Naomi Milgrom AO

Naomi Milgrom AO (BA 1973)

Distinguished Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award 2010

Ms Naomi Milgrom, Executive Chair, CEO and owner of the Sussan Group, is recognised as one of Australia's top 25 business leaders and a trailblazer for women in business.

Ms Milgrom has led the Sussan Group - comprising the Sussan, Suzanne Grae and Sportsgirl fashion chains – for 20 years. Under her leadership, the Sussan Group has become Australia's largest privately held specialty fashion retailer with more than 550 stores and 4500 employees in Australia and New Zealand.

On Australia Day 2010 Naomi was awarded an 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.”

Ms Migrom’s nominator Trevor O’Hoy (BEc 1976) said she was an iconic leader, advocate and mentor of Australian women and had achieved landmark distinctions for women in business.

“She had led the promotion of Australia’s retail and fashion industries both locally and overseas and under her leadership the the L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival became the world’s largest consumer and retail fashion event,” Mr O’Hoy said.

“She has mobilised her businesses and her entrepreneurial skills to make outstanding contributions. She is a benefactor to the arts, health, welfare, the Jewish community, science and education.”

As Chair of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art (ACCA) since 2005, she has propelled ACCA forward to become the nation’s premier contemporary arts centre and the pre-eminent launching pad for young Australian artists.

She has also served on the board of the Howard Florey Institute, Australia’s foremost brain research institute, for 14 years.

In 2006 Ms Milgrom became the first woman and the first in the field of fashion to be invited to deliver the Batman Oration.

At the Oration, she spoke of the importance of mentoring: “I’ve taken great pride and pleasure in mentoring the development of two young women who now are running my two largest businesses.”

Download a video presentation about Ms Milgrom:

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