Ron Brierley

Infobox Person

image_size = 150px
name = Ron Brierley
caption =
birth_date = birth date and age|1937|08|02
birth_place = Wellington, New Zealand
death_date =
death_place =
other_names =
known_for = Investing
Corporate Raiding
occupation = Chairman and Director of several companies

Sir Ronald Alfred "Ron" Brierley (born 2 August 1937) is a New Zealand investor and corporate raider, chairman and director of a number of companies in Australia, New Zealand and the UK. [cite web|title=Insider Profiles - Ronald Brierley|url=http://au.biz.yahoo.com/finance/profile/542|work=Yahoo! Finance Australia & NZ|accessdate=2007-11-21] He founded R. A. Brierley Investments (BIL; from October 2007 GuocoLeisure [cite web|url=http://wrightreports.ecnext.com/coms2/reportdesc_COMPANY_C554W8560|title=GuocoLeisure Limited - Company Profile Snapshot|accessdate=2007-12-28] ) in March 1961 with no capital. By 1984 BIL was the largest company in New Zealand by market capitalization, and in 1987 had 160,000 shareholders, with a stake in over 300 companies, including Paris department store Galleries Lafayette and Air New Zealand.cite web|title=Name change severs link with Sir Ron|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/3/story.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10473070|first=Liam|last=Dann|date=October 31, 2007|work=New Zealand Herald|accessdate=2007-11-21] cite web|title=Brierley Chief Plans to Retire|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=950DE7DE1031F93BA1575BC0A96F948260|date=August 28, 1989|work=New York Times|accessdate=2007-11-21]

Personal life

Brierley was born in Wellington during 1937 to middle class parents. He went to primary school at Island Bay School, [cite web|title=History|url=http://www.islandbay.school.nz/index.php/Main/History|work=Island Bay School|accessdate=2007-11-21] and Wellington College high school. At high school he joined the New Stamp Dealers Federation, and begun his first business venture selling stamps to students and staff.cite web|title=Examination of NZ Entreprepreneurs|url=http://www.mcleanandco.co.nz/Page6.htm|work=McLean and Co.|accessdate=2007-11-21] Brierley is a fan of cricket, being a Trustee of the Sydney Cricket and Sports Ground Trust 1988-96, and President of New Zealand Cricket in 1995. He also likes travelling by train. [cite web|title=Small beer for Brierley?
url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2006/07/16/ccdiary16.xml|date=2006-07-16|first=Robert|last=Watts|work=Daily Telegraph|accessdate=2007-11-21] He was knighted on 18 May 1988. [cite web|url=http://www.gazettes-online.co.uk/ViewPDF.aspx?pdf=51355|title=London Gazette 51355|date=3 June 1988|accessdate=2007-11-21]

Business career

Early career

During the 1950s, Brierley was as a clerk at the Sun Alliance Company, and dropped out of part-time accountancy study at Victoria University of Wellington after a short time. In 1956 he created a sharemarket tip sheet “New Zealand Stocks and Shares”, which he delivered unsolicited to all listed New Zealand companies. Subsequently he billed the companies for the sheet, most of whom paid. Investment Funds New Zealand was Brierley’s first investment company, started in 1959. He unsuccessfully attempted to get elected to the board of Hallensteins when just 23.

BIL

Brierley founded BIL in 1961 with the mission to acquire significant shareholdings in Australia and New Zealand listed companies, seeking companies with a low share price but high assets. The company initially struggled for success despite exaggerated advertising. In 1964 BIL purchased a share in the Australian company Industrial Equity, which subsequently became BIL’s investment vehicle there.

In the 1970s the company grew, much as a result of Brierley’s detailed and extensive market research, and by 1981 was one of the 20 largest companies in New Zealand by market capitalisation. After the sharemarket crash of 1987, the company focused on a smaller number of assets.

Brierley’s first acquisition in contential Europe came in 1988, by buying stakes in three French department stores. [cite web|title=Brierley Has Stakes In 3 French Stores|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE2D8173CF933A05751C1A96E948260|date=December 30, 1988|work=New York Times|accessdate=2007-11-21]

During the technology boom of the 1990s, Brierley kept away from technology companies, instead concentrating on financial and industrial companies in Australia, New Zealand and the UK.cite web|title=Wellington's boot boys are back|url=http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/11/08/1036308483035.html|date=November 9, 2002|first=Jennifer|last=Hewett|work=Sydney Morning Herald|accessdate=2007-11-21]

Brierley withdrew from direct involvement in 1990 and become founder president; in 2001 he retired from the company, on the 40th anniversary.

Post BIL

On 29 March 1990 Brierley was appointed chairman of investment holding company Guinness Peat Group (GPG). As chairman Brierley publicly attacked and successfully defeated the plan to merge the London Stock Exchange with Deutsche Börse in 2001. [cite web|title=Exchange merger 'bad for investors'|first=Simon|last=English|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2000/08/11/cnlse11.xml|date=2001-03-21|work=Daily Telegraph|accessdate=2007-11-21] .

Quotes

*"Ron is direct - he likes to call a spade, a spade." Blake Nixon, GPG's managing director
*"Ron and Gary Weiss don't often come second when they fight, and when they do, they usually walk away with a lot of money." - Investment banker

References

External links

* [http://www.gpgplc.com/Corporate/Directors.asp Guinness Peat Directors]