Simon McKeon
Simon Vincent McKeon | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 19, 1955 Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Lawyer, business executive, philanthropist, athlete, academic |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Known for | Chancellor of Monash University, Australian of the Year 2011 |
Simon Vincent McKeon (born 19 December 1955) is a prominent Australian figure known for his work as a lawyer, business executive, philanthropist, and athlete. He served as the eighth chancellor of Monash University and has held non-executive directorships at Rio Tinto, Spotless Group, and National Australia Bank. McKeon acts as a consultant for Macquarie Bank in Melbourne and is recognized as a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (FAICD). In 2011, he was honored with the title of Australian of the Year.
Business
McKeon completed a Bachelor of Commerce in 1976 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1978, both from the University of Melbourne. He began his legal career at Blake Dawson Waldron in Sydney before moving to Macquarie Bank, where he ultimately became Executive Chairman of its Melbourne branch. Between 1999 and 2010, he was the inaugural President of the statutory dispute resolution entity overseeing Australian public company takeovers, the Australian Takeovers Panel. From 2006 until 2009, he chaired the software company MYOB LTD.
He assumed the role of chairman at the CSIRO from June 2010 to 2015, succeeding Dr John Stocker. McKeon joined AMP Limited’s board in March 2013 and was elevated to Chairman in May 2014, taking over from Peter Mason; he stepped down from this position in April 2016. Additionally, he participates in the AICD Chairman's Forum and served as the first President of the Australian banking sector’s Review Panel for the Banking and Financing oath. Beyond corporate roles, he volunteered as a counsellor for heroin users at St Kilda’s First Step Clinic.
Destruction of Juukan Gorge sacred site
At the time when Rio Tinto demolished the Australian Aboriginal sacred site located at Juukan Gorge in May 2020—a site uniquely significant as Australia's only inland location with archaeological evidence indicating continuous human habitation for more than 46,000 years—McKeon was serving as a Director. In response to this incident, he was promoted from Independent Director to Senior Independent Director and received an $80,000 salary increase.
Academia
In January 2016, McKeon took over as Chancellor of Monash University, following Dr Alan Finkel. He has contributed part-time lectures to Melbourne University’s Masters programs in Applied Finance and Laws and participated on the Advisory Board for its Centre for Energy and Resources Law. Between 2013 and 2015, he also served on the Campaign Board at the University of Melbourne.
La Trobe University conferred upon him an honorary Doctorate of Public Health in October 2015.
Honours
McKeon earned the distinction of being named Australian of the Year on 25 January 2011.
On 11 June 2012, he was designated an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in recognition of his exceptional leadership in business and extensive community involvement spanning charitable, educational, and sporting sectors.
In 2014, both McKeon and Harry Messel were recipients of the Academy Medal awarded by the Australian Academy of Science, honoring outstanding scientific contributions beyond direct research activities.