Sir Leo Arthur Hielscher, (born 1 October 1926) is an Australian senior public servant and administrator. He retired on 30 June 2010 after 19 years as chairman of the

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

Treasury Corporation. He has been acclaimed as one of the key figures responsible for transforming Queensland's economy in the late 20th century and early 21st century. Leo Hielscher was educated at

Brisbane State High School , motto_translation = Knowledge is Power , city = South Brisbane , state = Queensland , country = Australia , coordinates = , type = Public, selective, co-educational, secondary, ...

and

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

(BComm, AAUQ). He joined the

Queensland Public Service The Queensland Public Service provides public services to the people of Queensland, Australia on behalf of the Government of Queensland. Typically these are services that are deemed important by the government and which the government believes ...

in 1942. He was the Under Treasurer of Queensland for 14 years (1974–1988) and before that, 10 years as Deputy Under Treasurer. He was then appointed Chairman of the Queensland Treasury Corporation Advisory Board in 1988. In 1991, the Advisory Board became the Queensland Treasury Corporation Board and Sir Leo was appointed as its inaugural Chairman. Sir Leo had more than fifty years' experience in the areas of government, the banking and finance industry, domestic and global financial markets, superannuation industry and as an independent Company Director. Sir Leo is also the inaugural Chairman of Austsafe Ltd (an industry Superannuation fund); Chairman of the Independent Superannuation Preservation Fund, and the Queensland Health Reform Advisory Panel, a Commissioner of the Local Government Reform Commission and a Director of the American Australian Association Ltd. As a Company Director, Sir Leo has considerable experience at Board level and has been associated with a number of public and private sector Boards. Sir Leo was awarded an

Eisenhower Fellowship Eisenhower Fellowships is a private, non-profit organization created in 1953 by a group of prominent American citizens to honor President Dwight D. Eisenhower for his contribution to humanity as a soldier, statesman, and world leader. The organiza ...

in 1973, a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in 1987, an Honorary Doctorate of Griffith University in 1993, and a Companion 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 ...

(AC) in 2004. On 16 May 2010, the Queensland Government led by

Anna Bligh Anna Maria Bligh (born 14 July 1960) is a lobbyist and former Australian politician who served as the 37th Premier of Queensland, in office from 2007 to 2012 as leader of the Labor Party. She was the first woman to hold either position. In 2 ...

renamed the bridge known as the Gateway Bridge and its newly constructed duplicate the

Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges The Sir Leo Hielscher Bridges are a side-by-side pair of road bridges on the Gateway Motorway (M1), which skirts the eastern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. The western bridge carries traffic to the north and the eastern bridge car ...

Personal life

Sir Leo is married to Lady (Mary Ellen) Hielscher, they have three children, Barry Allan (deceased 1967), Ross and Kerri, and three grandchildren, Claire, Emily and Lyndon.Sara Harris (15 June 2004)
High honour for Sir Leo
Redland Times. Retrieved on 3 November 2011.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hielscher, Leo 1926 births Living people Australian Knights Bachelor Companions of the Order of Australia Australian public servants People educated at Brisbane State High School Queensland Greats