Wikipedia

Gerry Ryan (businessman)

Gerard "Gerry" Thomas Ryan OAM (born c. 1949) is an Australian businessman, investor, racehorse owner and sports enthusiast. Ryan is the owner and founder of Jayco Australia, as well as owning wineries, resorts, the theatrical company Global Creatures, the Southside Flyers in the Women's National Basketball League, and is part-owner of online retailer BikeExchange[7] and My Local Group.[8][9][10] In 2011, with his son Andrew, he acquired Mitchelton Wines from Lion Nathan.[11]

Gerry Ryan
OAM
Born
Gerard Thomas Ryan[1]

1949 or 1950 (age 74)[2]
Bendigo, Victoria
NationalityAustralian
Occupations
Known forBusiness; sports funding
Children3
Awards

Career

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Born in Bendigo, Ryan was studying accounting and took a temporary role with some friends on an assembly line at Sunwagon Camper Trailers. He went on to become foreman for the company and participated in a study tour to the USA to understand more about the caravanning market. He left Sunwagon and started his caravan business in Springvale in 1975 with a loan of A$10,000. Jayco's first caravan trailer was completed in January 1976 and responded quickly to market demands by making a relatively small number of models.[12] As of 2015, Jayco was estimated to have 45 percent of the Australian caravan market.[12] Ryan stepped away as chief executive of the privately-owned business in 2015; and remained as non-executive chairman.[12]

Sports

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Ryan owned a partial interest in football club Brisbane Roar FC, which he has since sold.[13] Along with Bart Campbell, Matt Tripp and Michael Watt, he has been one of the co-owners of NRL team Melbourne Storm since 2013, being Club Director until 2010,[14] and has also been a board member of St Kilda Football Club in the AFL.[15]

Ryan's interest in cycling began in 1992 when he invested in Kathy Watt, paying for her to attend the Barcelona Olympics where she won two medals.[16] He is the part-owner and founder of Team Jayco–AlUla men's and women's professional cycling teams, formerly known as the Mitchelton–Scott team (from 2018 to 2020) and the GreenEDGE Cycling team (from 2012 to 2016), and several other minor variations in team names.[17] Ryan was President of Cycling Australia in 2013,[18] stepping down in 2014. It was reported that Ryan delivered Cadel Evans a yellow Cadillac following Evans' victory at the 2011 Tour de France.[12]

As of 2013, Ryan had been a significant personal and financial supporter of women's basketball for more than 16 years with both the Dandenong Rangers in the Women's National Basketball League and the Australia women's national basketball team. In 2013, he was awarded the Australian Olympic Committee's Order of Merit for contributions to sport.[4] In 2019, he purchased the Rangers and rebranded them as the Southside Flyers.[19]

Ryan was half-owner of 2010 Melbourne Cup winner Americain,[20] and remains sole owner of 2012 Bendigo Cup winner Puissance de Lune.[21]

Awards and honours

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In 2000 Ryan was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to the community, particularly as a supporter of sporting and charitable organisations, and to youth.[1]

Ryan was one of five inaugural inductees to the Victorian Caravan Industry Hall of Fame in 2012,[5] and was inducted into the Victorian Government's Manufacturing Hall of Fame in 2014 for his contributions to manufacturing excellence.[22] Ryan was awarded the Australian Olympic Committee Order of Merit in 2013 for remarkable merit in the sporting world, through his personal achievement and contribution to the development of sport.[4] In 2015, he was an inaugural Cycling Australia Hall of Fame inductee.[6]

In 2024, he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.[23]

Personal life

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Ryan's three children are Andrew Ryan,[11] Sarah DeBoer, and Michael Ryan.

Net worth

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In 2014, the BRW Rich 200, the forerunner to the Financial Review Rich List, assessed Ryan's net worth at A$340 million.[24] Ryan appeared on the 2017 and 2018 lists;[25] however, he did not meet the threshold to appear on the 2019 Rich List.[26] He met the threshold for the 2023 Rich List.[27]

Year Australian Financial Review
Rich List 		Forbes
Australia's 50 Richest
Rank Net worth (A$) Rank Net worth (US$)
2014[24] 148   $340 million  
2015[12] $355 million  
2016
2017[28][29] 158   $473 million
2018[30] 176   $487 million  
2019[26] n/a unlisted
2020[31] n/a unlisted
2021[32] n/a unlisted
2022 n/a unlisted
2023[27] 199   $693 million  
Legend
Icon Description
  Has not changed from the previous year
  Has increased from the previous year
  Has decreased from the previous year

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) entry for Gerald Thomas RYAN". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 12 June 2000. Retrieved 6 October 2019. For service to the community, particularly as a supporter of sporting and charitable organisations, and to youth.
  2. ^ "Caravan magnate Gerry Ryan too busy innovating to join the grey nomads". AFR.com. 11 December 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  3. ^ "Jayco founder Gerry Ryan wins manufacturing honour". Bendigo Weekly. 27 May 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  4. ^ a b c "RON HARVEY AND GERRY RYAN TO BE HONOURED BY AOC" (Press release). Basketball Australia. 3 May 2013. Archived from the original on 28 June 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  5. ^ a b "2012 Inductees into the Victorian Caravan Industry Hall of Fame". experiencecaravanningandcamping.com.au. Experience Caravanning. Archived from the original on 19 December 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  6. ^ a b "Inaugural Cycling Australia Hall of Fame inductees". Cycling Australia. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2015.
  7. ^ "BikeExchange steps up as new naming sponsor for 'Orica-BikeExchange'". 29 June 2016. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
  8. ^ Mitchell, James (3 February 2016). "Vow inks deal with online lead generator". Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  9. ^ Corderoy, Julia. "Vow partners with challenger aggregator". Australian Broker. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  10. ^ "About Us | My Local Broker". My Local Broker. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
  11. ^ a b "Jayco chief Gerry Ryan has grape expectations". Herald Sun. 25 June 2011. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d e Stensholt, John (11 December 2015). "Caravan magnate Gerry Ryan too busy innovating to join the grey nomads". Australian Financial Review Magazine. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  13. ^ "Shayne Bannan's vision combined with Gerry Ryan's 'deep pockets' are changing elite racing". The Australian. 15 January 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  14. ^ "Melbourne Storm co-owner Gerry Ryan a fan of club's culture". The Daily Telegraph. 7 June 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  15. ^ "Ryan bags footy codes over drugs". The Sydney Morning Herald. 20 December 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  16. ^ "Is Gerry Ryan the right man for the Cycling Australia presidency?". Cycling Tips. 12 November 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  17. ^ "Scott Sports step up as co-naming sponsors from 2017". Greenedge Cycling. 12 December 2016. Archived from the original on 21 December 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  18. ^ "Cycling Australia appoints longtime cycling backer Gerry Ryan as new president". VeloNation. 10 November 2013. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  19. ^ "SOUTHSIDE FLYERS – A NEW LOOK TEAM IN THE WNBL". WNBL. 31 July 2019. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  20. ^ "Americain owner Gerry Ryan's a good bloke who deserved to win". Herald Sun. 7 November 2010. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  21. ^ "Jayco boss Gerry Ryan's Puissance de Lune wins $250,000 Bendigo Cup". News.com.au. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  22. ^ "Honour Roll, Manufacturing Hall of Fame". business.vic.gov.au. State Government of Victoria. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  23. ^ "Sport Australia Hall of Fame announces eight new Inductees for 2024 | Sport Australia Hall of Fame". 24 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
  24. ^ a b "BRW Rich 200 list 2014: 148. Gerry Ryan". Business Review Weekly. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  25. ^ Stensholt, John (24 May 2017). "Lunch with the 2017 Rich List: Gerry Ryan goes from manufacturing to technology". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 6 August 2023.
  26. ^ a b Bailey, Michael (30 May 2019). "Australia's 200 richest people revealed". Australian Financial Review. Nine Publishing. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  27. ^ a b Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (26 May 2023). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  28. ^ Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2017). "Financial Review Rich List 2017". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  29. ^ Mayne, Stephen (26 May 2017). "Mayne's take: The top 25 Australian billionaires, as claimed by Fairfax". Crikey. Private Media. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  30. ^ Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2018). "2018 AFR Rich List: Who are Australia's richest people?". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 26 May 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  31. ^ Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (30 October 2020). "The full list: Australia's wealthiest 200 revealed". Australian Financial Review. Nine Publishing. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  32. ^ Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (27 May 2021). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
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