Corporate raider with a heart of gold

It is impossible to classify corporate raider Dr Gary Weiss — a man of many talents.

Dr Gary Weiss. Picture: Chris Pavlich

Famed corporate raider Dr Gary Weiss does not fit the boardroom stereotype.

A forceful presence in business skirmishes on both sides of the Tasman for decades, often in the company of Sir Ron Brierley, his proprietorial focus and agile mind have helped make his investors a few fortunes.

But it is his extensive philanthropic, community, educational and even musical endeavours — he was a guitarist in a band called the Asset Strippers — that mark the legally trained Dr Weiss, today named a member of the Order of Australia (AM), out from the business pack.

The sharp-minded but soft-hearted entrepreneur has shaken corporate trees, including Dreamworld owner Ardent Leisure in recent years, but has also won plaudits for successfully bringing New York’s Sohn conference, where fund managers give their investment tips to raise money for medical charities, to Australia.

Beneficiaries have included the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, as well as the Black Dog Institute, MS Research Australia and JDRF Australia.

The Weiss story goes back to the time he gave as a young lawyer to advising prisoners pro bono in his native New Zealand. He has combined that ethos with a drive that took him into buccaneering company battles in the 1980s to more recent roles where he has evolved into a tough-minded chairman of key local and international businesses.

His native entrepreneurial flair is on display in roles that include stints on the board of NRL club the Brisbane Broncos and as a serving NRL commissioner.

Dr Weiss, who declined to be interviewed, is understood to have enjoyed his sporting associations and has brought his governance skills into sharp focus during some of the game’s more recent travails.

But his activities are primarily marked by the breadth of his involvement in charitable causes. A director of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Dr Weiss’s launch in 2016 of an investment conference, and later a $600 million listed investment company, best combined his practical business acumen and desire to serve laudable causes. The Sohn Hearts & Mind Conference, which he co-chairs, is now a must-attend for corporate devotees, and generates millions in donations.

While Sir Ron has stepped down from his final board post at Mercantile Investment Company, Dr Weiss, once feared as an executive director of raider Guinness Peat Group, still has a full plate.

As well as being on the board of his Hearts & Minds Investments Limited, Dr Weiss holds numerous directorships including Ariadne Australia, where he has had a three-decade stint, and chairing Ardent Leisure, Ridley Corp and Estia Health. Dr Weiss is also a director of Thorney Opportunities and Singapore-based The Straits Trading Co.

Dr Weiss has also been a director of Jewish organisations and at the Centre for Independent Studies for more than a decade.

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