Carol Judith Schwartz (; born 1955) is an Australian business executive, community leader and philanthropist.

Early life and education

Born Carol Judith Besen in Melbourne in 1955, Schwartz is the daughter of Eva and

Marc Besen Marcus Besen (19 December 1923 – 8 November 2023) was a Romanian-born Australian businessman, philanthropist, and Holocaust survivor. He was the managing director of fashion retailer Sussan from 1951 to 1980, and he was involved in various ...

, of the fashion retailer

Sussan Sussan is an Australian women's fashion retailer, owned and operated by the Sussan Group (ARJ Holdings), who also own and operate Sportsgirl and Suzanne Grae. History The first Sussan store opened on Little Collins Street, Melbourne selling lin ...

. She was educated at a Jewish Steiner school in

Elwood Elwood may refer to any one of the following:: Places ;In Australia *Elwood, Victoria ;In the United States of America *Elwood, Illinois *Elwood, Indiana *Elwood, Kansas * Elwood, Missouri *Elwood, Nebraska * Elwood-Magnolia, New Jersey *Elwood, N ...

and then completed her secondary education at

Mount Scopus Memorial College , motto_translation = , location = 245 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Melbourne, Victoria , country = Australia , coordinates = , pushpin_map = Australia Melbourne , pushpin_i ...

. She graduated from Monash University with an arts/law degree.

Career

Schwartz began work in the property division of the family business, developing shopping centres in Melbourne and Sydney. She understood the importance of seeking involvement by the community during the planning stages of shopping centres but also during their lifetime. She was appointed a board member of the Property Council of Victoria in 1993 and was elected president the following year. The first woman in the role, Schwartz made it easier for women to participate by, for example, moving lunch meetings from male-only venues. Schwartz is a director of the Trawalla Group and chair of the Trawalla Foundation. She is chair of Our Community, a not-for-profit organisation that assists community groups to win grants. Schwartz began a ten-year term on the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia in 2017.

Awards and recognition

Schwartz was awarded the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

in 2001. She was made a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in the

2006 Australia Day Honours The 2006 Australia Day Honours are appointments to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by Australian citizens. The list was announced on 26 January 2006 by the Governor General of Australia, Michael Jeffrey. The Austr ...

and was promoted to Officer in the 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours for "distinguished service to the community as a supporter of women in leadership roles, to social justice advocacy, and to business". Schwartz was inducted into the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victoria (Australia), Victoria. The Honour Roll was established as part of the cele ...

in 2011. After receiving a Monash University Fellowship in 2010, she was presented with an honorary doctorate by her alma mater, Monash University, in May 2018. In November 2020 Schwartz received the Leading Philanthropist award in recognition of her support for the University of Melbourne's Pathways to Politics Program for Women.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schwartz, Carol 1955 births Living people Monash University alumni Officers of the Order of Australia Australian business executives Australian women philanthropists People educated at Mount Scopus Memorial College