Gerry Harvey was born on 18 September 1939 and is an Australian entrepreneur best known for being the executive chairman of Harvey Norman Holdings, a company which runs Australian retail chain Harvey Norman.
13 Facts About Gerry Harvey
1.
2.
Gerry Harvey got his start early, selling vacuum cleaners and fridges door-to-door for Goodwins of Newtown.
3.
When he was younger, Gerry Harvey was determined to be a farmer.
4.
Gerry Harvey first met Ian Norman while both were working as door-to-door vacuum salesmen.
5.
Gerry Harvey adopts a very hands-on approach to his business, appearing as a spokesman during radio adverts for Gerry Harvey Norman.
6.
Gerry Harvey frequently gives comment on economic and business matters in the national press and television media and has a sizeable public profile.
7.
Gerry Harvey is generally regarded as a slightly maverick businessman and is often critical of Australian CEOs, particularly when it comes to remuneration.
8.
In January 2011, Gerry Harvey was embroiled in a widely-condemned campaign, backed by a number of brick-and-mortar Australian retailers, to scrap tax rules that allowed Australians to shop on overseas websites without paying GST.
9.
Gerry Harvey subsequently said the report was a waste of time and money, and that he did not read it.
10.
Gerry Harvey has one of the world's largest thoroughbred portfolio, with over 600 thoroughbreds in his stables.
11.
Gerry Harvey remarried to Katie Page in 1988; they have two children.
12.
Gerry Harvey later claimed the comments were taken out of context and he did give money to homeless charities, among others.
13.
In 2016, Gerry Harvey expressed contempt for what he saw as political uncertainty since John Howard left office, and said the only solution is "to have a dictator like in China".