Camera-shy Weiss lies low

Gary Weiss. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Little is known about GPG's Australian executive director, Gary Weiss, and he seems to like it that way.

The 56-year-old New Zealander has declined to have a new photo taken of him and says he is happy for media to use ones that are close to 10 years old.

In fact he has joked that he would prefer it if photos of him from his college days are used instead.

Weiss, a lawyer, crossed the Tasman in the early 1980s keen to work for Sir Ron Brierley.

A profile in the Australian tells how he was initially turned away by Brierley's Australian investment company Industrial Equity Ltd after being viewed as too qualified. He finally got on board in 1984.

By the end of the 1980s IEL was the third-largest company on the Australian stock exchange but the 1987 sharemarket crash ended all that.

Weiss left IEL but rejoined Brierley in 1990 when Guinness Peat Group was set up.

He has a range of directorships and also chairs Coats. Weiss has said he wants to be chief executive of GPG Australia if the proposal to split off the business is approved by shareholders.