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Richard Leigh Clifford AC (born 1948) is an Australian businessman and corporate executive who served as Chairman of Qantas from 2007 to 2018. Clifford was appointed Chairman at the company's November 2007 Annual General Meeting, succeeding Margaret Jackson. He is also Chairman of Bechtel Australia.

Early life and education

Clifford was educated at the Anglican Church Grammar School and the University of Melbourne, where he graduated with Bachelor of Engineering (Mining) and Master of Engineering Science degrees.

Career

His career with the Rio Tinto Group, starting as a mining engineer and retiring as chief executive, spanned 37 years and included time both in Australia and overseas.

Clifford was the chief executive officer of the Rio Tinto Group from April 2000 to April 2007. He succeeded Peter Costello as the number-one ticketholder for the Essendon Football Club in March 2008. However he was, in turn, replaced by Lindsay Tanner in September 2009. Clifford also served as chairman of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute.

On 28 June 2018, Clifford announced his intention to resign as Chairman of Qantas. Former Wesfarmers CEO Richard Goyder replaced Clifford as Chairman in October 2018.

Honours

Clifford was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in the 2008 Australia Day Honours for "service to business through executive roles in the mining industry, to the promotion of international trade and the development of export markets, and to the arts". In June 2022, in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours, Clifford was promoted to Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for "eminent service to business in the aviation, arts and education sectors, to the community through charitable support and scholarships, and for philanthropic contributions".

Clifford was awarded a Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) by the University of Melbourne in February 2022.

Personal life

Clifford currently resides in Melbourne, Australia. He is married and has two daughters.

References

1. "Clifford, Leigh". The Wall Street Transcript.
2. ^ Qantas Chairman, Qantas.com.au
3. New Qantas Chairman announced
4. Mason, James (2011). Churchie: The Centenary Register. Brisbane, Australia: The Anglican Church Grammar School. ISBN 978-0-646-55807-3.
5. "Ex-Broken Hill engineer new Qantas chairman". ABC News. 10 August 2007. Retrieved 24 July 2015.
6. "Leigh Clifford's spectacular journey". AusIMM Bulletin. 10 February 2018. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
7. Leigh Clifford the new Number One Ticketholder – Essendon Football Club – News News Story Archived 22 July 2008 at the Wayback Machine
8. "Lindsay Tanner named No.1 ticket holder | Essendon Football Club | News Story". Archived from the original on 15 May 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2011.
9. "Ex-Wesfarmers boss Richard Goyder to take over as Qantas chairman". Sydney Morning Herald. 28 June 2018. Retrieved 28 June 2018.
10. "Mr Richard Leigh CLIFFORD". Australian Honours Search Facility. Commonwealth of Australia. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
11. "Queen's Birthday 2022 Honours - the full list". Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Entertainment Co. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2022.
12. Somerville, Cath (1 March 2022). "University of Melbourne confers six honorary doctorates". University of Melbourne. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
13. "Clifford, Leigh".

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