Bill Franke
William Augustus Franke | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 15, 1937 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Investor, businessman |
| Known for | Co-founder and Managing Partner of Indigo Partners LLC; Chairman of Wizz Air, Frontier Airlines, Bristol Group SA; former CEO of America West Airlines |
William Augustus Franke (born April 15, 1937) is a prominent American investor in the airline industry and a co-founder as well as Managing Partner of Indigo Partners LLC, a private equity firm focused on air transportation ventures. Since 1987, he has held the position of President at Franke and Company, Inc. Franke has been the Chairman of Wizz Air since 2004 and took on the role of Chairman at Frontier Airlines in 2013. Additionally, he serves as both President and Chairman of Bristol Group SA.
Education and early career
Franke completed his undergraduate degree in history (BA) in 1959, followed by a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) in 1961, both from Stanford University. Early professional roles included serving as CEO of Southwest Forest Industries (now known as Smurfit-Stone Container) and acting as chairman of Circle K, where he managed the company’s bankruptcy restructuring process. From 1993 until 2001, he was chairman and CEO of America West Airlines. He also held the chairmanship of Singapore’s Tigerair between 2004 and 2009, and led Spirit Airlines as chairman from 2006 to 2013.
Philanthropy
In recognition of his contributions, Franke was awarded an honorary doctorate by Northern Arizona University in 2008; the university’s W.A. Franke College of Business bears his name following a $25 million gift. He donated $24 million to the University of Montana in 2016 and established The W. A. Franke Professorship in Law and Business at Stanford Law School. In 2021, Franke contributed $25 million to the University of Arizona, resulting in the renaming of its Honors College to the W.A. Franke Honors College.
As reported by Forbes in February 2025, Franke’s estimated net worth stands at approximately US$1.3 billion.