Michael Watt

Michael Heseltine Watt (born 16 December 1940) is a New Zealand entrepreneur, philanthropist, and investor. He was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the community in the 2005 New Year Honours.

Early life Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, Watt was expelled from Christ's College, Christchurch, in 1955 and spent the next 10 years working in various blue-collar industries, including oil exploration and construction.

Oil industry In the 1960s, Watt worked as an explosives expert for oil exploration crews in North Africa, the Middle East, and Central America. In the late 1960s/early 1970s, he worked for the National Supply Company oilfield division of Armco Steel, out of Houston, Texas, and Louisiana, on the early development of sub-sea wellheads and blow-out preventers. During this period, he became a partner of Drexel Oil Services in Aberdeen, Scotland. After a project with the Israeli Government off the Sinai Peninsula, Watt sold out of all his oil interests in 1976.

Sports During the 1980s, Michael Watt engaged in personal client management, including individuals such as Formula One driver Alan Jones and cricketer Imran Khan.

While working with Capital Sports New York, he formed CSI in London and quickly saw an opportunity where sports bodies worldwide were not exploiting their international television rights intelligently, and in a pioneering move soon represented all soccer bodies in UK/Europe, as well as all international rugby, cricket federations and the 1980 Winter Olympics. CSI's largest publicised contract was a deal with NewsCorp in the lead up to the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa, which led to the professionalism of the international Rugby Union, particularly in the southern hemisphere. Worth approximately $950m, this was largest sports broadcasting contract in history at the time. CSI represented all cricket and rugby federations, and most soccer federations, for 15 years. Their work is largely credited with shaping the current professionalism of most major sporting industries.

Watt was also an cornerstone investor in Cricinfo in August 1999.

In 2000, he donated to Brisbane-based Brothers Rugby Club "saving them from collapse", and subsequently is referred to as "club savior".

Watt was a cornerstone investor in Setanta Sports (now Premier Sports) in 2009.

In 2014, Watt joined former All Black rugby captain Richie McCaw, Simon Apperley and Ben Dormer as partners of the SOL Group

Music

Watt produced numerous albums since the 1990s, most notably Vince Mendoza's Grammy-nominated Epiphany in 1999, which is considered a classic by many in the jazz music industry including Bill Laurance of Snarky Puppy, John Beasley and The Juilliard School of Music.

Watt was producer and promoter in the entertainment industry, including Michael Jackson's History Tour and Riverdance The Musical.

Watt is also the owner of the legendary Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in Soho, London, with business partner Sally Greene OBE.

Theatre Watt has had an extensive history in the theatre industry, and is the only New Zealander to receive Tony Award's for Annie Get Your Gun, Gypsy and Catch Me If You Can and has also received multiple Tony Award nominations.

His current theatre production credits include: The Bodyguard Moulin Rouge Chicago Sinatra: The Musical His previous notable theatre production credits include: Jersey Boys Matilda the Musical We Will Rock You The Boy from Oz Death of a Salesman

In 2003, he made a significant donation to the New Zealand Special Olympics, which sponsored the event. He also donated to the Hohepa Trust based in New Zealand, which cares for the intellectually disabled.

Watt has supported various projects with his friend Jane Goodall over the years.

In March 2026, Watt was announced by Tomorrow's Warriors as one of the charity's inaugural patrons, the others being Baroness Amos, Margaret Busby, Guy Chambers, Robert Elms, Nick Hornby, Lizzie Ridding and John Ridding, Richard Wyatt, Femi Koleoso, Eska and Moses Boyd.