Sam Walsh AO
Co-Patron, Chair and Board Member
Sam Walsh is a Non-Executive Director of Mitsui & Co (Japan), a Director of the Anglican Community Fund, Chair of the Perth Mint, the Perth Diocesan Trust, Theatre 180, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service (WA Ops). Sam was Rio Tinto plc & Ltd chief executive, from January 2013 to July 2016, when he retired after a 25-year career with the international mining group.
Sam started his career in the automotive industry, working for 20 years in senior leadership roles with General Motors and Nissan Australia.
Sam has played a key role in charity, community and business associations in Australia and the United Kingdom. In recognition of his distinguished service to the mining industry and the community of Western Australia, Sam was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2010. He was awarded Western Australia Citizen of the Year (Industry and Commerce) in 2007. In 2023 he was awarded Japan’s Order of the Rising Sun
Sam is a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Management, the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering
He has a Bachelor of Commerce from Melbourne University and has completed a Fellowship Program at Kettering University in Michigan. He has Honorary Doctorates from UWA and ECU. He has been awarded Graduate of Distinction, Life Time Achievement Award University of Melbourne, Honorary Fellowship Melbourne Business School, AusIMM Institute Medal and is a former Visiting Fellow at Oxford University.