Tony Shepherd (businessman)
{{short description|Australian businessman (born 1944)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=January 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Tony Shepherd {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO}}
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| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1944}}
| birth_place = Melbourne, Australia
| occupation = Businessman
| years_active = 1979–present
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Anthony Shepherd {{post-nominals|country=AUS|AO}} (born 5 June 1944, Melbourne{{cite news|title=Tony Shepherd: the deal-maker | first=Jacob |last=Saulwick | date=18 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403101655/http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/tony-shepherd-the-dealmaker-20141017-115v6g.html|archive-date=3 April 2015 | publisher=Fairfax Media|newspaper=Sydney Morning Herald| url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/tony-shepherd-the-dealmaker-20141017-115v6g.html}}) is an Australian businessman. The first 15 years of his career were in the Australian Public Service. He joined Transfield Services in 1979, going on to become chairman of the Transfield board. Shepherd resigned from Transfield in 2013.
He is currently Chair of the Boards of the Greater Western Sydney Giants, the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association and the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust.
Career
Tony Shepherd was educated at CBC St Kilda in Melbourne and started his career as a federal public servant while studying commerce part-time at the University of Melbourne. He worked in defence procurement in Canberra and for three years in Washington DC in the 1970s.{{citation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707021631/http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/club/meet-the-staff/meet-the-board|url=http://www.gwsgiants.com.au/club/meet-the-staff/meet-the-board|archive-date=7 July 2015|title=Meet the Board|author=Greater Western Sydney Giants|publisher=Greater Western Sydney Giants}} On return to Australia in 1973 he joined the National Pipeline Authority under energy minister Rex Connor. He worked on the development of the Moomba to Sydney Pipeline during this time.{{citation|url=http://www.astra.org.au/about/board-of-directors/anthony-shepherd-ao|title=Tony Shepherd AO (Chairman)|author=Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association|publisher=ASTRA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316090623/http://astra.org.au/about/board-of-directors/anthony-shepherd-ao|archive-date=16 March 2015}} He spent a total of 15 years as a public servant.
In 1979 a friend introduced Shepherd to Franco Belgiorno-Nettis, who offered him a job at the infrastructure company Transfield Services in North Sydney.{{cite news|url=http://www.afr.com/lifestyle/arts-and-entertainment/art/bcas-tony-shepherd-always-a-good-sport-20130614-jhkg0|publisher=Fairfax Media|newspaper=Australian Financial Review|date=15 June 2013|title=BCA's Tony Shepherd: always a good sport|first=Anne|last=Hyland|access-date=8 January 2016}} At Transfield, Shepherd's first big project was the Sydney Harbour Tunnel, which was an early example of public–private partnership in Australia. In March 2001, Shepherd was appointed a director on the Transfield Services board.{{citation|url=http://www.transfieldservices.com/page/About_Us/Our_People/Board_of_Directors/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717090342/http://www.transfieldservices.com/page/About_Us/Our_People/Board_of_Directors/|archive-date=17 July 2011|title=Board of Directors|publisher=Transfield Services|author=Transfield Services}} He became Chairman in 2005, retiring from the role in October 2013.{{citation |author= |title=Our Board |url=http://www.bca.com.au/about-us/our-board |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140213065650/http://www.bca.com.au/about-us/our-board |archive-date=13 February 2014 |publisher=Business Council of Australia}} During his time at Transfield he worked on EastLink and the Lane Cove Tunnel.{{cite news|url=http://www.afr.com/news/politics/tony-shepherd-backs-bill-shorten-over-eastlink-worker-sellout-claims-20150617-ghqu18|newspaper=Australian Financial Review|publisher=Fairfax Media|title=Tony Shepherd backs Bill Shorten over EastLink worker sell-out claims|first=Phillip|last=Coorey|date=18 June 2015}}
In 2011 he became president of the Business Council of Australia for a two-year term, later extended by six months to March 2014. He was succeeded by Catherine Livingstone.{{cite news | title=Australia has 'lost pioneering spirit': outgoing BCA president | first=Michael |last=Smith | date=28 March 2014 | publisher=Fairfax Media |work=Business Review Weekly| url=http://www.brw.com.au/p/leadership/australia_has_lost_pioneering_spirit_BjAJh5FdS9bf2Z1A6QtxJN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140328080812/http://www.brw.com.au/p/leadership/australia_has_lost_pioneering_spirit_BjAJh5FdS9bf2Z1A6QtxJN|archive-date=28 March 2014}}{{cite news|url=http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/03/28/tony-moral-and-correct-shepherds-parting-shot-from-bca/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140802075626/http://www.crikey.com.au/2014/03/28/tony-moral-and-correct-shepherds-parting-shot-from-bca/|archive-date=2 August 2014|newspaper=Crikey|title=Tony 'moral and correct' Shepherd's parting shot from BCA|first1=Bernard|last1=Keane|first2=Glenn|last2=Dyer|date=28 March 2014}}
By 2012 he was also chairing the Greater Western Sydney Giants and was a trustee and later chairman of the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust. As Chair of the Giants, he and other board members set key performance indicators for both the football and business side of the team.{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/shepherds-small-steps-bring-leap-for-new-afl-club-gws-giants/news-story/5b30ea4008dfa0660b767ae0dcdf9fdb?=|newspaper=The Australian|title=Shepherd's small steps bring leap for new AFL club GWS Giants|first=Glenda|last=Korporaal|date=23 May 2015|publisher=News Corp}}
In June 2012 he was made an officer of the Order of Australia for services to business, particularly infrastructure development, the arts and sport.{{cite news | title=Birthday gongs for the best in business | first=Claire|last=Stewart | date=11 June 2012 | publisher=Fairfax Media|work=Business Review Weekly | url=http://www.brw.com.au/p/business/companies/birthday_gongs_for_the_best_in_business_HAi8cvs67bMpDjk3Uh9tvJ|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107232240/http://www.brw.com.au/p/business/companies/birthday_gongs_for_the_best_in_business_HAi8cvs67bMpDjk3Uh9tvJ|archive-date=7 January 2016}}
In November 2013 he was appointed chairman of the Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association.{{cite web | title=Business leader Tony Shepherd to chair ASTRA | date=2013-11-11 | publisher=Mumbrella| url=https://mumbrella.com.au/business-leader-tony-shepherd-chair-astra-188835}} He was chairman of Abbott government's National Commission of Audit which ran between 2013 and March 2014.{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/audit-commission-head-tony-shepherd-accused-of-conflict-of-interest-20140120-314vq.html|publisher=Fairfax Media|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|title=Audit Commission head Tony Shepherd accused of conflict of interest|first=Heath|last=Aston|date=21 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140121102110/http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/audit-commission-head-tony-shepherd-accused-of-conflict-of-interest-20140120-314vq.html|archive-date=21 January 2014}}{{citation|url=http://www.ncoa.gov.au/the-commissioners.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026070856/http://www.ncoa.gov.au/the-commissioners.html|archive-date=26 October 2015|title=The Commissioners|publisher=Australian Government|author=National Commission of Audit}} He was chairman of the WestConnex Delivery Authority from its establishment in November 2013, resigning in October 2015 when the organisation was merged into the Sydney Motorway Corporation.{{cite news|last1=Saulwick|first1=Jacob|title=WestConnex shielded from scrutiny after control handed to private corporation |url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/westconnex-shielded-from-scrutiny-after-control-handed-to-private-corporation-20151016-gkapzx.html|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=16 October 2015|publisher=Fairfax Media|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210110329/http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/westconnex-shielded-from-scrutiny-after-control-handed-to-private-corporation-20151016-gkapzx.html|archive-date=10 December 2015}}{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/westconnex-chairman-tony-shepherd-to-leave-board-20150924-gju6db.html|newspaper=The Sydney Morning Herald|publisher=Fairfax Media|archive-date=8 January 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160108000032/http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/westconnex-chairman-tony-shepherd-to-leave-board-20150924-gju6db.html|first=Jacob|last=Saulwick|title=WestConnex chairman Tony Shepherd to leave board|date=25 September 2015}}
Personal life
Shepherd married Loredana Vilovich in 1964. They had three children.