Allan Myers | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1947-10-17)17 October 1947 (age 77) Hamilton, Victoria, Australia |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Alma mater | |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, academic, landowner, businessman, philanthropist |
| Spouse | Maria MyersAC |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | John and Betty Myers |
| Awards |
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Allan James MyersAC, KC (born 17 October 1947) is an Australian barrister, academic, businessman, landowner and philanthropist, and the previous Chancellor of theUniversity of Melbourne.[1]
Allan Myers was born in 1947 inHamilton, Victoria.[2][3][4] He was raised inDunkeld, Victoria, where his father, John Norman Myers, worked as a butcher following his service as a stoker in theRoyal Australian Navy Reserve duringWorld War II.[2][3][4] He has five siblings.[3] He graduated from theUniversity of Melbourne, where he received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws, and resided atNewman College.[5] He was editor of theMelbourne University Law Review from 1967 to 1969. He received the Supreme Court Prize in 1969. He went on to receive a Bachelor of Civil Law from theUniversity of Oxford.[5][2]
He became a lawyer in 1971.[2] He taught as a tutor at theMelbourne Law School. He later taught atOsgoode Hall Law School ofYork University inToronto, Canada, from 1972 to 1974.[2][3] He returned to the University of Melbourne in 1974, where he taught Security Law and Taxation Law from 1974 to 1988. He served as Assistant Editor of theAustralian Taxation Law Review.[2]
He was admitted to theVictorian Bar in 1975 and took Silk in 1986.[2][5] He serves on the advisory council of the Oxford University Law Foundation.[2] He has representedGeorge Pell,Kerry Stokes,Lloyd Williams,Alan Bond,John Elliott,Andrew Forrest andGina Rinehart as well asCitibank andBHP.[6][3][4]
He sits on the board of directors ofGrupa Żywiec, a Polish brewery in which he is now a small shareholder, alongside investor John Higgins.[3][4] He serves on the board of directors ofNorinvest Holding, a Swiss financial corporation,[4] and owns the Royal Mail Hotel, a restaurant inDunkeld, and the Dunkeld Pastoral Company, as well as 10,000 hectares (25,000 acres) around Dunkeld.[3][4] He also owns land in theKimberley and theTipperary Station nearAdelaide River in theNorthern Territory, which he purchased from businessmanWarren Anderson.[4]
He is a former president of theNational Gallery of Victoria (NGV), to which he has made significant contributions.[7] In 2013, he donatedA$10 million to his alma mater, the University of Melbourne.[5] Additionally, he served as chairman of its BELIEVE fundraising campaign.[5] He has served on the Boards of Trustees of the Alfred Felton Bequest, the Catholic Education Commission, the Monivae College Foundation, theFlorey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, the Ian Potter Foundation, and the Newman College Foundation.[2][5] He has also donated to the University of Oxford.[5]
He helped found theGrattan Institute, a non-partisan public policy think tank, and serves as its chairman.[2] He was a member ofLiberty Victoria, formerly known as the Victorian Council for Civil Liberties.[2] He joined the board of theMinderoo Foundation in 2014 and became its chairman in 2024.[8]
Myers endowed theAllan Myers Oxford University Scholarships, enabling students at the University of Melbourne to attend the University of Oxford.[9] He received an Honorary Doctor of the University from theAustralian Catholic University and an Honorary Doctor of Laws from his alma mater, the University of Melbourne.[1][5]
Myers served asChancellor of the University of Melbourne, from 2017 to December 2022.[10][11] He andMaria Myers are two of the donors to the trust that funds thePeter Steele Poetry Award, ascholarship available to PhD students in the Faculty of Arts at the university.[12][13]
Allen Myers is married toMaria MyersAC,[14][7] and they live in the Melbourne suburb ofCarlton.[3] They have two daughters, Clare and Cecilia, and one son, John.[4] Myers is aRoman Catholic and a member of theOrder of Malta.[4]
| Year | Financial Review Rich List | Forbes Australia's 50 Richest | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Net worth (A$) | Rank | Net worth (US$) | |
| 2014[7] | $700 million | |||
| 2015 | ||||
| 2016 | ||||
| 2017[15][16] | $682 million | |||
| 2018[17] | 102 | $749 million | ||
| 2019[18] | 123 | $771 million | ||
| 2020[19] | 127 | $791 million | ||
| 2021[20] | 131 | $834 million | ||
| 2022 | 151 | $883 million | ||
| 2023[21] | 166 | $844 million | ||
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Icon | Description |
 | Has not changed from the previous year |
| Has increased from the previous year |
| Has decreased from the previous year |
Myers was awarded theCentenary Medal in 2001 for his philanthropic and business achievements.[22] In 2016 he was appointedCompanion 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".[23] His wife, Maria, was appointed a Companion on the same day.[14]
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.
For service to philanthropy and business
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 | Chancellor of theUniversity of Melbourne 2017–2022 | Succeeded by |
