Geoff Harris
For the Canadian middle-distance runner, see Geoffrey Harris.
Geoff Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1952[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Businessman, philanthropist |
| Children | 3 |
Geoff Harris (born c. 1952) is an Australian businessman and philanthropist.
Early life
Geoff Harris was born circa 1952.[1] is the son of a grocer and World War II veteran who served in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea.[2] He was bullied at school as a teenager, and later dropped out.[3]
Career
Harris co-founded Flight Centre with Graham Turner and Bill James in 1981-1982.[1][3] He served as a company executive until 1998 and on its Board of Directors until 2008.[1][4][5] In 2013, he was its biggest shareholder.[4] He was also an early investor in Boost Juice.[5] In 2003, he acquired Top Deck Travel UK with five other investors.[4]
He served as the Vice President of the Hawthorn Football Club.[5]
In 2013, he was ranked 49 on the BRW Rich 200, with an estimated wealth of AUS$800 million.[4] A year later, he was ranked the 40th person in Australia, with an estimated wealth of AUS$975 million.[2]
Philanthropy
In 1999, he acquired a AUS$2.5 house for the Reach Foundation, a non-profit organization whose aim is to provide unprivileged young people with access to mental health, co-founded by football player Jim Stynes and film director Paul Currie.[3]
Similarly, in 2013, he acquired Cromwell Manor, a AUS$2.5 million historic mansion in Collingwood, a suburb of Melbourne, to rent it for AUS$5 annually to STREAT, a non-profit organization which teaches the homeless skills to start a career in hospitality.[5][3] He has also donated $450,000 to STREAT.[5] The non-profit is run as a business, and Harris is also an impact investor, having invested AUS$55,000.[5]
He covers the AUS$ annual rent for the headquarters of Whitelion Open Family, a non-profit organization for at-risk young people.[3]
Personal life
Harris lives in Melbourne.[1] He is divorced, and has three children.[1][5] He is interested in military history, and has visited war sites in Malaysia, Vietnam and France.[2]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g 2015 Australia's 50 Richest: #50 Geoff Harris, Forbes
- ^ 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
- ^ a b c d e 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