Jacques Nasser | |
---|---|
Born |
Amyoun, Lebanon |
12 December 1947
Residence | Australia, United States |
Nationality | Australian |
Alma mater | Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology |
Occupation | Business executive, philanthropist |
Years active | 1968–present |
Title | Chairman of BHP Billiton, former CEO of Ford Motor Company |
Term | 2010–present |
Board member of | Allianz AG, BHP Billiton, Koç Holding, 21st Century Fox |
Awards | National Order of the Cedar, Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Order of Australia, Centenary Medal |
Website | JacNasser.com |
Jacques A. Nasser AO (Arabic: جاك نصر; born 12 December 1947) is an Australian business executive and philanthropist. Known for a management career at Ford Motor Company spanning several decades and continents, from 1999 to 2001 he served as Ford's CEO and president. He subsequently was a partner at One Equity Partners (JPMorgan) and on the board of British Sky Broadcasting. In 2010 he was appointed chairman of the Australian mining company BHP Billiton. On 5 December 2012, Smart Company named Nasser No. 6 on a list of the "most powerful people in Australian boardrooms." Beyond BHP Billiton, he currently serves on the boards of 21st Century Fox and Koç Holding. A member of both the National Order of the Cedar in Lebanon and the Order of Australia, Nasser was also awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, which pays homage to contributions made to America by immigrants. Nasser funds several scholarship programs that assist individual students.
Jacques "Jac" A. Nasser was born in the city of Amyoun,Lebanon on 27 December 1947. He is the son of a bus driver and independent businessman, Abdo Nasser, who served with the Australian armed forces in Lebanon during the second world war. At four years of age Nasser moved with his family to Melbourne, Australia. He attended Northcote High School. He started a number of businesses as a teenager, including a bicycle-making operation and several discotheques, which he promoted in Melbourne with his brother Jamie. Nasser's first professional experience was at Ford of Australia as a student intern. He graduated with a business degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne in 1968, where he would later be awarded with an honorary doctorate of technology. He speaks four languages:English, Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese.