Industrialist, born in Vienna, Austria. He studied in Budapest, then went to Sydney in 1949. The following year he founded Alltrans, which in 1967 merged with Thomas Nationwide Transport (TNT). Under his leadership TNT expanded into all forms of road transport, air courier services, and containerized and bulk shipping. In 1979 TNT and Rupert Murdoch's News Limited gained control of Ansett Airlines, and Abeles became joint managing director of the new company, resigning in 1992. Knighted in 1972, he was known for his friendships with prominent politicians, particularly Bob Hawke.
Sir Peter Emil Herbert Abeles AC (April 25, 1924–June 25, 1999) was an Australian transportation magnate.
Life
Abeles was born in Vienna, in Austria, but grew up in Budapest. When Germany invaded Hungary in 1944, Abeles, who was Jewish, was sent to a Nazi work camp. In 1967, Alltrans merged with Thomas Nationwide Transport, and the combined companies became TNT Ltd.. Under Abeles' guidance as managing director, TNT quickly expanded, and by the 1980s had established a presence in 180 countries and was termed "the second biggest transport empire in the world, operating by road, rail, sea and air".
In 1979 Abeles entered into an agreement with media mogul Rupert Murdoch to take over Ansett Transport Industries.
Sir Peter occasionally cut a controversial figure with his unscrupulous business tactics, and was seen as unsympathetic towards minority shareholders. Other honours bestowed on Abeles include being made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1991, and being named "Australian of the Year" by The Australian in 1987. In addition to his work for TNT and Ansett, Abeles served on the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia, and was chairman of the Australian Cancer Research Foundation.
Abeles died in Sydney at the age of 75, the victim of cancer.
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