Simon McKeon
Simon McKeon | |
---|---|
McKeon in 2011 | |
Chancellor of Monash University | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office January 2016 | |
Preceded by | Alan Finkel |
Chairman of the CSIRO | |
In office 28 June 2010 – 14 October 2015 | |
Preceded by | John Stocker |
Succeeded by | David Thodey |
Personal details | |
Born | Simon Vincent McKeon (1955-12-19) 19 December 1955 (age 68) Dandenong, Victoria, Australia |
Spouse(s) | Amanda Breidahl (1979–2011) Heather Forbes (2011–present) |
Children | 4 sons |
Education | Bachelor of Commerce Bachelor of Laws |
Alma mater | University of Melbourne |
Occupation | Lawyer, businessman, philanthropist, sportsman |
Simon Vincent McKeon AO FAICD (born 19 December 1955) is an Australian lawyer, businessman, philanthropist, and sportsman. He has been chancellor of Monash University, and non-executive director of Rio Tinto, Spotless Group, and National Australia Bank. He is retained by Macquarie Bank Melbourne as a consultant and is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD). On 25 January 2011 he was named the 2011 Australian of the Year.[1]
Business
After completing a Bachelor of Commerce in 1976 and Bachelor of Laws in 1978, both at the University of Melbourne,[citation needed] Simon McKeon practised law in Sydney with Blake Dawson Waldron before taking up a post with the Macquarie Bank,[citation needed] where he became the Executive Chairman (Melbourne Office).[2] He was Founding President of the statutory dispute resolution body for Australian public company takeovers, the Australian Takeovers Panel from 1999– 2010. He was also the Chairman of software specialist MYOB LTD 2006–2009.[3] McKeon was chairman of CSIRO from June 2010 until 2015, replacing Dr John Stocker.[3] McKeon was appointed to the AMP Limited Board on 27 March 2013 and subsequently appointed Chairman of AMP on 8 May 2014, replacing Peter Mason. On 26 April 2016 he announced his intention to resign from the AMP board at the conclusion of the AGM in May.[4] McKeon is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and is a member of the AICD Chairman's Forum and is the inaugural President of the Australian banking industry's Review Panel for the Banking and Financing oath.[citation needed] He volunteered as a counsellor for heroin addicts at the First Step Clinic in St Kilda.[5]
Destruction of Juukan Gorge sacred site
McKeon was one of the Directors of Rio Tinto in May 2020 when the mining company deliberately destroyed the Australian Aboriginal sacred site at Juukan Gorge - the only inland site in Australia to show signs of continuous human occupation for over 46,000 years.
Following his role in the controversy and its aftermath, McKeon was promoted from Independent Director to Senior Independent Director, with an accompanying $80,000 pay rise.[6]
Academia
In October 2015, it was announced that McKeon would succeed Dr Alan Finkel as Chancellor of Monash University in January 2016.[7] He has been a part-time lecturer with Melbourne University's Masters of Applied Finance and Masters of Laws courses and has been a member of the Advisory Board of the University's Centre for Energy and Resources Law. He served on the Campaign Board of the University of Melbourne from 2013 until 2015.
In October 2015, McKeon was conferred an honorary Doctorate of Public Health by La Trobe University.
Honours
On 25 January 2011, McKeon was named the 2011 Australian of the Year.[citation needed]
On 11 June 2012, McKeon was named an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for "distinguished service to business and commerce through leadership and advisory roles, and to the community as a supporter of national and international charitable, educational and sporting organisations."[8]
In 2014, McKeon, along with Harry Messel, was awarded the Australian Academy of Science's Academy Medal, which recognises scientific contributions other than research.[9]
References
- ^ Oakes, Dan (25 January 2011). "Simon McKeon named 2011 Australian of the Year". smh.com.au. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "Simon McKeon named Australian of the Year". ABC. 25 January 2011.
- ^ a b Atkins, William (21 June 2010). "Simon McKeon becomes CSIRO head". itwire.com. Retrieved 25 January 2011.
- ^ "AMP Chairman Simon McKeon to retire" (PDF). Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ The Age 5 December 2004
- ^ Chenoweth, Neil (17 December 2020). "Monash performs the human pretzel". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
- ^ McGinn, Christine (17 October 2015). "Simon McKeon takes top job at Monash University". Waverley Leader. Retrieved 20 October 2015.
- ^ "Officer (AO) in the General Division of the Order of Australia – The Queen's Birthday 2012 Honours Lists" (PDF). Official Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia. 11 June 2012. p. 27. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2012.
- ^ "Awardees for 2014 – Australian Academy of Science". Australian Academy of Science. Archived from the original on 9 July 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
Awards and achievements | ||
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Preceded by | Australian of the Year 2011 | Succeeded by |
- v
- t
- e
- 1960 Frank Burnet
- 1961 Joan Sutherland
- 1962 Jock Sturrock
- 1963 John Eccles
- 1964 Dawn Fraser
- 1965 Robert Helpmann
- 1966 Jack Brabham
- 1967 The Seekers
- 1968 Lionel Rose
- 1969 Lord Casey
- 1970 Norman Gilroy
- 1971 Evonne Goolagong
- 1972 Shane Gould
- 1973 Patrick White
- 1974 Bernard Heinze
- 1975 John Cornforth/Alan Stretton
- 1976 Edward Dunlop
- 1977 Raigh Roe/Murray Tyrrell
- 1978 Alan Bond/Galarrwuy Yunupingu
- 1979 Neville Bonner/Harry Butler
- 1980 Manning Clark
- 1981 John Crawford
- 1982 Edward Williams
- 1983 Robert de Castella
- 1984 Lowitja O'Donoghue
- 1985 Paul Hogan
- 1986 Dick Smith
- 1987 John Farnham
- 1988 Kay Cottee
- 1989 Allan Border
- 1990 Fred Hollows
- 1991 Peter Hollingworth
- 1992 Mandawuy Yunupingu
- 1993 no award
- 1994 Ian Kiernan
- 1995 Arthur Boyd
- 1996 John Yu
- 1997 Peter Doherty
- 1998 Cathy Freeman
- 1999 Mark Taylor
- 2000 Gustav Nossal
- 2001 Peter Cosgrove
- 2002 Pat Rafter
- 2003 Fiona Stanley
- 2004 Steve Waugh
- 2005 Fiona Wood
- 2006 Ian Frazer
- 2007 Tim Flannery
- 2008 Lee Kernaghan
- 2009 Mick Dodson
- 2010 Patrick McGorry
- 2011 Simon McKeon
- 2012 Geoffrey Rush
- 2013 Ita Buttrose
- 2014 Adam Goodes
- 2015 Rosie Batty
- 2016 David Morrison
- 2017 Alan Mackay-Sim
- 2018 Michelle Simmons
- 2019 Craig Challen/Richard Harris (joint)
- 2020 James Muecke
- 2021 Grace Tame
- 2022 Dylan Alcott
- 2023 Taryn Brumfitt
- 2024 Georgina Long/Richard Scolyer (joint)