• Diane Plese is an optometrist and is the ex-wife of investor Robert Herjavec.
• She has a net worth of over $100 million, gained from her divorce with Herjavec.
• She is of Croatian descent and her parents immigrated to Canada in 1959.
• She and Herjavec were married for 26 years, before divorcing in 2016.
• She is not active on any major social media websites.
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Who is Diane Plese?
Diane Plese was born in Toronto, Canada, in the 1960s – exact date unknown – and is an optometrist, but probably best known for being the ex-wife of investor Robert Herjavec. Her former husband is known from being featured in several popular investing reality shows, including CBC’s “Dragon’s Den”, and the ABC version of the show entitled “Shark Tank”.
The Net Worth of Diane Plese
How rich is Diane Plese? As of mid-2019, sources inform us of a net worth that is over $100 million, gained through divorce proceedings from her former husband.
While she has earned a bit of wealth from her work in the medical field, it pales in comparison to the large sum she received after divorcing Herjavec, who has a net worth estimated to be over $200 million. As she continues her endeavors, it is expected that her wealth will also continue to increase.
Early Life and Career
Very little is known about Diane’s life prior to her association with Robert, as she hasn’t shared information regarding her academic endeavors, family, and childhood experiences. She is of Croatian descent, and her parents immigrated to Canada in 1959.
She later pursued a career in the medical field and began practicing optometry, the profession which involves the examination of eyes and visual systems. The aim is to treat eye disease, defects, or abnormalities through medical diagnosis. The practice of optometry began with the focus on correcting eye refractive error through spectacles, though in modern day practices, intensive medical training is required to treat ocular disease. Usually, health care professionals in this field provide eye care through thorough comprehensive eye examinations.
It is a regulated profession which means that practices may differ depending on location, but doctors in this field are usually generally available in most locations.
Husband – Robert Herjavec
Robert is also of Croatian descent, born there in 1963 but with his family later moving to Nova Scotia, Canada. His father was against the regime in then Yogoslavia, and had been thrown into jail multiple times, persuading them to exit the country. They eventually settled in Toronto, and his father thought him the concept of never complaining, which built his perseverance.
He later experienced his family being persuaded by a travelling salesman to buy a vacuum cleaner worth seven weeks of salary, cementing his determination that his family would never again be taken advantage of.
Robert graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in English literature and political science, but then took on numerous minimum wage jobs in the 1980s to help support his family. He eventually started to work in the film industry, doing numerous production roles behind the camera.
He worked as a third assistant director in “The Return of Billy Jack” and became a field producer for the XIV Winter Olympic Games held in Sarajevo, ironically formerly in Yugoslavia now in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Seeing no potential in film in the immediate future, he started to look for other jobs, and landed a position selling IBM mainframe emulation boards for Logiquest. Despite being underqualified, he rose through the ranks and became the general manager of the company.
Robert Herjavec’s Rise to Riches
After being fired from Logiquest in 1990, Herjavec founded his first company called BRAK Systems, which is an integrator of internet security software. He sold the company a decade later to AT&T Canada for $30.2 million, then semi-retired for the next three years, mainly becoming a stay-at-home dad to his three children. In 2003, he created the security solutions, reseller, and managed service provider the Herjavec Group. The company would soon become the fastest growing technology company and IT provider in Canada.
He then became a regular on the Canadian television show “Dragons’ Den” from seasons one to six, before moving to the US version of the show called “Shark Tank”. The show has aspiring entrepreneurs do business pitches to a panel of potential investors. His most successful investment with the show is for the sweater company Tipsy Elves, in which he invested $100,000 for a 10% equity stake. In 2015, he became a contestant in the 20th season of the reality TV dancing competition “Dancing with the Stars”, in which he was partnered with Australian dancer and future wife Kym Johnson, finishing sixth.
He has also written two books, the latest being “You Don’t Have to Be a Shark: Creating Your Own Success”.
Personal Life and Social Media
For her personal life, it is known that Plese married Herjavec in 1990, and they stayed together for 26 years, divorcing in early-2016. They have three children together. They were separated for two years prior to their divorce, and during his partnership with Kym Johnson, many believed that she was the reason for the couple’s separation, but it was later revealed that the two were already separated.
Herjavec would later marry Johnson, while Plese moved slowly away from the spotlight. Despite that, it is known that he had a hard time dealing with the end of his marriage with Plese, stating that he even contemplated suicide until his pastor helped him move forward.
One of the reasons why there is very limited information about Diane’s current endeavors is that she doesn’t have accounts on any of the major social media websites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. However, no one has yet tracked her down to check on any aspects of her life in recent years.
