Profile

Mr Joseph (Joe) Gersh AM is Executive Chairman of Gersh Investment Partners Limited (“GIPL”) and adviser to and director of some of the largest and most successful private companies in Australia.

GIPL is a specialist real estate investment firm focusing on property finance, large real estate transactions  and has enjoyed success representing some of Melbourne’s leading private developers and construction companies. In 2013, GIPL opened an office in Bangkok Thailand , principally to service Supalai PLC, a SET listed real estate company which has thus far invested almost $185M  of equity in Australian residential real estate.

Joe is a former senior partner and Chairman of the Management Committee of the prestigious Melbourne law firm, Arnold Bloch Leibler (ABL). During his 20 year association with ABL, Joe acted for some of the best-known names in the Melbourne business community. One of his principal areas of expertise is major property development projects and, in particular, the construction of hotels, shopping centres, land subdivisions, apartment and office towers.

Over many years, Joe has provided leadership in multiple educational, charitable and community organisations in the Australian Jewish Community.

Joe was appointed by the Turnbull Coalition Government to the prestigious post of a Director on the Board of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation [ABC]  in May 2018.

Joe was appointed by the Keating Labor Government to the Board of the Federal Airports Corporation in 1995.

Peter Costello AC, Federal Treasurer in the Howard Coalition Government appointed Joe to be a foundation Director of the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Payments System Board and, at the completion of his term, he was the longest ever serving member of any board of the Reserve Bank of Australia (15 years in total), having been reappointed by ALP Treasurer, Wayne Swan.

He was also appointed by the Federal Treasurer to be the inaugural Chairman, in July 2003, of the Australian Reinsurance Pool Corporation, which was established to operate the Australian Government’s $13.5 billion terrorism risk insurance scheme, in conjunction with the major international reinsurance firms. He was reappointed to an unprecedented third term as Chairman by Assistant Treasurer, Chris Bowen and was reappointed to a fourth term by Bill Shorten, Minister for Financial Services.

This recognition by both sides of Australian politics underlines Joe’s professionalism and bi-partisan advice.

Joe is a Director in an honorary capacity of The Sydney Institute, a leading forum for public discourse.

He has a deep interest in the arts and was previously Chairman of Artbank (a Federal Government visual arts support programme), Deputy Chairman of the Australia Council for the Arts and Chairman of the National Institute of Circus Arts amongst other not for profit involvements.

Academic:
Graduate, Mount Scopus College – School Captain (1972)
B.Comm, LLB (Hons) – Melbourne University (1979)