James MacKenzie

Other company positions currently held

Vice-Chair, Yancoal Australia Ltd
Non-executive Director, Melco Crown Entertainment Limited

Profile

James MacKenzie is a leading Australian company director, currently chairing two ASX listed companies – Mirvac Group, a leading Australian listed diversified property group and is the co-vice chair of Yancoal Australia, one of Australia's largest listed mining companies. He was a non-executive director of Pacific Brands and serves as a non-executive independent director of Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd.

A Chartered Accountant by profession, James was a Partner in both the Melbourne and Hong Kong offices of an international accounting firm now part of Deloitte. In Hong Kong he was responsible for the establishment of the firm's China desk in 1984 and, as a delegate of the Hong Kong Society of Accountants, he attended the first Accountants Congress ever held in China in 1985. James was also responsible for the firm's early development activities in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. More recently he has returned to working in the region and regularly travels to China with Gloucester Coal, Pacific Brands and Melco Crown responsibilities.

James is a noted leader in public administration and led the transformation of the Victorian Government's Personal Injury Schemes as Chairman of the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and The Victorian WorkCover Authority (WorkSafe Victoria) from 2000-2007. He remained on both Boards of Management until recently . He is Chairman of The Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research which was established by the Victorian Government in 2009 to undertake research in workplace injury and illness prevention, compensation practice, health and vocational rehabilitation and build on the success of TAC and WorkSafe Victoria.

James previously held the positions of Managing Director, Funds Management and Insurance at the ANZ Banking Group (2000-01), Chief Executive Officer of Norwich Union Australia (1997-2000), and TAC Chief Executive Officer (1994-97).

Prior to this James spent 10 years working overseas, principally in Asia and the United Kingdom, and on assignment in Europe and the United States in the accounting profession (1984-87), with European Pacific Trust and Banking Group (Chief Executive Asia) (1987-91) and Standard Chartered Bank (Director Global Trust Services) (1991-94).

James has served as a director of a number of public companies listed on both Australian and international stock exchanges. He has been a director of prominent funds management companies, including Australian Prime Property Fund, Paladin Australia Limited, Portfolio Partners Limited and the Victorian Funds Management Corporation. James is a regular speaker in public forums on topical business issues. He is a facilitator of The Chairman course for the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

After completing his secondary education at Monivae College, Hamilton (1971) James graduated with a Bachelor of Business (Accounting and Quantitative Methods) from Swinburne University of Technology (1974). Subsequently, he tutored in Advanced Financial Management and Advanced Cost Accounting at Swinburne. He has completed the Advanced Management Program at the University of Oxford (1997) and the Harvard Business School's Making Corporate Boards More Effective Course (2006). In 2007 he spent a semester at Stanford University as a class auditor whilst recovering from illness. He is a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

On a pro-bono basis James has been a member of the School Council of St Catherine's School (2002-06), a director of the Victorian Major Events Company (2001-2011) and a founding director of Monivae College Foundation Ltd (1998-2005).

In 2001 James was awarded the Centenary Medal for services to Public Administration.

Seminar

Sharing his insights as an experienced chairman and director, James MacKenzie spoke on a number of topics and the issues discussed were wide ranging and engaging, with implications for our current and future research and teaching.

Seminar 1 - Governing organisational change in complex environments
In this seminar, James shared his experiences in managing major organisational change in complex economic and political environments. This included a discussion of the regeneration of Pacific Brands in an Asia Pacific context and the development of the Victorian Workers Compensation Scheme – widely regarded as among the most developed such schemes in the Western world.