Harold Charles Mitchell (born 13 May 1942) is an Australian entrepreneur, media buyer, philanthropist and humanitarian.

Life

Harold Mitchell was born in

Trafalgar, Victoria Trafalgar is a town in the West Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia. The town lies on the Princes Highway and main Gippsland railway line about west of Moe. The town backs onto the foothills of the Strzelecki Ranges to the south. The towns ...

, one of four children. His father was a sawmiller who had to go wherever the work was. His mother left the marriage when he was 15. By the time Harold was 16, the single-parent family was living in

Stawell, Victoria Stawell (pronounced /stɔːl/, "Stawl"), is an Australian town in the Wimmera region of Victoria (Australia), Victoria west-north-west of the state capital, Melbourne. Located within the Shire of Northern Grampians Local government in Australia, ...

. He left school early and worked in the local sawmill for some months and then went to work for an advertising agency in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, a city he had only ever visited once. He studied part-time at

RMIT RMIT University, officially the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology,, section 4(b) is a public research university in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1887 by Francis Ormond, RMIT began as a night school offering classes in art, scienc ...

. He became a successful

media buyer Media buying refers to the procurement of advertising on mediums such as a television, newspapers, commercial radio, magazines, websites, mobile apps, over-the-top media services, out-of-home advertising etc. It also includes price negotiation an ...

, founded his own company, and led the development of the media buying industry in Australia. He is the Executive Chairman of the Mitchell Communication Group and Executive Chairman, Aegis Media Pacific, part of the

Aegis Group Dentsu International (previously Dentsu Aegis Network) is a multinational media and digital marketing communications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese advertising and public relation ...

. He is also involved in

Television Sydney Television Sydney (TVS) (call sign TSN-31) was a free-to-air sponsors-based community television station broadcasting in Sydney, Australia. The station lost both its community franchise and the battle to remain on the air on 8 December 2015 and ...

. In 2000, he created the Harold Mitchell Foundation, which donates money to various causes promoting community health and the arts.Harold Mitchell Foundation
Retrieved 17 August 2013 He has been the chairman or board member of various organisations including the

Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, more commonly known as the Florey Institute, is an Australian medical research institute that undertakes clinical and applied research into treatments for brain and mind disorders and the ...

, the

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic, officially the Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc., globally known as New York Philharmonic Orchestra (NYPO) or New York Philharmonic-Symphony Orchestra, is a symphony orchestra based in New York City. It is ...

, the

National Gallery of Australia The National Gallery of Australia (NGA), formerly the Australian National Gallery, is the national art museum of Australia as well as one of the largest art museums in Australia, holding more than 166,000 works of art. Located in Canberra in th ...

, the Museum Board of Victoria,Business 21C
; Retrieved 17 August 2013

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of ...

, CARE Australia, the

Melbourne Symphony Orchestra The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) is an Australian orchestra based in Melbourne. The MSO is resident at Hamer Hall. The MSO has its own choir, the MSO Chorus, following integration with the Melbourne Chorale in 2008. The MSO relies on f ...

Tennis Australia Tennis Australia Limited is the governing body for Tennis in Australia. It is owned by Australian states and territories. The association organises national and international Tennis tournaments including the Australian Open, the Australian Open ...

, the Deakin Foundation, the Melbourne International Festival of Arts, and the Australia-Indonesia Centre. He is a major champion of sport, helping to ensure the long term viability of soccer in Australia. In 2010 he became co-owner of the

Melbourne Rebels The Melbourne Rebels is an Australian professional rugby union team based in Melbourne. They made their debut in SANZAR's Super Rugby tournament in 2011. They were the first privately owned professional rugby union team in Australia, until 2017 ...

rugby union team. He is a major promoter of Australia overseas, such as in bringing Australian Indigenous art to millions worldwide. His personal challenges have included

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

and

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

. He has been a teetotaller since he was 23, and shed 70 kilograms before his 70th birthday. His autobiography ''Living Large'' appeared in 2009.Harold Mitchell, Living Large
Retrieved 17 August 2013

Prominent appearances

Harold Mitchell presented the 2003

Andrew Olle Media Lecture The Andrew Olle Media Lecture was established in 1996 by the presenters and staff at 702 ABC Sydney (formerly 2BL) to honour the memory of ABC Radio and television broadcaster Andrew Olle, who died in 1995 of a brain tumour. It focuses on the role ...

. He addressed the

National Press Club Organizations A press club is an organization for journalists and others professionally engaged in the production and dissemination of news. A press club whose membership is defined by the press of a given country may be known as a National Press ...

on 1 September 2009. He appeared on the ABC television program " Q&A" on 28 June 2010.

Honours

In the Australia Day Honours of 2004 Harold Mitchell was made an Officer (AO) 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 ...

, "For service to the community, particularly as a benefactor and fundraiser in support of artistic and cultural endeavour, and to business through advertising and media interests". In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 2010, he was appointed a Companion (AC) of the Order of Australia, then Australia's highest civilian honour, "For eminent service to the community through leadership and philanthropic endeavours in the fields of art, health and education and as a supporter of humanitarian aid in Timor-Leste and Indigenous communities".It's an Honour: AC
Retrieved 17 August 2013 He was a 2013 National Finalist in the

Australian of the Year The Australian of the Year is a national award conferred on an Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a not-for-profit Australian Governmentowned social enterprise. Similar awards are also conferred at the State and Territo ...

awards.Australian of the Year
retrieved 6 February 2022

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Harold 1942 births Living people People from the City of Latrobe Businesspeople from Melbourne Australian chairpersons of corporations Australian business executives Australian humanitarians Australian philanthropists Companions of the Order of Australia