Anthony Ryan

Anthony Ryan (born 5 March 1969) is an Australian philanthropist and former athlete.

Ryan is arguably best known for his charity work having served in various positions with organisations such as the Mimiko Foundation, the Edmund Rice Foundation and Youngcare.

While a teacher at Brisbane's Nudgee College in 1999, he helped launch a mobile food van to serve the needs of the local homeless community. As CEO of the Edmund Rice Foundation, Ryan launched the 'Gone Fishing' initiative in 2013.

A successful athletic runner in his youth, Ryan was a silver medallist at the 1988 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Canada.

Life and career Ryan was born in Brisbane where he grew up. He attended St Anthony's Primary School and Padua College in Kedron before completing his secondary education at Nudgee College.

In his youth, Ryan was an accomplished athlete and competed at various national and international track and field events. When Ryan became assistant principal at St Patrick's College at Shorncliff, he helped launched a similar van called Paddy's Van. While at the Edmund Rice Foundation, Ryan organised the inaugural 'Gone Fishing' initiative in which ten Australian corporate professionals travelled to Kenya to understand the issues affecting people in Africa with a figurative invitation to "teach other to fish".

In September 2021, it was announced Ryan would be appointed as the chief executive officer of Brisbane City Council's Economic Development Agency. According to Brisbane's lord mayor Adrian Schrinner, Ryan was chosen from a field of approximately 100 candidates for the role which will see him attempt to ensure the 2032 Summer Olympics are used to the advantage of the city's economy.

Ryan was named as the official ambassador of Queensland's Catholic Education Week celebrations in 2013.