Allan Myers

Allan James Myers AC, QC (born 17 October 1947) is an Australian barrister, academic, businessman, landowner and philanthropist, and the current Chancellor of the University of Melbourne.[2]

Allan Myers

Born (1947-10-17) 17 October 1947
Hamilton, Victoria, Australia
NationalityAustralian
Alma mater
OccupationLawyer, academic, landowner, businessman, philanthropist
Net worth A$791 million (AFR 2020)[1]
Spouse(s)Maria Myers AC
Children3
Parent(s)John and Betty Myers
Awards

Biography

Early life

Allan Myers was born in 1947 in Hamilton, Victoria.[3][4][5] He was raised in Dunkeld, Victoria, where his father, John Norman Myers, worked as a butcher following his service as a stoker in the Royal Australian Navy Reserve during World War II.[3][4][5] He has five siblings.[4] He graduated from the University of Melbourne, where he received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws, and resided at Newman College.[6] He was editor of the Melbourne University Law Review from 1967–69. He received the Supreme Court Prize in 1969. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Civil Law from the University of Oxford.[6][3]

He became a lawyer in 1971.[3] He taught as a tutor at the Melbourne Law School. He later taught at Osgoode Hall Law School of York University in Toronto, Canada, from 1972–74.[3][4] He returned to the University of Melbourne in 1974, where he taught Security Law and Taxation Law from 1974–1988. He served as Assistant Editor of the Australian Taxation Law Review.[3]

He was admitted to the Victorian Bar in 1975 and has been a Queen's Counsel since 1986.[3][6] He serves on the Advisory Council of the Oxford University Law Foundation.[3] He has represented Kerry Stokes, Lloyd Williams, Alan Bond, John Elliott, Andrew Forrest and Gina Rinehart as well as Citibank and BHP Billiton.[4][5]

Business career

He sits on the board of directors of Grupa Żywiec, a Polish brewery in which he is a large shareholder, alongside investor John Higgins.[4][5] He serves on the board of directors of Norinvest Holding, a Swiss financial corporation,[5] and owns the Royal Mail Hotel, a restaurant in Dunkeld, and the Dunkeld Pastoral Company, as well as 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) around Dunkeld.[4][5] He also owns land in the Kimberley and the Tipperary Station near Adelaide River in the Northern Territory, which he purchased from businessman Warren Anderson.[5]

Personal life

Allen Myers is married to Maria Myers AC,[7][8] and they live in the Melbourne suburb of Carlton.[4] They have two daughters, Clare and Cecilia, and one son, John.[5] Myers is a Roman Catholic and a member of the Order of Malta.[5]

Net worth

Year Financial Review
Rich List
Forbes
Australia's 50 Richest
Rank Net worth (A$) Rank Net worth (US$)
2014[8] $700 million
2015
2016
2017[9][10] $682 million
2018[11] $749 million
2019[12] 123 $771 million
2020[1] 127 $791 million
Legend
Icon Description
Has not changed from the previous year
Has increased from the previous year
Has decreased from the previous year

Philanthropy

He is the former President of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV), to which he has made significant contributions.[8] In 2013, he donated A$10 million to his alma mater, the University of Melbourne.[6] Additionally, he served as Chairman of its BELIEVE fundraising campaign.[6] He has served on the Boards of Trustees of the Alfred Felton Bequest, the Catholic Education Commission, the Monivae College Foundation, the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, the Ian Potter Foundation, and the Newman College Foundation.[3][6] He has also donated to the University of Oxford.[6]

He helped found the Grattan Institute, a non-partisan public policy think tank, and serves as its chairman.[3] He was a member of Liberty Victoria, formerly known as the Victorian Council for Civil Liberties.[3]

Myers endowed the Allan Myers Oxford University Scholarships, enabling students at the University of Melbourne to attend the University of Oxford.[13] He received an Honorary Doctor of the University from the Australian Catholic University and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from his alma mater, the University of Melbourne.[2][6]

In 2017 Myers was appointed as Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, succeeding Elizabeth Alexander.[14]

Honours

Myers was awarded the Centenary Medal in 2001 for his philanthropic and business achievements.[15] Myers was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 2007;[3][6] and in 2016, he was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia for eminent service to the community through philanthropic leadership in support of major visual arts, higher education, medical research and not-for-profit organisations, to the law, and to professional learning programs.[16] His wife, Maria, was appointed a Companion on the same day.[7]

References

  1. Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (30 October 2020). "The full list: Australia's wealthiest 200 revealed". The Australian Financial Review. Nine Publishing. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  2. "Chancellor: Mr Allan J Myers AC QC". About us: Leadership. University of Melbourne. n.d. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
  3. "Allan Myers citation: Honorary Doctor of Laws" (PDF). University of Melbourne. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 April 2015. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  4. "From wig and gown to Driza-Bone, this is Allantown". The Age'. 10 September 2011.
  5. Kitney, Damon (16 April 2011). "Allan Myers: a vintage case of wine, religion and the law". The Australian.
  6. "BELIEVE campaign". University of Melbourne. Archived from the original on 2 July 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  7. "Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) entry for Mrs Maria Josephine MYERS". It's an Honour, Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2020. For eminent service to the community through philanthropic leadership in support of major visual and performing arts, cultural, education, and not-for-profit organisations, and to the advancement of the understanding of Indigenous rock art.
  8. Strickland, Katrina (July 2014). "Giving It Away: Allan Myers". The Australian Financial Review Magazine: The Wealth Issue. p. 32.
  9. Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2017). "Financial Review Rich List 2017". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  10. Mayne, Stephen (26 May 2017). "Mayne's take: The top 25 Australian billionaires, as claimed by Fairfax". Crikey. Private Media. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  11. Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2018). "2018 AFR Rich List: Who are Australia's richest people?". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  12. Bailey, Michael (30 May 2019). "Australia's 200 richest people revealed". The Australian Financial Review. Nine Publishing. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  13. "Allan Myers Oxford University scholarships". Faculty of Law. University of Melbourne. n.d. Archived from the original on 30 June 2014. Retrieved 3 December 2014.
  14. "University of Melbourne appoints next Chancellor". The Melbourne Newsroom. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  15. "Centenary Medal entry for Mr Allan James MYERS". It's an Honour, Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 14 November 2020. For service to philanthropy and business
  16. "Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) entry for Mr Allan James MYERS". It's an Honour, Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2020. For eminent service to the community through philanthropic leadership in support of major visual arts, higher education, medical research and not-for-profit organisations, to the law, and to professional learning programs.
Academic offices
Preceded by
Elizabeth Alexander
Chancellor of the University of Melbourne
2017–present
Incumbent
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