Significant Seven – Power Couples

In a feature that first appeared in Encore, we rank the seven most significant industry pairings. 

1. Gerry Harvey, chairman, Harvey Norman and Katie Page, CEO, Harvey Norman 

Gerry Harvey and Katie Page are two of Australia’s most successful marketers. Over three decades they have built a multibillion dollar business empire which today is one of the largest advertisers in Australian media. A partnership since 1983, the couple married in 1988. In that time they have worked a clever strategy with Harvey the chairman and public face of the brand while Page serves as operational head of the franchise chain. Key to their success has been a canny use of marketing with ads often fronted by Harvey himself.

The partnership has seen Harvey’s wealth skyrocket to $1.65 billion while his wife’s wealth is estimated by BRW at a more modest $50m, still making her one of the richest female executives in Australia. They are described as a close couple and have been known to rib each other in public. Last year during a campaign against tax loopholes for overseas shopping websites, Harvey revealed “at least half” of his family – read Page – had cyber shopped in the past year. Page’s retort to her husband was “everyone is doing it”, although she went on to publicly back the campaign.