Brown and Hurley appoint new CEO

Brown and Hurley are pleased to announce the appointment of Ryan O’Doherty as Chief Executive Officer, effective January 1st 2025. He succeeds Paul Hurley, who will enjoy retirement but will remain with the company as a board member commencing July 2025. This change marks a new chapter for Brown and Hurley as it continues to advance its vision for the future. Ryan will be the first non-family CEO in the 78 years the company has been operating.

Brown & Hurley are the Queensland and Northern NSW distributors of Kenworth and DAF trucks.  We also sell a diverse range of trailers as well as operating agricultural machinery dealerships in Qld.

Mr Hurley said he ‘thoroughly enjoyed spending all the time with our tremendous staff and customers who support our business and will though very much look forward to spending more time now with family and friends.”

Ryan's professional journey commenced over two decades ago when he began as an apprentice diesel technician specialising in road transport. His initial hands-on role provided him with an understanding of technical intricacies, which proved crucial throughout his career. Over the years, Ryan's career included diverse sales and aftersales positions, where he demonstrated an acute ability to grasp market demands and achieved outstanding results.

His significant career milestone includes a 25-year tenure with a prominent family-owned Cat dealer. During this period, Ryan not only thrived in sales and operations management but also acquired substantial experience in the rental sector. For the past nine years, Ryan has been an integral part of the senior executive team, recently ascending to the role of Chief Operating Officer.

Ryan’s role has allowed him to travel extensively across Europe, Asia and America, gaining insights into trucks, construction, and agricultural practices and machinery. These experiences provided him with a broader understanding of industry techniques and innovations, which he looks forward to applying at Brown and Hurley."

 

Outside of his professional endeavours, Ryan is a devoted family man with a supportive partner, and together they enjoy outdoor activities. He also dedicates time to coaching his children’s junior AFL football, and mentors’ young athletes.

As Ryan takes on the role of CEO at Brown and Hurley, he is committed to leveraging his extensive experience and global insights to collaborate among customers, employees, and owners, aiming to propel the company’s continued success and uphold its esteemed legacy.

 

Ryan says "I am both honoured and excited to join Brown and Hurley as CEO, a company renowned for its legacy and strong values. I look forward to working closely with the team to continue driving the company’s growth and to build on the solid foundation laid over the past 78 years. Brown and Hurley's commitment to its customers, employees, and community aligns perfectly with my own values, and I am eager to contribute to its next chapter, drawing on my background and experiences to build on the strong foundations laid by Paul Hurley. Together, we will continue to grow and support our customers, partners, and community, ensuring Brown and Hurley’s continued success well into the future.”

 

"We are pleased to welcome Ryan as our new CEO," said Rob Brown, current Chairman of The Brown and Hurley Group. "He has a proven ability to lead a company such as ours with his extensive experience in a similar market and with a similar family structure. When we recruited Ryan, we were looking for a person with values that we hold as a family company, and someone who will maintain the culture of our company, which is to look after our customers, staff, and suppliers to the best of our ability. 

The board is confident that he will lead Brown and Hurley to continued success.