Three property pioneers have been inducted into The Property Council's Property Hall of Fame at the Leaders Dinner at Parliament House in Canberra this week.
The Australian Property Hall of Fame was established in 2012 by the Property Council of Australia.
Property Council Chief Executive Ken Morrison says Sir Keith Campbell, Robert Hamilton and Carol Schwartz were chosen by the board for providing sustained and visionary leadership, making pioneering contributions to the property industry and leaving outstanding legacies to the Australian community.
“This is the fifth year of the Property Hall of Fame, and these inductees are true giants of the Australian property industry,” Morrison says.
Carol Schwartz AM
A dynamic property and business leader, Carol Schwartz holds one of the country’s most diverse portfolios of board appointments, including directorships with Stockland, Qualitas property group, Yarra Capital Partners private equity firm, and the Bank of Melbourne. She is a board member of the St James Ethics Foundation and Executive in Residence at Melbourne Business School, and founder of the Women’s Leadership Institute Australia.
“The first woman appointed national president of the Property Council of Australia in 1999, Carol has spent more than two decades driving change to enhance women’s participation and leadership opportunities in our industry. The inaugural convenor of the Property Male Champions of Change, she has been an active advocate for diversity and has delivered both incremental and radical changes over many years,” Morrison says.
Appointed Chief General Manager of the LJ Hooker Investment Corporation (Hooker Corporation Ltd from 1968), Sir Keith Campbell revived its failing fortunes and went on to become its Chairman in 1974. In 1979, Sir Keith was appointed by then treasurer John Howard to chair a committee of inquiry into the Australian financial system. What the media termed ‘The Campbell Inquiry’ soon became a catch-phrase for economic reform. The main recommendations of the 838-page report were implemented by the Hawke Government.
“The impact of the Campbell Inquiry on Australia’s economic development has been incalculable. Keith Campbell’s skill, practical economic understanding and belief in markets was the inspiration behind this most successful of all inquiries into the Australian economic system,” former prime minister Mr Howard says.
Sir Keith was Chairman of many institutions including the Shepherd Centre for deaf children until sadly passing away in 1983.
“Sir Keith gained a reputation for restoring ailing businesses, and his forensic approach to the Hooker Corporation – which involved a complex restructure – brought it back from the brink of bankruptcy and helped it grow into the household brand name today,” Mr Morrison adds.
The joint founder and managing director of Mirvac Group for more than 30 years, Robert Hamilton grew his development company into one of the largest and most respected property groups in Australia.
Under Hamilton’s leadership, Mirvac developed more than 30,000 homes, including the Olympic Village and Walsh Bay in Sydney and Beacon Cove in Melbourne. The company also diversified into hotels and office towers, and by the time Hamilton stepped down in 2005, Mirvac controlled $5.5 billion in real estate assets. A respected advisor and qualified real estate valuer, Hamilton has since served as a director of UrbanGrowth NSW and on the Salvation Army Advisory Board.
“During his career at Mirvac, Bob built one of Australia’s largest listed property trusts. His innovative approach to real estate investment shook up the industry while building homes for tens of thousands of Australian families,” Morrison explains.
Former inductees include: Dick Dusseldorp, Frank Lowy and Ray Powys (2012); John Gandel, Stan Perron and John Pidgeon (2013); Ervin Graf, Bruno Grollo and Rino Grollo (2014); and John C Roberts and Harry Triguboff (2015).
The induction ceremony was held during the Property Leaders Dinner on Tuesday 24 May 2016 at Parliament House, Canberra.
