness journey.
By her early 20s, Hembrow had a few hundred thousand followers on Instagram, while today, she shares her life online with a staggering 17.3 million followers.
It’s rumoured she rakes in as much as $83,000 per sponsored post on her feed, as per Yahoo.
One half of the Kic founding duo, Steph Miller came in at number 97, boasting a net worth of $42 million.
Ms Miller, formerly Ms Claire Smith, launched the fitness app following the success of the recipe e-book she created with Kic co-founder Laura Henshaw in 2015.
The duo has effectively capitalised off their social media followings to grow their brand and subscriber base, and launched in the UK in 2023.
The online reaction
Aussie Instagram account @influencer.updates.au shared a post announcing some of the influencers who made the list.
“Lots of influencers (business women/celebrities) making appearances as always,” the caption of the carousel post read.
“Holy s**t. It’s wild to me that Margot Robbie and Kayla Itsines are so close,” one person wrote, referring to Robbie, worth $191 million, sitting just three spots higher than Ms Itsines.
“It’s great to see so many women doing well,” another cheered.
Others shared the people they thought would make the list, with influencer and adult star Anna Paul’s name coming up frequently.
Some commenters also said they expected to see Rachel Dillon, Ashy Bines and Miranda Kerr, the latter of whom has dropped off the list now she is 41.
30-40% of the people on the list “wish they weren’t on it”
Rich List’s co-editor Yolanda Redrup took to TikTok since the ranking was released, revealing that a lot of people surprisingly don’t want to be on the rich list.
“You’re putting a figure out there that might make them uncomfortable,” she said, adding that about 30-40% of the list wish they weren’t on it.
She believes that Australia’s ‘tall poppy syndrome’ could be to blame, as people often don’t feel comfortable talking about their success.
How does the AFR do the valuations?
“When it comes to doing the valuations, we aren’t just taking figures these people have shared with us. We look at property records, and financial documents and see how their companies have been tracking,” Ms Redrup said.
The AFR also look at dividends that flowed to people individually, and other assets they may have, like yachts and jets.
“We also look at what’s happening in the market and compare how their companies are tracking versus others in the industry.”
The publication also speaks to other experts like analysts and bankers to form their estimates.
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