When you type ‘Zena Nasser’ into Google, the suggested term that follows is ‘plastic surgery’.
It’s not really surprising. The enigmatic wife of billionaire WiseTech co-founder Richard White looks completely different at 45 to the woman she was a decade ago.
She has done a good job of scrubbing her old photos from the internet, but a few headshots remain from her years as a practising criminal defence lawyer – before she became Australia’s most talked-about corporate WAG.
Her transformation began around 2020, when she ditched her boxy blazers and ballet flats and underwent some cosmetic changes that might be generously described as ‘Kardashian-inspired’.
She lightened her hair and started to display plumped-up lips, a chiselled jawline and almond-shaped eyes. Her wardrobe also became more glamorous.
While she hasn’t publicly commented on her changing look, Dr Naomi McCallum, a cosmetic physician at The Manse Clinic in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, believes she has had Botox and filler, and possibly surgical procedures, too.
Zena Nasser held court with the eastern suburbs social set last December, in the aftermath of her husband Richard White’s Federal Court showdown with his former mistress
The enigmatic wife of the billionaire WiseTech co-founder looks completely different at 45 to the woman she was a decade ago when she was a practising criminal defence lawyer
‘In recent photos, you can see her eyelids are more lifted, which could be from Botox or even a small procedure like an upper blepharoplasty, where a little skin is removed from the eyelids,’ Dr McCallum tells me.
‘Her brows are higher as well, which could be from Botox or surgery.’
According to Dr McCallum, Nasser’s cheekbones look more defined and her face shape has a more contoured V-shape than it used to.
‘[This] could be from weight loss, ageing, or injectables like facial slimming. Plus, her lips have definitely become fuller and more glam over time,’ she observes.
‘Of course, photo editing and filters can also create some of these effects, so it’s possible they’re playing a role in how her appearance comes across in photos.’
Nasser’s glow-up is believed to have started in 2020 when Covid restrictions forced swathes of corporate Australia into work-from-home.
Back in the Noughties, she was a defence lawyer for some of Sydney’s most colourful characters.
She notably represented Moustafa ‘Michael’ Ibrahim, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2008 over the fatal stabbing of Robin Nassour, the brother of Fat Pizza star George Nassour, two years prior.
Few ex-colleagues would be drawn into speaking about Nasser, other than to express surprise at the ‘extraordinary’ direction her life has taken since meeting Rich Lister White (right)
Nasser’s glow-up started in 2020 as Covid restrictions forced swathes of corporate Australia into WFH. She experimented with dark brunette hair before settling on a blonde bombshell look
Embarrassing revelations about White’s personal life emerged during the legal battle last October with his ex-lover, mum-of-three and laser clinics entrepreneur Linda Rogan (pictured)
Michael, who is the younger brother of Kings Cross identity John Ibrahim, has since been sentenced to 25 years’ jail, with the possibility of parole after 15 years, for attempting to import two tonnes of illicit drugs.
She also acted for Michael’s older brother Sam Ibrahim, murderer Bassam Hamzy and members of the Notorious bikie gang.
Once described by a Sydney newspaper as ‘the Rolex-wearing, Gucci shoe-clad daughter of a Lebanese developer’, Nasser was reportedly banned by NSW Corrective Services from entering any prison in the state for up to two years after she was accused of conducting an improper relationship with an inmate.
Few of her ex-colleagues from the legal fraternity would be drawn into speaking about Nasser, other than to express surprise at the ‘extraordinary’ direction her life has taken since meeting White.
Last year, Nasser became embroiled in one of Sydney’s biggest scandals when her billionaire husband was forced to step down from the tech company he co-founded following an alleged affair.
Embarrassing revelations about White’s personal life emerged during the legal battle last October with his ex-lover, laser clinics entrepreneur Linda Rogan, over a $92,000 luxury furniture bill.
At the centre of the Federal Court proceedings was a $13million mansion in Vaucluse, which Rogan, who alleged White had offered to invest in her business in exchange for sex, claimed White had bought for her to live in with her three children.
Rogan, who never moved into the house, claimed White took back the keys after Nasser discovered they were in a romantic relationship, leaving her out of pocket for the furniture she had already bought.
The matter with Rogan was settled, with a spokesman saying: ‘Mr White has settled to avoid any distraction from his primary focus which is on implementing WiseTech’s growth strategy and continuing to create value for its shareholders and customers.’
Against the backdrop of his alleged philandering, White and Nasser wed in a secret ceremony in July last year, following the arrival of their daughter via an American surrogate
Zena famously flaunted her wealth in a TikTok video featuring White (right) in July 2023
Against the backdrop of all this, Nasser and White wed in a secret ceremony in July last year, following the arrival of their daughter via an American surrogate.
Now, in the latest chapter of the WiseTech saga, intimate details of the couple’s marriage were splashed across newspaper front pages on Monday morning – and a series of board members subsequently resigned.
It was alleged White had tried to end the relationship in 2022 when tensions were running particularly high, and he even lawyered up to help manage the situation.
Yet somehow their romance survived, with White telling friends he would ‘take a bullet’ for her.
I reported in my column last week the couple had at long last called it quits, after speaking to several well-connected sources. Whether it’s the end of their story, or if they decide to give their tumultuous relationship yet another shot, remains to be seen.
According to The Sydney Morning Herald, changes made to White’s will mean Nasser is in line to become WiseTech’s largest shareholder when her husband dies. Nasser’s sister Sue is an executor of White’s estate, along with the business mogul’s brother Andrew and stockbroker Charlie Aitken, whose wife Ellie supported Ms Nasser at a ladies’ lunch at Mimi’s in the aftermath of the Rogan scandal.
