Expert Guests

David Mortimer AO

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David Mortimer AO is recognised and respected as one of Australia’s best Chair and professional Company Directors with exemplary governance experience.

 

Mr Mortimer was educated in Sydney, matriculating in 1962. He then completed a Bachelor of Economics degree at Sydney University graduating with First Class Honours.

 

After a career in the banking and finance industry in Australia and the United States, he joined TNT Limited in 1973 becoming Chief Financial Officer and a Director of the company in 1985.  He also had overall responsibility for the group’s North American operations until the public float of those operations in February 1992 under the name TNT Freightways Corporation.

 

In September 1992, Mr Mortimer was appointed Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the TNT Limited worldwide group a leading Australian transport company with revenues of $7 billion at the time.  Following the merger of TNT Limited with the Dutch based KPN group in December 1996, he remained as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Pacific Region until he resigned in September 1997.  The TNT Group is now listed as TNT Post on international exchanges.

 

Mr Mortimer was Deputy Chairman of Ansett Australia Holdings Limited from 1992 to 1996 and Chairman of GD Express Worldwide from 1992 to 1996. He was also a Director of Ascham School Limited from 1989 to 1997.

 

In November 1996, Mr Mortimer was appointed by the Federal Government to conduct a review of Business Programs that resulted in “The Mortimer Report”.

 

Mr Mortimer was Chairman of Sydney Airports Corporation Limited from July 1998 until its sale in July 2002, Chairman of Bankstown Airport Limited, Camden Airport Limited and Hoxton Park Airport Limited until their sale in December 2003, Chairman of MIA Group Limited from 2000-2004 and Chairman of Citect Corporation Limited from 1997 to 2006. Mr Mortimer was a Director of the Australian Tourist Commission (ATC) from 1997 to 2004, Director of Adsteam Marine Limited from 1997 to 2007 and Director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals until June 2007. He was also Chairman of the Defence Procurement Advisory Board from 2004 to 2008, Chairman of Leighton Holdings Limited from 2007 to 2011, Director of Intoll Management Limited (previously Macquarie Infrastructure Management) from 2000 to 2010 and Chairman of Australia Post from 2006 to 2012.

 

In 2005 Mr Mortimer was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Australia.

 

In 2008 Mr Mortimer was appointed by the Federal Government to conduct two reviews, the review of Export Policies and Programs titled “Winning in World Markets” and the Defence Procurement and Sustainment Review titled “Going to the Next level.” Both Reviews were released at the end of September 2008. In May 2012 the Australian Government appointed Mr Mortimer as the head of an industry panel on the Submarine Skilling Assignment and in December 2012 to the Australian Government Customs Reform Board.

 

In 2010 Mr Mortimer was appointed a Fellow of the University of Sydney, and is now Chair of the University of Sydney Senate Investment and Commercialisation Committee.

 

Mr Mortimer is presently Chair of Opera Australia, Director of Petsec Energy Limited and MySale Group.  He is also Governor of the Australia Israel Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

 

He was Chairman of Crescent Capital Partners for 16 years until his retirement at the end of 2017.

 

Mr Mortimer is a Director of the Australian Schoolboys Rugby Foundation and is Chairman of the Sydney University Football Club Foundation.  He was President of the Sydney University Football Club for 16 years until his retirement in 2016. He is also a Member of the Australian Golf Club and Royal Sydney Golf Club.

 

Mr Mortimer was formerly a director of the Australian Graduate School of Management. He is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) and an Ambassador of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF).