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Naomi Milgrom

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Naomi Milgrom
AC
Born
Naomi Besen

1952 (age 71–72)[1]
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Education
Alma mater
Occupations
Known forSportsgirl, Sussan and Suzanne Grae
Spouses
Parents
Relatives
Awards
  • Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) (2020)
  • Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) (2010)
  • Centenary Medal (2001)
  • Sir John Monash Award for Outstanding Achievement (2010)[4]
  • Ernst & Young Champion of Entrepreneurship Award (2009)[5]
  • Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award, Monash University (2010)[6]
  • Australian Retailers Association Australian Retail Awards Hall of Fame Inductee (2016)[7]
  • Melbourne Achiever Award (2017)[8]
  • Ethical Leadership Award, John Monash Foundation (2018)[9]
  • Creative Partnerships Australia Philanthropy Leadership Award (2019)
  • Melbourne Design Week Award (2020)[10]
  • Honorary Fellow Design Institute of Australia (2020)[11]
  • Australian Institute of Architects’ President’s Prize (2024)[12]

Naomi Milgrom AC (née Besen; born 1952[13]) is an Australian billionaire businesswoman, philanthropist[14][15][16] and cultural leader.[17] Her private company ARJ Group Holdings owns women's clothing retailers Sportsgirl, Sussan and Suzanne Grae.[18]

Early life and education

[edit]

Milgrom was born in Melbourne,[18] one of four children born to art collectors and retailing magnates Marc and Eva Besen. Her maternal grandmother Fay Gandel, a Polish seamstress opened a small lingerie store in 1939.[19] Her father, a Jewish refugee from Romania, arrived in Australia in 1947 at the age of 23.[20] She is the niece of billionaire property developer John Gandel.[21]

Milgrom grew up in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda.[20] She attended Mount Scopus Memorial College and Firbank Girls' Grammar School.[22] She later studied languages at Monash University and completed a Diploma of Education at the University of New South Wales.[23]

Career

[edit]

She worked for four years as a special education teacher in Sydney, helping autistic and schizophrenic children.[24] She then worked in publishing and advertising.[18]

In 1977, Milgrom and her first husband Alfred Milgrom established Melbourne House (Publishers) Ltd, a publishing company with offices in Melbourne and London.[25] They published a series of books on computers and in 1980 co-founded video game studio BEAM Software (later Krome Studios Melbourne).[26][27]

Milgrom joined the family business Sussan in 1988 as marketing and strategic planning manager, after her father bought out his brother-in-law John Gandel. She was appointed merchandise director the following year and, in 1990, became chief executive.[22] Milgrom spearheaded the acquisition of Suzanne Grae in 1991[28] and the acquisition of Sportsgirl in 1999.[20] In 2003, Milgrom bought her parents and three siblings out of the business and assumed full ownership of all three brands.[29][18]

Personal life

[edit]

Milgrom has three children from her first marriage to Alfred Milgrom. As of 2014 she lived in the Melbourne suburb of Middle Park. It was reported that Milgrom owns properties in Bondi Beach[30] and Byron Bay.[31]

Net worth

[edit]

In 2018, according to the UK Financial Times, Milgrom was the eighth-richest woman in Australia, with an estimated net worth of over A$500 million.[16] As of May 2023, The Australian Financial Review assessed her net worth as A$1.15 billion in the 2023 Rich List.[32]

Year Financial Review
Rich List 		Forbes
Australia's 50 Richest
Rank Net worth (A$) Rank Net worth (US$)
2006[22] $495 million
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016[30] 108 $582 million
2017[33][34] 117 Decrease $585 million Increase
2018[35] 133 Decrease $625 million Increase
2019[36][37] 121 Increase $781 million Increase
2020[38] 125 Decrease $795 million Increase
2021[39] 115 Increase $933 million Increase
2022 118 Decrease $1.20 billion Increase
2023[32] 124 Decrease $1.15 billion Decrease
Legend
Icon Description
Steady Has not changed from the previous year
Increase Has increased from the previous year
Decrease Has decreased from the previous year

Philanthropy

[edit]

Milgrom is an active benefactor[40] and participant in arts projects and events.[41] In 2014 she established the Naomi Milgrom Foundation[42] to fund public art, design and architecture projects. The same year, the foundation provided the funding for a series of outdoor pavilions (known as MPavilions) to be built in Queen Victoria Gardens, Melbourne. Since 2014, the Naomi Milgrom Foundation has invited international architects to design an MPavilion each year. Architects have included Sean Godsell (2014), Amanda Levete (2016), Bijoy Jain (2017), Glenn Murcutt (2019) and Tadao Andao (2023). Tadao Ando’s MPavilion will remain in Melbourne’s Queen Victoria Gardens until June 2025, after City of Melbourne approved a request from the Naomi Milgrom Foundation to extend the temporary structure.[43] MPavilion has received the Australian Institute of Architects Presidents’ Prize[44] (2015), the Melbourne Award[45] (2016), Victorian Architecture Awards[45] (2015), (2016), (2017); National Trust Heritage Awards[45] (2017) and the Good Design Award[46] (2018). In 2024, Milgrom received the Australian Institute of Architects’ National President’s Prize[47] for her contributions to architecture through the Pavilion project.

Milgrom's other philanthropic projects cover entrepreneurship, contemporary art, music, dance, fashion, culture, science, education, women's health and the Jewish community. Major cultural projects instigated by the Naomi Milgrom Foundation include the Living Cities Forum,[48] Patricia Piccinini ‘Sky Whales’,[49] 2020-2021; Photo 2021,[50] Photo 2024;[51] and William Kentridge projects I am not me, the Horse is not mine (2018–2019) and That Which We Do Not Remember (2019).[52][53] In 2017, Milgrom announced plans to redevelop parts of Cremorne, Melbourne to create a precinct to support Melbourne’s technology, media and creative industries.[54][55]

Milgrom has been Chair of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Chair of the Melbourne Fashion Festival, Director of the Magellan Financial Group and a board member of the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. She has also held the position of board member of the Melbourne Business School and served as Commissioner for the Australian representation at the 57th International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennale 2017 and Jury Chair of the international design competition for the Powerhouse Precinct in Parramatta.[56] Other roles Milgrom has held include Board member, Agenda Victoria; National Councillor, Australian Retailers Association; Advisory Council Member, Centre for Social Impact; Inaugural board member, Family Business Council;[57] Trustee,[23] the Jewish Museum of Australia; Chair, The Katherine Hannay Visual Arts Commission[58] for ANZ Trustees; Trustee,[59] National Gallery of Victoria; and the Premier of Victoria’s Bushfire Reconstruction Industry Champions Committee. Milgrom is a member of the Art Basel Global Patrons Council, Tate Museum London's International Council[60] and has been a judge for the World Architecture Awards.[23]

Awards

[edit]

In 2001, Milgrom was awarded the Centenary Medal for outstanding service to the Melbourne Fashion Festival and the fashion industry.[61] In 2010, Milgrom was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for service to business as a leader and mentor in the fashion industry, and to the community through advisory and management roles of a wide range of arts, health and philanthropic bodies;[62] and in 2020, Milgrom was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for eminent service to the community through philanthropic leadership and support for the promotion of the arts, architecture, design excellence and cultural exchange, and to business.[63]

In 2015, she was awarded the Australian Institute of Architects President's Prize for her establishment of the MPavilion project in Melbourne.[23] Milgrom also received 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). In 2016, she was also inducted into the Australian Retailers Association's Australian Retail Awards Hall of Fame, and in 2017, she received the Melbourne Achiever Award.

In 2018, she was honored with the Ethical Leadership Award by the John Monash Foundation. Milgrom also received the Melbourne Design Week Award (2020) and was recognised as an Honorary Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia in the same year. In 2024, she was awarded the Australian Institute of Architects' President's Prize.

Milgrom has also received the Sir John Monash Award for Outstanding Achievement (2008), an Honorary Doctorate of Business from RMIT University (2010), a Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award from Monash University (2010), Creative Partnerships Australia Philanthropy Leadership Award (2016_ and an Honorary Doctorate of Business from the University of New South Wales (2016).[23]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Eulogy for Marc Besen Delivered by Mark Leibler". Arnold Bloch Leibler. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  2. ^ "About". Naomi Milgrom Foundation. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c "Eulogy for Marc Besen delivered by Mark Leibler". Arnold Bloch Leibler. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Sir John Monash Medal for Outstanding Achievement". Monash University. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  5. ^ "EY Entrepreneur of the Year". EY. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Naomi Milgrom". Monash University. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Australian Retail Awards". Australian Retailers Association. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Melbourne Achiever Award". Melbourne.org.au. 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  9. ^ "Naomi Milgrom AO - Speaker Profile". Monash University. 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
  10. ^ "Melbourne Design Week Award". Design Week Melbourne. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Design Institute of Australia". Design.org.au. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  12. ^ "National President's Prize". Australian Institute of Architects. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  13. ^ Liebler, Marc (9 November 2023). "Eulogy for Marc Besen, delivered by Mark Leibler". abl.com.au. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Meet Naomi Milgrom, the 'cashmere steamroller' who keeps Sussan profitable amid fashion collapses". Financial Review. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Melbourne's richest woman just bought another prestige property in Byron Bay". Domain. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  16. ^ a b Roux, Caroline (8 June 2018). "Collector Naomi Milgrom on her hands-on approach to philanthrophy". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  17. ^ Article, Lee Carter ShareShare This (22 January 2024). "Australian Collector Naomi Milgrom on Her Fascination With Pavilions". Artnet News. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  18. ^ a b c d "Asia's Power Businesswomen, 2014: Naomi Milgrom Is All About the Logo". Forbes. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  19. ^ "Sussan heiress takes control". The Age. 11 November 2003. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  20. ^ a b c Clausen, Lisa (17 December 2014). "A city's celebration of lives less ordinary, Naomi Milgrom and MPavilion". The Age. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  21. ^ "These are the 10 richest people in Australia for 2019". GQ. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  22. ^ a b c Walker, Jacqui (18 May 2006). "Rag-trade riches". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  23. ^ a b c d e "Naomi Milgrom AO". Monash University. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  24. ^ Guest, Forbes. "Asia's Power Businesswomen, 2014: Naomi Milgrom Is All About the Logo". Forbes. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  25. ^ "Melbourne House". Our Digital Heritage. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  26. ^ "NG Alphas: Melbourne House". Next Generation. No. 33. September 1997. pp. 116–8.
  27. ^ "CRASH 3 - Melbourne House". www.crashonline.org.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  28. ^ "MR SUSSAN KEEPS ON ADDING THIS TO THAT". Australian Financial Review. 18 April 1994. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  29. ^ "Sussan heiress takes control". The Age. 11 November 2003. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  30. ^ a b Kehagias, Melissa (7 October 2016). "Rich lister Naomi Milgrom has paid $12 million for Daniel Johns' apartment block". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  31. ^ Chancellor, Jonathan (24 June 2017). "Naomi Milgrom buys again in Byron Bay". RealEstate.com.au. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  32. ^ a b Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (26 May 2023). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  33. ^ Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2017). "Financial Review Rich List 2017". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  34. ^ Mayne, Stephen (26 May 2017). "Mayne's take: The top 25 Australian billionaires, as claimed by Fairfax". Crikey. Private Media. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  35. ^ Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2018). "2018 AFR Rich List: Who are Australia's richest people?". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  36. ^ Bailey, Michael (30 May 2019). "Australia's 200 richest people revealed". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  37. ^ Wilmot, Ben (24 October 2019). "Victoria's richest woman doubles down in Cremorne". Commercial News. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  38. ^ Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (30 October 2020). "The full list: Australia's wealthiest 200 revealed". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  39. ^ Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (27 May 2021). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  40. ^ "Philanthropy 50: Which Australians gave away the most in 2023?". Australian Financial Review. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  41. ^ Roux, Caroline (8 June 2018). "Collector Naomi Milgrom on her hands-on approach to philanthrophy". Financial Times. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  42. ^ "Naomi Milgrom Foundation". Naomi Milgrom Foundation. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  43. ^ Cheng, Linda (10 April 2024). "Tadao Ando's MPavilion set to remain until 2025". ArchitectureAU. Architecture Media. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  44. ^ "Naomi Milgrom AC awarded AIA National President's Prize - MPavilion". mpavilion.org. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  45. ^ a b c "Awards - MPavilion". mpavilion.org. 25 July 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  46. ^ "MPavilion 2022". Good Design. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  47. ^ "National President's Prize". Australian Institute of Architects. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  48. ^ "Living Cities Forum". Living Cities Forum. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  49. ^ "Skywhales: Every heart sings". National Gallery of Australia. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  50. ^ "PHOTO 2021". PHOTO 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  51. ^ "PHOTO 2024". PHOTO 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  52. ^ "William Kentridge: That which we do not remember, Art Gallery of New South Wales (2018-2019)". Naomi Milgrom Foundation. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  53. ^ Roux, Caroline (8 June 2018). "Collector Naomi Milgrom on her hands-on approach to philanthropy". Financial Times. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  54. ^ Review, Arts (14 February 2022). "Elaine Chia to lead the establishment of a new cultural precinct project in Melbourne". Australian Arts Review. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  55. ^ Blacker, Amy (15 August 2022). "Business leader, Naomi Milgrom AC gifts Cremorne building to White Box and ASA". White Box Enterprises. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  56. ^ "Naomi Milgrom to chair Powerhouse Precinct design competition jury". Architecture & Design. Retrieved 21 August 2024.
  57. ^ "Council aiming for peace of mind for all the family". Australian Financial Review. 18 October 1996. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  58. ^ "Naomi Milgrom AO appointed Commissioner for Australia, Venice Biennale 2017". Creative Australia. 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  59. ^ Gill, Raymond (10 October 2011). "Fresh face to usher in new era for NGV". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  60. ^ Article, Lee Carter ShareShare This (22 January 2024). "Australian Collector Naomi Milgrom on Her Fascination With Pavilions". Artnet News. Retrieved 20 August 2024.
  61. ^ "Centenary Medal entry for Ms Naomi MILGROM". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 1 January 2001. Retrieved 16 November 2020. For outstanding service to the Melbourne Fashion Festival and the fashion industry
  62. ^ "Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) entry for Ms Naomi MILGROM". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 26 January 2010. Retrieved 16 November 2020. For service to business as a leader and mentor in the fashion industry, and to the community through advisory and management roles of a wide range of arts, health and philanthropic bodies.
  63. ^ "Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) entry for Ms Naomi MILGROM AO". Australian Honours Database. Canberra, Australia: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 7 June 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2020. For eminent service to the community through philanthropic leadership and support for the promotion of the arts, architecture, design excellence and cultural exchange, and to business.
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