John Gandel

John Gandel
John Gandel
Born	Aaron Jonna Gandel; Template:Birth year and age; Australia
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, property developer, philanthropist
Known for	Ownership of Chadstone Shopping Centre, philanthropy
Spouse	Pauline Gandel
Children	4

John Gandel (originally named Aaron Jonna Gandel, born 1935) is a prominent Australian entrepreneur, property developer, and philanthropist. His wealth primarily stems from investments in commercial real estate and retail shopping centres located in Melbourne, Victoria.

Much of his fortune was inherited from his parents, Polish immigrants who established the Sussan chain of women's apparel stores.

Early life and education

Gandel was born in Australia in 1935 to Sam and Fay Gandel, Jewish immigrants from Poland. His parents ran a corsetry shop on Collins Street, Melbourne. He completed his education at Melbourne High School and has one sister named Eva Gandel Besen.

Career

During the 1950s, Gandel assumed leadership of his family’s women's clothing enterprise (then known as Sussan) and, alongside his brother-in-law Marc Besen, expanded it to encompass more than 200 outlets. In 1983, he divested from Sussan after acquiring the Chadstone Shopping Centre, redirecting his focus towards property development. His ventures into shopping centre ownership significantly enhanced his financial standing.

In July 1983, the Gandel Group purchased Chadstone Shopping Centre from Myer for $37 million, subsequently transforming it into Australia's largest shopping mall, which was valued at over A$3 billion as of January 2019. That same year, the group also acquired Northland Shopping Centre. Gandel maintains a 50% ownership in Chadstone and holds a 17% interest in the publicly traded property firm Vicinity Centres, which owns the remaining half. Additionally, he possesses notable stakes in other listed property companies, including a 15% holding in Sydney-based Charter Hall, acquired for A$151 million. In recent years, he has stepped back from direct management responsibilities, appointing Peter Bird as Chief Financial Officer.

By January 2012, Gandel had become Melbourne's wealthiest individual with an estimated net worth of A$3.4 billion. That year, he sold his share in Northland Shopping Centre for A$455 million and announced plans for a A$500 million hotel and office redevelopment project at Chadstone. In 2006, he acquired a half stake in Israeli irrigation firm Plastro Irrigation Systems, which was repurchased by the majority owners in 2007.

Personal life

Gandel is married to Pauline Gandel, who was honoured in 2019 as a Companion of the Order of Australia for her humanitarian work, philanthropic initiatives, fundraising efforts, promotion of social inclusion, and contributions to strengthening Australia-Japan relations. The couple has four children and resides in Toorak, Melbourne.

Net worth

As of May 2025, the Australian Financial Review estimated Gandel's net worth at AUD 7.21 billion according to its 2025 Rich List. He is among seven individuals featured on every Financial Review Rich List since its inception in 1984.

In 2019, Forbes ranked him eighth among Australia's wealthiest people with an estimated net worth of USD 4.00 billion.

Year	Financial Review Rich List		Forbes Australia's 50 richest
Rank	Net worth AUD bn	Rank	Net worth USD bn
2010			5	$2.40 billion
2011	9	$3.45 billion	6	$3.30 billion
2012	10	$3.35 billion	8	$3.20 billion
2013	8	$3.70 billion	8	$3.50 billion
2014	9	$4.08 billion	8	$3.20 billion
2015	8	$4.40 billion	6	$3.60 billion
2016	5	$5.40 billion	7	$3.20 billion
2017	7	$6.05 billion
2018	7	$6.45 billion
2019	10	$6.60 billion	8	$4.00 billion
2020	11	$5.45 billion
2021	14	$5.80 billion
2022	16	$6.20 billion
2023	15	$6.33 billion
2024	16	$6.94 billion
2025	20	$7.21 billion

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Philanthropy

Since 1978, John Gandel and his wife, Pauline, have been at the helm of Gandel Philanthropy, recognized as one of Australia's most significant family charitable foundations. This foundation provides funding to community organisations with a focus on Jewish and Australian initiatives. Their philanthropic efforts concentrate on areas such as Judaism, education, medical research, and the arts. Among their major contributions are A$7.5 million to the National Gallery of Australia, A$1 million dedicated to Victorian bushfire recovery, and another A$1 million donated to Museums Victoria.

In May 2006, Gandel was honoured with an honorary doctorate from Tel Aviv University in recognition of his business achievements and philanthropic impact both in Australia and Israel. During the same month, he founded the Gandel Institute for Adult Jewish Learning at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Gandel was named an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1990 for his notable service to business and community. Later, in 2017, he received promotion to Companion of the Order in acknowledgement of his exceptional contributions to visual arts, education, medical innovation, commerce, and philanthropy.

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