Simon Vincent McKeon (born 19 December 1955) is an Australian lawyer, businessman, and administrator. He has been chancellor of

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university h ...

, and non-executive director of

Rio Tinto Rio Tinto, meaning "red river", may refer to: Businesses * Rio Tinto (corporation), an Anglo-Australian multinational mining and resources corporation ** Rio Tinto Alcan, based in Canada ** Rio Tinto Borax in America *** Rio Tinto Borax Mine, ...

Spotless Group Spotless Group SAS was a pan-European manufacturer of insect control and laundry products, based in Paris, France. In 2015, it became part of Germany's Henkel group. Operations Spotless Group was established by AXA Private Equity (renamed A ...

, and National Australia Bank. He is retained by

Macquarie Bank Macquarie Group Limited () is an Australian global financial services group. Headquartered and listed in Australia (), Macquarie employs more than 17,000 staff in 33 markets, is the world's largest infrastructure asset manager and Australia's t ...

Melbourne as a consultant and is a fellow of the

Australian Institute of Company Directors The Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD) is a non-profit membership organization for directors. The AICD is a founding member of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI). History The origins of the AICD can be traced ba ...

. On 25 January 2011 he was named the 2011 Australian of the Year.

Business

After completing a Bachelor of Commerce in 1976 and Bachelor of Laws in 1978, both at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb no ...

, Simon McKeon practised law in Sydney with Blake Dawson Waldron before taking up a post with the

, where he became the Executive Chairman (Melbourne Office). He was Founding President of the statutory dispute resolution body for Australian public company takeovers, the

Australian Takeovers Panel The Australian Takeovers Panel, a statutory authority of the Australian Government, is the primary Australian forum for resolving disputes about a takeover bid during the bid period itself. The panel is a peer review body, made up of part-time ...

from 1999– 2010. He was also the Chairman of software specialist MYOB LTD 2006–2009. McKeon was chairman of CSIRO from June 2010 until 2015, replacing Dr John Stocker. McKeon was appointed to the AMP Limited Board on 27 March 2013 and subsequently appointed Chairman of AMP on 8 May 2014, replacing Peter Mason. On 26 April 2016 he announced his intention to resign from the AMP board at the conclusion of the AGM in May. McKeon is a fellow of the

, and is a member of the AICD Chairman's Forum and is the inaugural President of the Australian banking industry's Review Panel for the Banking and Financing oath. He volunteered as a counsellor for heroin addicts at the First Step Clinic in St Kilda.

Destruction of Juukan Gorge sacred site

McKeon was one of the Directors of

in May 2020 when the mining company deliberately destroyed the

Australian Aboriginal sacred site An Australian Aboriginal sacred site is a place deemed significant and meaningful by Aboriginal Australians based on their beliefs. It may include any feature in the landscape, and in coastal areas, these may lie underwater. The site's status i ...

Juukan Gorge Juukan Gorge is a gorge in the Hamersley Range in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, about from Mt Tom Price. It was named by the daughter of Puutu Kunti Kurrama man Juukan, also known as Tommy Ashburton, who was born at Jukarinya (Mt Br ...

- the only inland site in Australia to show signs of continuous human occupation for over 46,000 years. Following his role in the controversy and its aftermath, McKeon was promoted from Independent Director to Senior Independent Director, with an accompanying $80,000 pay rise.

Academia

In October 2015, it was announced that McKeon would succeed Dr Alan Finkel as Chancellor of

in January 2016. He has been a part-time lecturer with Melbourne University's Masters of Applied Finance and Masters of Laws courses and has been a member of the Advisory Board of the University's Centre for Energy and Resources Law. He served on the Campaign Board of the University of Melbourne from 2013 until 2015. In October 2015, McKeon was conferred an honorary Doctorate of Public Health by La Trobe University.

Honours

On 25 January 2011, McKeon was named the 2011 Australian of the Year. On 11 June 2012, McKeon was named an Officer 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 Gov ...

for "distinguished service to business and commerce through leadership and advisory roles, and to the community as a supporter of national and international charitable, educational and sporting organisations." In 2014, McKeon, along with Harry Messel, was awarded the

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soc ...

's ''Academy Medal'', which recognises scientific contributions other than research.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKeon, Simon 1955 births Living people Philanthropists from Melbourne Australian of the Year Award winners Australian bankers 20th-century Australian lawyers Australian philanthropists Australian male sailors (sport) Officers of the Order of Australia University of Melbourne alumni People educated at Melbourne Grammar School Fellows of the Australian Institute of Company Directors Australian republicans 21st-century Australian lawyers