Naomi Milgrom

AC
Born
Naomi Besen

1951 or 1952 (age 71–72)
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Education
Alma mater
Occupations
Known forSportsgirl, Sussan and Suzanne Grae
Spouses
Parents
Relatives
Awards

Naomi Milgrom AC (née Besen; born 1951 or 1952) is an Australian billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist.[1][2][3] Her private company ARJ Group Holdings owns women's clothing retailers Sportsgirl, Sussan and Suzanne Grae.[4]

Life and business career

Milgrom was born in Melbourne,[4] one of four children born to art collectors and retailing magnates Marc and Eva Besen. Her maternal grandmother Faye Gandel, "a Polish seamstress who spoke only broken English", opened a small lingerie store in 1939. Her father, a Jewish refugee from Romania, arrived in Australia in 1947 at the age of 23.[5] She is the niece of billionaire property developer John Gandel.[6]

Milgrom grew up in the Melbourne suburb of St Kilda.[5] She attended Mount Scopus Memorial College and Firbank Girls' Grammar School.[7] She later studied languages at Monash University and also attended the University of New South Wales.[8] She worked for four years as a special education teacher in Sydney, helping autistic and schizophrenic children with language problems. She then worked in publishing and advertising.[4]

In 1977 Milgrom and her first husband Alfred Milgrom established Melbourne House (Publishers) Ltd, a publishing company with offices in Melbourne and London.[9] They published a series of books on computers and in 1980 co-founded video game studio BEAM Software (later Krome Studios Melbourne).[10][11]

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.[7] Milgrom spearheaded the acquisition of Sportsgirl in 1999.[5] In 2003 Milgrom bought her parents and three siblings out of the business and assumed full ownership of all three brands.[4]

Personal life

Milgrom is married to art collector and philanthropist John Kaldor AO. She has three children from her first marriage to Alfred Milgrom. As of 2014 she lived in the Melbourne suburb of Middle Park while her husband lived in Sydney.[5] It was reported that Milgrom owns properties in Bondi Beach[12] and Byron Bay.[13]

Net worth

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.[3] As of May 2023, The Australian Financial Review assessed her net worth as A$1.15 billion in the 2023 Rich List.[14]

Year Financial Review
Rich List		 Forbes
Australia's 50 Richest
Rank Net worth (A$) Rank Net worth (US$)
2006[7] $495 million
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016[12] 108 $582 million
2017[15][16] 117 Decrease $585 million Increase
2018[17] 133 Decrease $625 million Increase
2019[18][19] 121 Increase $781 million Increase
2020[20] 125 Decrease $795 million Increase
2021[21] 115 Increase $933 million Increase
2022 118 Decrease $1.20 billion Increase
2023[14] 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

Milgrom is an active benefactor and participant in arts projects and events. In 2014 she established the Naomi Milgrom Foundation 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, each spring for four years. International architects are invited to design and build a pavilion; in 2014 Sean Godsell designed the pavilion; in 2015, Amanda Levete; in 2016 Mumbai's Bijoy Jain; and in 2017 the Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas.[3][8]

Milgrom's other philanthropic projects cover entrepreneurship, contemporary art, music, dance, fashion, culture, science, education, women's health and the Jewish community. She 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. Milgrom is a member of the Art Basel Global Patrons Council, Tate Museum London's International Council and has been a judge for the World Architecture Awards.[8]

Awards

In 2001, Milgrom was awarded the Centenary Medal for outstanding service to the Melbourne Fashion Festival and the fashion industry.[22] 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;[23] 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.[24]

In 2015, she was awarded the Australian Institute of Architects President's Prize for her establishment of the MPavilion project in Melbourne.[8]

Milgrom has also received an Honorary Doctorate of Business from RMIT University in 2010, a Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award from Monash University in 2010, Creative Partnerships Australia Philanthropy Leadership Award in 2016 and an Honorary Doctorate of Business from the University of New South Wales in 2016.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Meet Naomi Milgrom, the 'cashmere steamroller' who keeps Sussan profitable amid fashion collapses". Financial Review. 23 July 2014. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "Melbourne's richest woman just bought another prestige property in Byron Bay". Domain. 22 June 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Roux, Caroline (8 June 2018). "Collector Naomi Milgrom on her hands-on approach to philanthrophy". Financial Times. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Asia's Power Businesswomen, 2014: Naomi Milgrom Is All About the Logo". Forbes. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Clausen, Lisa (17 December 2014). "A city's celebration of lives less ordinary, Naomi Milgrom and MPavilion". The Age. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  6. ↑ "These are the 10 richest people in Australia for 2019". GQ. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Walker, Jacqui (18 May 2006). "Rag-trade riches". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 "Naomi Milgrom AO". Monash University. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  9. ↑ "Melbourne House". Our Digital Heritage. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  10. ↑ "NG Alphas: Melbourne House". Next Generation. No. 33. September 1997. pp. 116–8.
  11. ↑ "CRASH 3 - Melbourne House". www.crashonline.org.uk. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  12. 1 2 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.
  13. ↑ Chancellor, Jonathan (24 June 2017). "Naomi Milgrom buys again in Byron Bay". RealEstate.com.au. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  14. 1 2 Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (26 May 2023). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
  15. ↑ Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2017). "Financial Review Rich List 2017". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  16. ↑ Mayne, Stephen (26 May 2017). "Mayne's take: The top 25 Australian billionaires, as claimed by Fairfax". Crikey. Private Media. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  17. ↑ Stensholt, John, ed. (25 May 2018). "2018 AFR Rich List: Who are Australia's richest people?". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  18. ↑ Bailey, Michael (30 May 2019). "Australia's 200 richest people revealed". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  19. ↑ Wilmot, Ben (24 October 2019). "Victoria's richest woman doubles down in Cremorne". Commercial News. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  20. ↑ Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (30 October 2020). "The full list: Australia's wealthiest 200 revealed". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 31 October 2020.
  21. ↑ Bailey, Michael; Sprague, Julie-anne (27 May 2021). "The 200 richest people in Australia revealed". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  22. ↑ "Centenary Medal entry for Ms Naomi MILGROM". It's an Honour, 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
  23. ↑ "Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) entry for Ms Naomi MILGROM". It's an Honour, 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.
  24. ↑ "Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) entry for Ms Naomi MILGROM AO". It's an Honour, 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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