Robert Gerard AO appointed first Patron of the Australian Made Campaign

This week at a dinner attended by the Australian Made Campaign’s Board of Directors, Australian Made Campaign Chairman Glenn Cooper AM appointed Robert Gerard AO as the first ever Patron of the Australian Made Campaign.

Mr Gerard was appointed in the presence of senior business leaders from around the country and the man who re-launched the Australian Made Campaign in 1999, former Prime Minister, the Honourable John Howard OM AC.

In Mr Gerard’s role as President of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the late 1990’s, he was instrumental in reforming the Australian Made Campaign. He served as a Director for 16 years from 1999-2015, was Deputy Chairman for two and a half years and Chairman for eight.

Mr Gerard is well-known nationally and internationally for his contributions to Australia’s business community and has also had a significant impact on the educational and sporting communities in South Australia. This was all formally recognized in the June 1999 Queen’s Birthday Honours List when he was appointed an Officer in the General Division of the Order of Australia “for services to the South Australian domestic and export industries, to youth (particularly with the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award), to the community, and as a sponsor of cultural and sporting activities”.  

Among his current roles he is the Executive Chairman of Gerard Corporation, the Chairman of the Hall of Fame Governors for the SA Sports Hall of Fame, a Director of the Order of Australia Association Foundation, a Patron of the Duke of Edinburgh Award in SA and World Fellow, and was the Ernst & Young Australian Entrepreneur of the Year in 2004.