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Obituary Peter Smedley: Damon Kitney The Australian 16th April 2019
I only met Peter Smedley once. But in the 90 minutes I spent with him for his last — and very rare — wide-ranging media interview at the end of 2014, every aspect of the man known as “Pac-Man” was on display.
You saw the darting eyes of a brilliant strategist behind his trademark thick-rimmed glasses.
You saw moments of the Smedley charm which helped him transform two icons of corporate Australia — funds management business Colonial First State and healthcare and logistics giant Mayne Group — with a relentless appetite for acquisitions and mergers.
But you also saw the tougher side of the man nicknamed Pac-Man, after the 1980s video game where a computer character had to eat up everything it could in a maze.
His critics long claimed he could be a bully who ruled at times by command and control. Smedley attended the Royal Military College at Duntroon in Canberra for two years before an abrupt departure.
Finally, you also saw glimpses of emotion in the family man who married his wife Christine at the age of 21, who was a father of five and a grandfather of many more.
Smedley died on April 11 at the age of 76 after a 2½-year battle with cancer.
One of his long-serving advisers, corporate affairs industry veteran Tim Duncan, describes Smedley as an unusually creative entrepreneurial leader.
“Despite what people who didn’t know him might think, he enjoyed very close relationships with his CEOs and his senior executives, because he was very exciting to work with,’’ Duncan says.
“The excitement stemmed from his grasp of strategy and his determination to get a company to where the opportunities were greatest. The people on his successive teams really enjoyed the ride.”
Smedley spent almost three decades working at Shell in Australia and around the world, gaining a wide experience in the coal, gold and oil sectors.
Former Shell and NAB executive John Simpson remembers Smedley as “resolute, confident, self-assured, tenacious and determined”. “All these words, and many more, applied to Peter Smedley. He was even slightly intimidating to the unprepared. Above all, Peter relished leadership. He demonstrated this in so many ways, and always with compassion,’’ Simpson says.
Smedley’s greatest achievement was his nine-year term at Colonial. He left in 2000 with a stellar reputation as a corporate turnaround expert.
But there were two black marks on Smedley’s corporate career. The first was Mayne, which he transformed into a major healthcare provider before his vision for a nationwide integrated healthcare offering failed.
The second was steel producer Arrium, BHP’s unwanted steel division, which was spun out of the company with the name One-Steel in 2000 with a huge $1 billion debt load. Smedley was chairman for 14 years and critics claim his decision to expand One-Steel into cyclical industries funded by debt played a part in its eventual collapse in April 2016.
That same year I also interviewed Smedley’s son Nicholas, who has forged a career firstly in investment banking and now property development as the boss of Steller Property Group.
Nicholas embraced his family legacy. “In many ways it probably opened doors and opportunities … I don’t see it as a burden. It is definitely an advantage.”
Obituary for Mr Peter J Smedley by CARE Australia April 16, 2019
Mr Smedley was Chair of the CARE Australia Board from 2006-2009, Vice Chair from 2004-2006 and a Director for nine years from 2000 to 2009.
Peter knew that the only way he could understand and support CARE’s work was to see firsthand the impact of poverty and humanitarian disasters. Staff were grateful for his visits to CARE’s work in Timor-Leste, Cambodia, Vietnam and Ethiopia.
Peter made a great contribution in establishing and driving the CARE Australia Corporate Council, to connect CARE with Australian business supporters. As a member of the CARE International Board and Treasurer, Peter was committed to seeing a strong and effective CARE International confederation and applied his experience to making significant governance reforms in 2008.
Peter will be remembered by all at CARE Australia as a person who believed that Australians and Australian businesses have a responsibility to assist people living in poverty and crisis around the world.
Our thoughts are with the Smedley family at this sad time.
In memoriam: Peter Smedley by Orygen
It is with great sadness that we mark the passing of Mr Peter Smedley on Thursday 11 April. Peter was chairman of Orygen for seven years, retiring from the role in late 2017.
Peter had been ill for some time, dealing with this in his usual manner, which was resilience, good humour and quiet dignity. In his battle with his illness, he demonstrated some of the formidable qualities which characterised his business career. The same qualities that proved so crucial in guiding Orygen through both challenging times and the successful take-up of great opportunities.
Peter had a highly successful business career. He built a reputation as a formidable negotiator and leader who attracted strong loyalty and respect from his staff. These were qualities which we came to observe and value during his long role with Orygen and a range of other charitable organisations.
Peter dedicated himself to many philanthropic and charitable causes, including being chair of CARE Australia, and a board member of ‘The Haven’, another mental health charity which focuses on residential care for people with long-term mental illness. He was also committed to the arts, especially through the Australian Ballet.
However, it was through his chairmanship of the Colonial Foundation and of Orygen that we came to know Peter and to value and appreciate him so very highly. Peter had a depth and sophistication in his development of strategy, which was of crucial importance in grasping the enormous opportunities that he and the Colonial Foundation created for Orygen.
It was clear from the very beginning that Peter was a wholehearted supporter of Colonial’s decision to provide long-term support for, and partnership with, Orygen, engaging more directly when he took over the role as Orygen Chairman. It was through the leveraging of Colonial’s support that Orygen has been able to expand its resources and activities in youth mental health year after year, contributing to a dramatic increase in the availability of youth mental health services across Australia and internationally, particularly through the establishment of the headspace program. This is a story of faith maintained and faith repaid.
Knowing Peter was in Orygen’s corner as we faced opportunities and challenges was incredibly reassuring and instilled great confidence. It was also extremely effective in terms of outcomes. The fact that today we have our new state–of-the-art facility, of which Peter was so proud, is tangible evidence and an ongoing reminder of his contribution. We were relieved and delighted that he was able to not only see our new building completed, but to make a personal inspection of the building a couple of weeks before he passed away.
A number of the Orygen executive team – including chief operating officer John Moran, director strategy and development Kerryn Pennell, and director of finance Petula Frantz – got to know and appreciate Peter greatly.
Peter will be sorely missed, remembered fondly, and deeply appreciated and admired for his lifetime achievements, especially for his immense contribution to Orygen and to young peoples’ mental health in Australia and around the world.
We express our sincere condolences to his wife, Christine, and to all his family.
Professor Pat McGorry
Executive Director, Orygen
and
Alan Beanland
Chairman, Orygen
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