Geoff Harris
For the Canadian middle-distance runner, see Geoffrey Harris.
Geoff Harris | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Children | 3 |
Geoff Harris is an Australian businessman and philanthropist.
Early life
Harris is the son of a grocer and World War II veteran who served in Rabaul, New Papua.[1] He was bullied at school as a teenager, and later dropped out.[2]
Career
Harris co-founded Flight Centre with Graham Turner in 1982. He served on its Board of Directors.[3][4] In 2013, he was its biggest shareholder.[3] He was also an early investor in Boost Juice.[4] In 2003, he acquired Top Deck Travel UK with five other investors.[3]
He served as the Vice President of the Hawthorn Football Club.[4]
In 2013, he was ranked 49 on the BRW Rich 200, with an estimated wealth of AUS$800 million.[3] A year later, he was ranked the 40th person in Australia, with an estimated wealth of AUS$975 million.[1]
Philanthropy
In 2001, he acquired a building for the Reach Foundation, a non-profit organization whose aim is to help unprivileged young people.[4]
In 2013, he acquired a $2.5 million house in Collingwood, a suburb of Melbourne, to rent it for $5 annually to STREAT, a non-profit organization which teaches the homeless skills to start a career in hospitality.[4] He has also donated $450,000 to STREAT.[4]
Personal life
He is divorced, and has three children.[4] He is interested in military history, and has visited war sites in Malaysia, Vietnam and France.[1]
References
- ^ a b c Pip Coates, 'To Have And To Hold: Geoff Harris. Worth: $975 million. Rank: 40', The Australian Financial Review Magazine, July 2014, p. 22
- ^ Michael Short, Geoff Harris: Helping youth take off, Sydney Morning Herald, March 31, 2014
- ^ a b c d BRW Rich 200: 49. Geoff Harris, BRW, 22 May 2013
- ^ a b c d e f g Caitlin Fitzsimmons, Why rich lister Geoff Harris is letting this Melbourne mansion for $5 a year, BRW, 23 January 2014