Jack Cowin
Jack Cowin | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 13, 1942 Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Known for | Bringing KFC to Australia; founding Hungry Jack's (Burger King Australia franchise); former manager of Australian Domino's Pizza franchise |
Jack Cowin (, born 13 July 1942) is a Canadian-Australian business figure with significant influence in the franchised fast food industry across Australia and Canada. He was responsible for bringing KFC to the Australian market, established and owns Hungry Jack's, the Australian franchise of Burger King, and formerly managed the Australian Domino's Pizza franchise prior to its 2005 listing on the ASX.
In addition, Cowin has investments in Canada's Lone Star Texas Grill chain, as well as interests in Australian cattle ranches and food manufacturing. He serves as Executive Chairman of Competitive Foods Australia, ranking among the largest privately owned companies in Australia. Cowin has also been involved as an investor and non-executive director with Australia's Ten Network.
From 2015 until 2019, he held the position of Chancellor at the University of Western Ontario.
Early life
Jack Cowin was born on 13 July 1942 in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. His father, Stanley J. Cowin, had a brief tenure working for Ford in Australia and encouraged Jack to consider relocating there.
During his youth, Cowin earned money through various jobs including mowing lawns and delivering newspapers, later selling trees and shrubs while attending college. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario in 1964.
Career
Cowin began his professional career as an insurance agent with London Life in Toronto, where he worked for four years before pursuing business prospects in Australia. Observing the rising popularity of fast food during a visit to Sydney, he identified a promising opportunity. At age 26, he moved back to Australia to develop Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) franchises in a market that had limited fast food options at the time.
He obtained rights to open ten KFC outlets throughout Western Australia, raising $10,000 each from thirty Canadian investors to start operations in December 1969, relocating his family for this venture. By 2006, those initial investments had grown to an estimated value of around 8.9 million. After launching eight KFC locations, Cowin secured the Australian franchise rights for Burger King.
Upon discovering that the Burger King brand name was already registered by another party locally, he introduced his outlets under the name Hungry Jack's. Years later, Cowin successfully resolved a franchise dispute with Burger King following legal proceedings.
In 1999, Cowin initiated legal action against Burger King Corporation in the Supreme Court of New South Wales after they attempted to terminate Hungry Jack's contract due to slower-than-agreed expansion rates. The court ruled in his favor, ordering Burger King to pay $45 million for lost earnings and damages. An appeal was dismissed in 2001, resulting in a final payment obligation of $71 million.
Competitive Foods Australia remains under private ownership by Cowin’s family and was valued at approximately $350 million as of 2019. In 2017, Cowin publicly advocated for abolishing weekend penalty rates in Australia, considering them outdated.
He also owns Consolidated Foods, a global meat processing exporter, and previously sold a large shareholding in Stanbroke Pastoral Company, one of Australia's leading cattle station operators. His investments include Lone Star Texas Grill in Canada and a significant stake in RCX (Rail Crew Express), a US-based transportation firm operating around 1,000 vehicles dedicated to rail crew transport.
Cowin has served as a non-executive director on boards including TEN Television Network, Chandler MacLeod, Sydney Olympic Park Authority, and Fairfax Media. He is Chairman and principal shareholder of Domino’s Pizza Enterprises and holds a 40% ownership stake along with a directorship at BridgeClimb Sydney, a major tourist attraction operator.
Personal life
Cowin lives in Sydney alongside his spouse, Sharon, and their four children. In 2000, his alma mater, the University of Western Ontario, honored him with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. He held the position of the university's 22nd Chancellor from September 2015 until May 2019 and contributed financially to the construction of stands at the new football stadium, which bears the name of his father, Stanley J. Cowin.
Additionally, he actively participates in the World Presidents Organization.
Net worth
By May 2025, Cowin's wealth was estimated at AUD 4.67 billion according to the Financial Review Rich List, ranking him as the 26th wealthiest individual in Australia. In 2019, Forbes Asia valued his net worth at USD 1.7 billion, placing him 23rd among Australia's richest.
| Year | Financial Review Rich List | Forbes Australia's 50 Richest | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Net worth (A$) | Rank | Net worth (US$) | |
| 2008 | 70 | |||
| 2009 | 79 ↓ | 0.486 billion | ||
| 2010 | 0.538 billion | |||
| 2015 | 29 ↑ | $1.00 billion ↑ | ||
| 2016 | 24 | $1.80 billion | 18 ↑ | $1.50 billion ↑ |
| 2017 | 20 ↓ | $2.38 billion ↑ | 22 ↓ | |
| 2018 | 24 ↓ | $2.41 billion ↑ | ||
| 2019 | 25 ↓ | $2.79 billion ↑ | 23 ↓ | $1.70 billion ↑ |
| 2020 | 17 ↑ | $4.51 billion ↑ | ||
| 2021 | 17 → | $4.94 billion ↑ | ||
| 2022 | 19 ↓ | $5.20 billion ↓ | ||
| 2023 | 22 ↓ | $4.36 billion ↓ | ||
| 2024 | 23 ↓ | $4.88 billion ↑ | ||
| 2025 | 33 ↓ | $4.67 billion ↓ | ||
See also
External links
| Icon | Description |
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- Pages with script errors
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- Living people
- 1942 births
- Australian billionaires
- Australian businesspeople
- Canadian billionaires
- Businesspeople from Windsor, Ontario
- Canadian emigrants to Australia
- Burger King people
- University of Western Ontario alumni
- Chancellors of the University of Western Ontario