Naomi Milgrom

Naomi Milgrom
Born	1952 Melbourne, Australia
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, philanthropist
Known for	Owner of ARJ Group Holdings; leadership of Sportsgirl, Sussan, Suzanne Grae; philanthropy in arts and architecture

Naomi Milgrom (; born 1952) is an Australian billionaire entrepreneur, philanthropist, and influential figure in the cultural sector. She owns the private enterprise ARJ Group Holdings, which controls leading women's fashion brands including Sportsgirl, Sussan, and Suzanne Grae.

Early life and education

Born in Melbourne, Milgrom is one of four siblings raised by Marc and Eva Besen, who were notable art collectors and retail entrepreneurs. Her maternal grandmother, Fay Gandel, established a small lingerie business in 1939. Her father, a Jewish refugee from Romania, emigrated to Australia in 1947 at the age of 23. She is also related to billionaire real estate developer John Gandel as his niece.

Milgrom was raised in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda and attended both Mount Scopus Memorial College and Firbank Girls' Grammar School. She pursued language studies at Monash University and obtained a Diploma of Education from the University of New South Wales.

Career

Initially, Milgrom spent four years working as a special education teacher in Sydney, supporting children with autism and schizophrenia. She then transitioned into roles within publishing and advertising.

In 1977, together with her first husband Alfred Milgrom, she co-founded Melbourne House (Publishers) Ltd, operating offices in Melbourne and London. They specialized in computer literature and were founders of the video game company BEAM Software (which later became Krome Studios Melbourne) in 1980.

Milgrom entered the family-owned Sussan business in 1988 as marketing and strategic planning manager following her father's acquisition of his brother-in-law John Gandel's stake. She advanced to merchandise director in 1989 and was appointed chief executive officer in 1990. Under her leadership, the company acquired Suzanne Grae in 1991 and Sportsgirl in 1999. By 2003, she consolidated full ownership of these brands by purchasing her parents' and siblings' shares.

Personal life

From her marriage to Alfred Milgrom, she has three children. As of 2014, Milgrom resided in the Melbourne suburb of Middle Park. Additionally, she reportedly holds properties in and Byron Bay.

Net worth

In 2018, the UK-based Financial Times listed Milgrom as Australia's eighth wealthiest woman with an estimated fortune surpassing 500 million AUD. According to the Australian Financial Review Rich List published in May 2025, her net worth was appraised at 1.72 billion AUD.

Year	Financial Review Rich List		Forbes Australia's 50 Richest
Rank	Net worth (Template:AUD)	Rank	Net worth (US$)
2006		$495 million
2016	Template:Nts	$582 million
2017	Template:Nts Template:Loss	$585 million Template:Gain
2018	Template:Nts Template:Loss	$625 million Template:Gain
2019	Template:Nts Template:Gain	$781 million Template:Gain
2020	Template:Nts Template:Loss	$795 million Template:Gain
2021	Template:Nts Template:Gain	$933 million Template:Gain
2022	Template:Nts Template:Loss	$1.20 billion Template:Gain
2023	Template:Nts Template:Loss	$1.15 billion Template:Loss
2024		$1.60 billion Template:Gain
2025		$1.72 billion Template:Gain

Legend
Icon	Description
Steady	Unchanged from previous year
Increase	Increased from previous year
Template:Loss	Decreased from previous year

Philanthropy

Milgrom actively supports and engages in various arts-related initiatives. In 2014, she established the Naomi Milgrom Foundation to provide funding for projects in public art, design, and architecture. That same year, the foundation introduced the MPavilion series—an annual installation of outdoor pavilions located in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens, created by leading international architects such as Sean Godsell (2014), Amanda Levete (2016), Bijoy Jain (2017), Glenn Murcutt (2019), and Tadao Ando (2023). Ando’s MPavilion has been granted approval to remain on site until June 2025. The MPavilion project has garnered numerous accolades, including the Australian Institute of Architects Presidents’ Prize (2015), Melbourne Award (2016), Victorian Architecture Awards (2015–2017), National Trust Heritage Awards (2017), and a Good Design Award (2018). In 2024, Milgrom was honored with the Australian Institute of Architects’ National President’s Prize in recognition of her contributions to architecture through MPavilion.

Milgrom’s philanthropic efforts extend well beyond architecture, encompassing entrepreneurship, contemporary art, music, dance, fashion, culture, science, education, women’s health, and support for the Jewish community. The Naomi Milgrom Foundation has backed significant cultural ventures including the Living Cities Forum, Patricia Piccinini’s ‘Sky Whales’ exhibition (2020–2021), PHOTO festivals (2021 and 2024), and exhibitions featuring William Kentridge. In 2017, she unveiled plans to redevelop sections of Cremorne, Melbourne with the aim of creating a precinct dedicated to technology, media, and creative industries.

Milgrom has held numerous leadership positions such as Chair of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and the Melbourne Fashion Festival, Director at Magellan Financial Group, and board member at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. Her governance roles have also included serving on the Melbourne Business School board and acting as Commissioner for Australia at the 57th Venice Biennale (2017). Furthermore, she chaired the international design competition jury for Parramatta’s Powerhouse Precinct. Other appointments encompass board membership with Agenda Victoria; National Councillor for the Australian Retailers Association; Advisory Council member for the Centre for Social Impact; founding board member of the Family Business Council; Trustee of the Jewish Museum of Australia; Chair of The Katherine Hannay Visual Arts Commission for ANZ Trustees; Trustee at the National Gallery of Victoria; and participation on the Premier of Victoria’s Bushfire Reconstruction Industry Champions Committee. On an international level, Milgrom contributes to arts governance as part of the Art Basel Global Patrons Council and Tate Museum London's International Council and has served as a judge for the World Architecture Awards.

Awards

In 2001, Milgrom was awarded the Centenary Medal in recognition of her exceptional service to both the Melbourne Fashion Festival and the fashion sector. She was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2010 for her leadership in business and mentorship within fashion, alongside advisory roles in arts, health, and philanthropy. In 2020, she was promoted to Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for her philanthropic leadership fostering arts, architecture, design excellence, cultural exchange, and business development.

Milgrom received the Australian Institute of Architects President's Prize twice: initially in 2015 for establishing Melbourne's MPavilion initiative and again in 2024. Her honors also include an Honorary Doctorate of Business from RMIT University (2010), a Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award from Monash University (2010), and the Creative Partnerships Australia Philanthropy Leadership Award (2016). She was inducted into the Australian Retailers Association's Hall of Fame in 2016 and earned the Melbourne Achiever Award in 2017.

Additional recognitions highlight her ethical leadership with an award from the John Monash Foundation (2018), receipt of the Melbourne Design Week Award (2020), and an Honorary Fellowship from the Design Institute of Australia (2020). She holds another Honorary Doctorate of Business from the University of New South Wales (2016) as well as the Sir John Monash Award for Outstanding Achievement (2008).