Helen Nugent

{{Short description|Australian company director, businesswoman and former academic (born 1949)}} {{refimprove blp|date=March 2025}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}} {{Use Australian English|date=August 2015}}

'''Helen Marion Nugent''' {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AC}} (born 13 February 1949) is an Australian company director, businesswoman, and former academic.

==Early life and education== Helen Marion Nugent was born on 13 February 1949.<ref name="whoswhoinaus">{{cite book |title=Who's Who in Australia |date=2021 |publisher=ConnectWeb}}</ref>{{better source|date=March 2025}}

Nugent completed a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours and a PhD from the [[University of Queensland]] (UQ), and earned a Master of Business Administration with Distinction from the [[Harvard Business School]].<ref name=UQ>University of Queensland (2010). [http://www.uq.edu.au/news/index.html?article=20151 Citation – Dr Helen Nugent AO]. Retrieved 13 March 2010.</ref>

==Early career== She taught Indian history and Asian culture at UQ from 1971 to 1980.{{cn|date=March 2025}} She was professor in management and director of the MBA Program at the [[Australian Graduate School of Management]] at the [[University of New South Wales]] from 1992 to 1994, where she also taught courses in strategic management.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

After undertaking her MBA, she commenced her business career at [[McKinsey & Company]], where until 1991 she was a partner specialising in financial services and the energy and resources sectors.{{cn|date=March 2025}} Subsequently, from 1994 to 1999, as Director of Strategy at [[Westpac|Westpac Banking Corporation]], reporting to the CEO, [[Robert L. Joss|Bob Joss]], she was a member of the Executive Team, responsible for a major turnaround in the Bank's performance.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

==Company director== Nugent currently{{when|date=March 2025}} serves as chairman of [[Ausgrid]] and a Non-Executive Director of IAG. Previously, she has been Chairman of [[Veda (company)|Veda Group]], [[Australian Rail Track Corporation]], [[Swiss Re|Swiss Re (Australia)]], Funds SA, and Sydney Airport.{{cn|date=March 2025}} In addition, she has been a Non-Executive Director of [[Macquarie Group]] (for 15 years, until 2014), [[Origin Energy]] (for 14 years, until 2017), Carter Holt Harvey, Mercantile Mutual, State Bank of New South Wales, [[Herbert Smith Freehills]], and [[Australia Post]].{{cn|date=March 2025}}

==Community organisation management== In the arts, Nugent was chair of the 1999 Major Performing Arts Inquiry, often referred to as the Nugent Inquiry<ref>{{cite web | last=Nugent | first=Helen | title=Securing the future: major performing arts | website=final report | date=1 July 1999 | url=https://apo.org.au/node/17634 | access-date=25 March 2025}}</ref><ref>[https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Environment_and_Communications/Completed_inquiries/1999-02/gst/report/e03 Major Performing Arts Inquiry]</ref> or Nugent Review. [[David Gonski]] was a member of the committee.<ref name=goliath2002>{{cite web |url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/david-no-less-than-a-goliath-in-his-can-do-world-20020418-gdu4wp.html |work=[[The Age]] |first= Valerie |last=Lawson |title=David no less than a Goliath in his can-do world |date=18 April 2002 }}</ref>

She also chaired the federal government's National Opera Review.{{when|date=March 2025}}<ref>[http://arts.gov.au/national-opera-review National Opera Review].</ref>{{better source|date=March 2025}} She was deputy chair of [[Opera Australia]], Deputy Chairman of the [[Australia Council]], and chaired the Major Performing Arts Board of the Australia Council.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

She was appointed [[Chancellor (education)#Australia|Chancellor]] of [[Bond University]] in 2009, at which time she was also a director of the [[Garvan Institute of Medical Research]].<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/appointments/helen-nugent-named-chancellor-at-bond/story-e6frgckf-1111119090122|title = Helen Nugent named chancellor at Bond|date = 10 March 2009|accessdate = 9 August 2012|website = [[The Australian]]|last = Healy|first = Guy}}</ref> She has also been president of [[Cranbrook School, Sydney|Cranbrook School]], and a member of Council of [[Monash University]].<ref name="UQ" /> She was also a member of the panel that reviewed Australian higher education for the [[Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations]] in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ssc.gov.au/decomissioned/deewr-gov-au |title=Review of Higher Education - Expert Panel |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160103023838/https://www.ssc.gov.au/decomissioned/deewr-gov-au |archivedate=3 January 2016 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

From 1 January 2017 she has been chair of the [[National Disability Insurance Agency]] and on 1 July 2019 began a two-year term as chair of the [[National Portrait Gallery (Australia)|National Portrait Gallery of Australia]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.directory.gov.au/search/site/Helen%20Nugent|title=Search results|date=2019-10-15|website=www.directory.gov.au|language=en|access-date=2019-10-14}}</ref>

==Honours== In 2001 Nugent was awarded a Centenary Medal and in 2004 was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) "for service to the performing arts, to business and the financial services industry, particularly in the area of corporate governance and to the community".<ref>It's An Honour (2010). [https://honours.pmc.gov.au/honours/awards/1056779 Helen Marion Nugent] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403104723/http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/honours/honour_roll/search.cfm?aus_award_id=1056779&search_type=simple&showInd=true |date=3 April 2019 }}. Retrieved 13 March 2010.</ref> Nugent was promoted to Companion (AC) in the [[2022 Australia Day Honours]] for "eminent service to people with disability through leadership of social and economic policy reform and implementation, to business, to the arts, and to the community".<ref name="2022 Honours SMH">{{cite news |title=Australia Day 2022 Honours List |url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/australia-day-2022-honours-list-20220125-p59r53.html |access-date=25 January 2022 |work=Sydney Morning Herald |publisher=Nine Entertainment Co |date=25 January 2022}}</ref>

In recognition of her community contribution and career, in 2009 she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Business by the University of Queensland; and in 2018 Bond University awarded her an Honorary Doctorate.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{s-start}} {{s-aca}} {{s-bef|before=[[Trevor Rowe]] }} {{s-ttl|title=[[Chancellor (education)#Australia|Chancellor]] of [[Bond University]] |years=2009-2016}} {{s-aft|after=[[Annabelle Bennett]] }} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nugent, Helen}} [[Category:1949 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Australian businesspeople]] [[Category:University of Queensland alumni]] [[Category:Harvard Business School alumni]] [[Category:Academic staff of the University of Queensland]] [[Category:Academic staff of the University of New South Wales]] [[Category:Companions of the Order of Australia]] [[Category:Chancellors of Bond University]]