Kerry Stokes Net Worth

Kerry Stokes has an estimated net worth of $7 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Kerry Stokes profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $3.1 billion in 2019.

Kerry Stokes is an Australian businessman with interests across media, construction equipment, mining, property, gas and oil. He is best known as chairman of the Seven Network and as a key figure behind SGH, formerly Seven Group Holdings. His career did not follow a straight line. He left school at 14, worked in several jobs, sold Caterpillar tractors and trucks in Australia and China, and later built major positions in industrial and media businesses.

His wealth comes mainly from SGH, which combines media, construction and mining assets. Earlier in his career, he installed television antennas in Perth, moved into property development in the 1960s and 1970s, and later invested in the Caterpillar franchise in Western Australia in 1988. He also expanded through broadcasting, including Seven Canberra in 1979 and a strategic stake in Seven Network in 1996. Forbes put his net worth at $7 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker as of October 20, 2026.

How Kerry Stokes built his fortune

Stokes made money in both heavy industry and media. He began by selling Caterpillar tractors and trucks, then built a bigger industrial base through the business that became WesTrac. That placed him in construction equipment, a core part of his fortune. His private company, Australian Capital Equity, also became a holding company for interests in property, construction, mining and petroleum exploration, giving him exposure to several sectors instead of just 1.

Media became the other major pillar. His early media interests started in Western Australia with Golden West Network. He later bought Seven Canberra in 1979 and built a broader broadcast portfolio. In 1996 he acquired a strategic 19 per cent stake in Seven Network, which later grew to about 43 per cent. In 2006, Seven Network and KKR created Seven Media Group, and in 2011 West Australian Newspapers merged with Seven to form Seven West Media.

Forbes net worth timeline

Forbes valued Stokes at $3.1 billion in 2019, then $2 billion in 2020. The estimate climbed to $4.3 billion in 2021, followed by $4.2 billion in 2022 and $4.1 billion in 2023. Forbes ties his wealth to SGH, which holds media, construction and mining assets. In 2021 he retired as chairman of Seven Group Holdings, but the group remained central to how his fortune was measured.

The biggest jump came later. Forbes put his fortune at $6.6 billion in 2024 and $7.7 billion in 2025, before listing $8.1 billion in 2026 on the World’s Billionaires List. A major move in 2024 was SGH’s A$4.4 billion acquisition of Boral, an ASX-listed concrete and asphalt maker. Forbes later showed $7 billion on its real-time tracker in October 2026, a reminder that large public-company holdings can move over shorter periods.