Ferster ‘elated and satisfied’ with Honours nod

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Ronald Ferster has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) for significant service to the community through a range of organisations.

Ferster, a successful businessman and entrepreneur, said he is elated and satisfied with the recognition.

“It’s good to be recognised for a long history of doing things, not only for the Jewish community, but also the community in general,” he said.

Ferster joined the board of the Black Dog Institute Foundation in 2016, taking on the role of inaugural chairman.

“I think I was recognised for my skills in terms of nonprofit organisations due to my history of doing things in the Jewish community,” he said.

“I was very involved as the chair of the Foundation assisting with taking it up from humble beginnings into something that’s quite a sizable foundation today and will grow in the years to come.”

Ferster explained that often the concern of these types of organisations is the dependency on government grants, so a large part of his involvement was offering general counsel and advice to the board members regarding other sources of income for future research.

“When you build good organisations, you do it as a team. I have very good people and most importantly, I have my family,” he said.

“I am very fortunate that my wife is a great supporter, as are my children.”

Outside of work, Ferster’s interests include tennis, skiing, swimming, golf, theatre, and geopolitics, while he and his wife Clare are Behind the Scenes donors to NIDA. As far as spare time is concerned, Ferster said, “Having a strong and organised team helps to give you time to travel or be with your family and friends.”

Ferster received his Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) from the University of New South Wales and an MBA from Cass Business School in London. He has lectured in Marketing at Sydney’s University of Technology.