He may have stepped back from hands-on duties but the effects of Barry Thomas’s sterling business career can still be felt.
As chairman of Skyline Enterprises for 33 years, Thomas built up what became one of New Zealand’s most successful tourism operations. 2018 was a landmark year for both him and his old company; Skyline passed the billion dollar mark in market capitalisation, while Thomas was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his services to tourism, media, sport and gaming.
Skyline is responsible for the Queenstown and Rotorua gondola complexes, as well as Christchurch Casino and The Helicopter Line. This year the Environment Court granted permission for a massive redevelopment of the Queenstown complex that will see it double in size, with various extensions, renovations and a new 449-space car park.
It’s all a long way from the Queenstown Thomas arrived at in 1969, where the gondola was a tiny operation and its famous luge wasn’t even thought of. A lot of the subsequent growth has been due to Thomas’s vision and business sense. Just one example is his adoption of the luge. Once a novelty, Skyline’s luge operations have now spread to Canada, Singapore and South Korea. A project in the Welsh city of Swansea has also been in the planning stages for several years, although various issues have conspired to hold progress up.
Thomas is also responsible for opening New Zealand’s first casino, in Christchurch, in 1994. The casinos and their charitable trusts have contributed more than $4 million to charity.
Though Thomas has retired from Skyline Enterprises he still holds a small stake in the company. Son Richard is on the Skyline Group board, while his other son, Lyndon, manages Skyline Queenstown.
Last year the company won the ANZ Best Large Business award at the NZ International Business Awards, the latest in a string of accolades.
Among others, he’s served on the boards of the New Zealand Rugby Union, Christchurch International Airport and Queenstown Airport Corporation. He also founded the Queenstown newspaper Mountain Scene, which he sold to Allied Press after a successful tenure several years ago.
Photo: Stuff
2018: $130 million