Andrew FORREST

Chairman, Fortescue Metals Group

Chairman, Minderoo Group

Andrew Forrest is one of the most socially impactful philanthropists and effective business leaders of his generation. Proof that determination and hard work really do pay off. Andrew founded the Fortescue Metals Group (FMG) in 2003, becoming one of Australia’s largest companies and exporters. Businesses he founded now rank in the world top five for the production of iron ore, nickel and cobalt, fundamental materials to the world’s growth economies. In 2001, Andrew founded the Minderoo Foundation and in 2011 stepped down as CEO of FMG to join his wife, Nicola focussing on Minderoo’s philanthropic work. They now devote the vast majority of their time and fortune to creating sustainable improvement in the lives of the world’s most underprivileged. The main vehicles of this improvement are: GenerationOne, ending Indigenous disparity in Australia; and the Walk Free Foundation, eliminating global modern day slavery. Andrew founded (2012) and co-chairs the Australian-China Senior Business Leaders Forum. The forum comprises 12 top business leaders from both nations, strengthening and enforcing a long term bilateral relationship in the region. In 2014 the Australian Prime Minister appointed Andrew to Chair a Review into Indigenous Employment and Training, with the specific aim of ending Indigenous disparity through employment. In that year, he was also appointed to the Board of the Art Gallery of Western Australia Foundation. 2014 also saw Andrew found and co-chair of the Australia Sino Hundred Year Agricultural and Food Safety Partnership: an initiative to establish Australia as a safe and premium quality food supplier partner to China. Andrew is a Councillor of the Global Citizen Commission which is to report to the United Nations General Assembly in 2016. The Commission is charged with the reformation the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). His most recent achievement was the facilitation of the coming together of the world’s major faith leaders at the Vatican on 2 December 2014, producing a global religious proclamation against slavery by notably the Pope, the Grand Ayatollah, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Grand Imam, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist leaders.  He is the recipient of numerous awards, a doctorate and an associate professorship but maintains the toughest job is raising his kids.