Ryan Stokes

Ryan Kerry Stokes AO (born 1976) is an Australian business executive. He has served as managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of SGH Ltd (formerly known as Seven Group Holdings) since July 2015.

He is also the Chairman of the National Gallery of Australia. In 2020, Stokes was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the Queen's birthday honours in recognition of his contributions to Australian business and the community.

Early life and education Stokes was born in Perth in 1976, and is the son of Australian businessman Kerry Stokes and his second wife, Denise Stokes. He grew up in Dalkeith, Western Australia and attended Christ Church Grammar School in Claremont. He later obtained a bachelor of commerce degree at Curtin University in 1997.

Career Stokes' early career was as a financial analyst for Merrill Lynch in New York. In 2024, the Australian Financial Review reported that since Stokes became CEO, SGH had grown revenue three-and-a-half times and earnings four-and-a-half times.

Stokes has been the chair of the National Gallery of Australia since 2018. and the National Youth Mental Health Foundation from 2005 to 2009. Other appointments include chair of the Brain and Mind Research Institute from 2004 to 2005; a member of the Prime Ministerial Advisory Council on Veteran Mental Health from its inception in 2014 until 2019; and a board member of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute from 2011 to 2014. as well as Western Australian Business Leader of the Year 2025 at the Australian Institute of Management (WA) Pinnacle Awards.

Personal life Stokes married Claire Campbell in 2016. The couple live in Sydney, Australia with their three children.