Nicholas Whitlam
Nicholas Whitlam | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 6, 1945 Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Corporate leader, businessman |
| Known for | Chief executive of State Bank of New South Wales; co-founder of Whitlam Turnbull & Co; chairman of NRMA Group |
Nicholas Richard Whitlam (born 6 December 1945) is a prominent Australian corporate leader and businessman, recognized as the son of former Prime Minister Gough Whitlam and Margaret Whitlam.
Career
Whitlam first came to public attention in 1981 when he served as the chief executive of the State Bank of New South Wales. He subsequently co-established Whitlam Turnbull & Co, an investment banking enterprise formed alongside future Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and ex-New South Wales Premier Neville Wran. Additionally, he was the chairman of the NRMA Group and played a key role in the 2000 demutualization and public listing of NRMA Insurance, which was Australia's largest insurer at the time and is now known as Insurance Australia Group (IAG).
In 2002, the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) brought civil charges against Whitlam, accusing him of violating his director duties at NRMA in connection with a proxy vote concerning director remuneration. Initially, a judge in the NSW Supreme Court found that Whitlam had breached his responsibilities and imposed a five-year ban on his holding directorships. Whitlam challenged this decision, and the New South Wales Court of Appeal unanimously cleared him of all allegations, overturning the prior judgment. ASIC's effort to escalate the case to the High Court was unsuccessful.
Whitlam earned a cum laude AB degree from Harvard College in 1967 and completed an MSc at the London Business School in 1969. He has served as chair of the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales, which bestowed upon him an honorary doctorate, an honor also granted by Western Sydney University.
Personal life
Since 1973, Whitlam has been married to Judy (née Frye), who previously worked as a publicist for both Vidal Sassoon and the Savoy Hotel. Initially believing they were unable to have children, they adopted two: Alice from Thailand and Edward from Colombia. Subsequently, Judy gave birth to their son Peter in 1982, who lives with significant mental and physical disabilities.
External links
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- 1945 births
- Living people
- Australian chief executives
- Australian investment bankers
- Alumni of London Business School
- Australian corporate directors
- Children of prime ministers of Australia
- Gough Whitlam
- Harvard College alumni
- Businesspeople from Sydney
- State Bank of New South Wales