Archives: Ambassadors

Ian is an actuary and has been heavily involved in Australia’s superannuation and pension industry for over 20 years in a range of actuarial, administration, consulting and research roles.

For the last 12 years he has been Head of Research at Chant West, a leading superannuation consultancy and research firm established in 1997. Chant West’s research on superannuation and pension funds is highly regarded for its accuracy, insightfulness and integrity, and it is widely used by financial advisers and by the funds themselves.

The research feeds into a suite of user-friendly tools that make it easy for funds, advisers and individual consumers to analyse and compare products on a fair, ‘apples with apples’ basis.

Ian is is responsible for managing a team that provides product research used by a large number of superannuation funds, financial advisers and consumers to compare superannuation and pension products.

A key area of concern for Chant West is to ensure that products are compared on a like-for-like basis, which is a challenge given inconsistent disclosure by funds in Australia.  Ian and Chant West have long advocated for improved disclosure of fees, insurance and investment performance in the Australian environment.

David is a Senior Partner at Mercer and Senior Actuary for the Pacific region.  He is the National Leader for Research and Policy in Australia and the actuary to the Tasmanian and Western Australian public sector superannuation plans.

He was the industry expert of the three person team who conducted a review of Military Superannuation for the Australian Government and is the lead author of the Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index.

Before joining Mercer, David was at PricewaterhouseCoopers and prior to that was the Foundation Professor of Actuarial Studies at The University of Melbourne. In his two decades in academia, he acted as a consultant to a range of financial organisations, in both the private and public sectors, specialising in the superannuation and retirement incomes area. He has spoken and written widely in this area and has served on many Government and industry committees.

David was an independent Board member of Australian Prudential Regulation Authority for five years and President of the Institute of Actuaries of Australia in 2000.

Dr. Morris is an Adjunct Professor of the law faculties of UNSW, Sydney, and Latrobe, Melbourne; a visiting fellow at the Martin School, Oxford; and a guest professor at the China Executive Leadership Academy, Pudong, China.

He has been Deputy Director of the UK Institute for Fiscal Studies; Chief Executive and Chairman of various economic consultancies including London Economics; a visiting fellow at Balliol and St Anthony’s Colleges in Oxford, and at Melbourne University; and has led numerous projects in developing countries.

Dr. Morris is the co-editor of ‘Capital Failure: Rebuilding Trust in Financial Services’, published by OUP in 2014, and author of ‘Management and Regulation of Pension Schemes: Australia, A Cautionary Tale’, published by Routledge in 2018.

Gordon Noble is Head of Policy and Advocacy at the Australian Sustainable Finance Initiative and an Associate at The Blended Capital Group.

Gordon was one of the first employees of the United Nations backed Principles for Responsible Investment. Collaborating with a group of responsible investors Gordon was responsible for founding the Responsible Investment Academy, a global online training platform that educates investors on incorporating environmental, social and governance issues into investment processes which is now the PRI Academy.

He represented the superannuation industry on the ASX Corporate Governance Council and worked with the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors to develop a framework to benchmark the sustainability reporting of Australian listed companies. As director of government relations and strategy with the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia he worked on a broad range of superannuation policy issues.

Over a 25 year career Gordon has worked in investment management, banking, industrial relations, and as a political adviser and trade union official.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

My career can be divided into five parts, sometimes overlapping

-economist and academic

-business

-politics

-charitable, not for profit and community activities

-media, as a columnist and commentator

ECONOMIST AND ACADEMIA

Research Assistant to Professor Carl Christ The Johns Hopkins University USA

Teaching Fellow at various universities in Canada and USA

Professor of Economics, University of New South Wales (appointed ’76 -11 years) and Head, School of Economics (4 years)

Professor of Management and Dean, Macquarie Graduate School of Management (21/2 years, hired as a change agent to rank MGSM as No 1 in Australia, NZ and Asia)

Professorial Fellow, Crawford School, Australian National University (Current)

Professor and Chair, Tax and Transfer Policy Institute, Crawford School, ANU (Current)

Adjunct Professor UTS Business School (Current)

Adjunct BCEC Professorial Fellow Curtin University (Current)

Professorial Fellow, Thinker-in-Residence, and Member Advisory Board, Institute of Applied Ecology, University of Canberra (Current)

Adjunct Professor, Griffith University, Centre for Sustainable Enterprise (Current)

Advisor, UNSW Grand Challenge on Inequality (Current)

Member, External Advisory Committee, School of Business, WSU (Current)

Director, The Sir Roland Wilson Foundation, ANU (Current)

Visiting Professor, Keio University, Japan, and Institute of South East Asian Studies, Singapore (several occasions)

Director, Japanese Economic Management Studies Centre, UNSW

Research Associate and Member of the Management Committee, Centre for Applied Economic Research, UNSW

Member, Advisory Board, Industrial Relations Research Centre, UNSW

Member, Advisory Board, NSW Institute of Languages, UNSW

President, The Economic Society of Australia (NSW Branch)

Founder, Macquarie Economics, Macquarie Bank Limited

Economist, Australian Treasury (Bureau of Census and Statistics)

Consultant, then Economist, International Monetary Fund

Visiting Economist, Reserve Bank of Australia, subsequently Deputy Manager, Banking and Finance Department

Economist with UNESCAP, Bangkok; Monetary Authority of Singapore, Singapore; and Consultant, ADB, Manila.

Spoken and lectured widely at academic, economic and business conferences as an economist, worldwide over the last 40 years

BUSINESS

Before entering politics (approx 5 years)

Business Consultant and Strategist with major clients Hill Samuel Australia, Australian Bank, Sumitomo Bank (Australian Advisor, 2 years), OCBC Singapore, Midland Bank, Bank of America, Baring Securities Australia, F.W.Holst, Australian Merchant Bankers Association

Founder and Founding Executive Director/Member of the Executive Committee, Macquarie Bank Limited

Trustee, IBM Superannuation Fund

Owner Simpsons, one of Sydney’s leading restaurants

Post politics (since 1995)- only major appointments

Chairman, ABN AMRO Australia, and Member Advisory Board (11 years)

Director, Moran Healthcare Group, Chairman, Pulse Health, Chairman, People First Retirement Living

Director, GRD and Minproc Engineers

Chairman, Belle Property

Deputy Chairman, The Television Shopping Network

Director, IT&T Services

Chairman, Strategic Capital Management

Chairman, Australian Bus Manufacturing Company, and Deputy Chairman, The Qingdao Pacific Coach Company

Director, E.G.Funds Management- current

Chairman, Global Renewables Limited

Chairman, EnergyMad

Chairman, Natural Fuels Limited

Chairman, GlobalDC Limited

Chairman, Elderslie Finance Limited

Chairman, Touring Car Entrants Group of Australia, and Director, V8 Supercars Australia

Chairman, GSA (General Security Australia)- (Current)

Chairman, Signature Gold Limited- (Current)

Chairman, Equiti Capital Limited

Chairman, Shartru Capital Limited

Chairman, Shartru Wealth Management

Chairman, RESI Financial Services, a JV between Shartru Wealth and RESI Home Loans

Chairman, Larus Energy, Australia and PNG

Director, North Queensland Bio-Energy Corporation (Current)

Executive Director, Core Fuel Limited

Executive Director, Core Graphite Limited

Chairman, Momentum Wealth Limited

Chairman, Momentum Developments Limited

Chairman, Momentum Energy and Resources Limited

Advisor, Tsing Agri-Tech Fund

Chairman, Northern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust for NSW Government (Current)

Chairman, The John Hewson Group- investment banking, start-ups, turnarounds, property- (Current)

Australian Advisor, Infosys Limited

Advisor, WSN Environmental Solutions

Chairman. Port Augusta Graphite Energy P/L (Current)

Director, Solastor P/L (Current)

Director, CDPWaste2Energy P/L

Director, Crescent Wealth and Crescent Super

POLITICAL CAREER (2 stages, 1976-1983 as a staffer, and1987-Member of Parliament)

Chief of Staff/Senior Advisor to two Federal Treasurers, Sir Philip Lynch and John Howard, and to the Prime Minister, Malcolm Fraser- 7+ years

Member for Wentworth in the Federal Parliament-8 years

Shadow Minister for Finance

Shadow Treasurer

Leader of the Liberal Party, Leader of the Federal Coalition, and Leader of the Opposition- 4 years

Shadow Minister for the Arts

Shadow Minister for Industry, Commerce, Infrastructure and Customs

Official Guest, British Government

Led many delegations internationally, meeting many of the world’s leaders, most notably, I was one of first western leaders to visit Beijing, post Tiananmen Square, meeting with Jiang Zemin and Li Peng, and other senior ministers; met meet with two US Presidents; and led the first Trade Mission of business and political leaders from Australia to Taiwan.

CHARITABLE, NOT-FOR-PROFIT and COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES

Major charities

Launched and Led, The National Breast Cancer Campaign

President, Arthritis Australia, leading it to become A National Health Priority

Chairman, and Founder, Osteoporosis Australia since 2000

Chairman, KidsXpress since 2005

Chairman, Advisory Board, Cambodian Children’s Fund

Patron of a host of other charities etc

Other major activities, in no particular order

Government- Consultant, Australian Financial System Inquiry (Campbell Committee)

-Member, Fraser Government Task Force on Final Report of The Australian Financial System Inquiry, to assess and advise on the implementation of the Report

-Member and Consultant, NSW Government’s Whitlam Committee on Offshore Banking

-Adviser to Tasmanian Government on banking, finance and related matters

-Tasmanian Representative on Treasurer Keating’s Officials Committee on Offshore Banking

-Member, Kyoto Protocol Ratification Advisory Group (formed by NSW, Victorian and South Australian Governments, 02/03)

Sporting -Member, Bid Team for Melbourne and Sydney Olympic bids

-Olympic Attache- Netherlands Olympic Team Sydney 2000 Games

– Chairman, Sydney United Soccer Club

-Chairman, Investment Advisory Committee, Australian Olympic Foundation (current)

-Patron, Australian Corporate Games

Other- Chairman, National Business Leaders’ Forum on Sustainable Development (6 years)-currently on Steering Committee

-Director, The Asia-Australia Institute, UNSW

-Member, Australian Davos Connection Foundation Council

-Member, National Advisory Board of Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (AIESEC)

-Member, External Advisory Group, Group Training Australia (current)

-Hon. Trustee, Committee of Economic Development of Australia (CEDA)(current)

-Member, Advisory Group, Australia Worldwide, Solutions for a Sustainable Future (current)

-Member and Signatory, The Australian Multicultural Foundation (current)

-Chairman, Positive Ageing Foundation

-Chairman, The Leadership Foundation

-Chairman, Foundation for the New England Regional Art Museum

-Chairman, RepuTex Advisory Committee

-Chairman, Carbon Economy Task Force 2009

-Patron, Australians For Just Refugee Programs (Current)

-Director, The Southern Highlands Foundation

-Director, Australian Indigenous Chamber of Commerce

International- Member, Asia-Pacific Business Forum

-Member, Eminent Persons Group on Current and Prospective Economic and Social Performance in the UNESCAP Region

-Member, UNESCAP Expert Group on Development Issues and Policies: Infrastructure Development

-The Special Advisor to the Under Secretary of the United Nations and the Executive Secretary on Infrastructure Financing, UNESCAP

-Member, The Trilateral Commission (current)

WWF Earth Hour Ambassador 2013

Chairman, Asset Owners Disclosure Project

Member, Experts Panel Low Carbon Economy, prepared for Weatherill Government, South Australia

Chairman, Northern Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust Board for NSW Government (Current)

Member, National Standing Committee on Energy and the Environment (Current)

Patron, Australian Solar Council (Current)

Chair, Business Council for Sustainable Development Australia (Current)

Chair, BioEnergy Australia (Current)

Member, SteerCo, Australian Sustainable Finance Roadmap

MEDIA

I have written columns, given hundreds of speeches/lectures at conferences around the world, and appeared regularly as a radio and television commentator for nearly 35years.

Major media activities:

Economics Consultant and Author, The Economist Column, Business Review Weekly, 1983-87

Editorial Advisor, Member Advisory Board and Columnist Triple A magazine

Australian Correspondent for International Reports (a Financial Times subsidiary based in New York)

Regular Columnist Australian Financial Review (more than 15 years)

Weekly Columnist Southern Highlands News (Current)

Columnist Fairfax Media – SMH, Age, Canberra Times, and on line (Current)

Weekly Columnist Fairfax Regional Media (Syndicated) (Current)

Weekly Commentator and Contributor Sky News including Switzer (Current)

Regular commentator widely, radio/ TV/ newspapers

A host of invited columns in Australian and overseas publications

Member Gruen Nation ABC program 2010 Federal Election- the highest rating ABC program of the year, and again in 2013

PROFESSIONAL  STANDING

By invitation or award

– Fellow, Academy of the Social Sciences of Australia (FASSA)

– Fellow, Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD)

– Fellow, Finance and Treasury Association (FFTP(Hon))

– Affiliate, The Securities Institute of Australia (ASIA)

– Fellow, The Hong Kong Management Association

– Member in the Order of Australia- For service to business and economics, to the Australian Parliament and politics, and to the community.

– Centenary Medal7

– Woodrow Wilson Fellow

– Lifetime Achievement Award University of Regina, November 2009

– Order of Merit, Australian Olympic Committee May 2010

PROFESSIONAL PUBLICATIONS AND BOOKS

Numerous publications in refereed journals, book chapters, etc.

Liquidity Creation and Distribution in the Eurocurrency Markets D. C Heath Lexington Books, 1975

The Eurocurrency Markets and Their Implications- A New View of International Financial Markets and their Implications for Monetary Reform (with Sakakibara) D.C.  Heath Lexington Books, 1975

Offshore Banking in Australia (Campbell Committee) 1981

Australians Speak 1991

Fightback 1992

Presently finishing two books – ‘ Public Policy Book’ and another as a Collection of major public policy columns and speeches etc