Ivan Deveson AO

Mr Ivan Deveson AO, was the Lord Mayor of Melbourne from 1996 to 1999, the first Lord Mayor to be elected to serve a three year term.

Formerly the National President of the Australian Institute of Management, and an international automobile and television executive, Ivan Deveson has a keen interest in local government, micro economics, management, education and training. He is committed and passionate about improving Australian businesses and organizations.

Born in 1934, Ivan Deveson studied at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and commenced as a Manufacturing Cadet at General Motors in 1955.  Two years later he was awarded a scholarship to the General Motors Institute in the United States, where he gained a degree in Industrial Engineering.  In 1976 he was awarded a Sloan Fellowship to obtain his Masters Degree in Management at Stanford University.

In a career spanning over 30 years, Ivan Deveson worked with General Motors in Australia, USA, Europe and Africa.  In 1987, he joined Nissan Australia as Managing Director/CEO, a position he held until his retirement from the automotive industry in 1991.  He was Chairman of the Seven Network from 1991 until 1995. Ivan Deveson authored the book The Evolution of an Australian Management Style.

Ivan Deveson was named Victorian of the Year in 1991 and received an Order of Australia in the same year for service to the automotive industry and to business.

Ivan Deveson was Foundation Chancellor, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (1992-95), a Director of the Commonwealth Bank and MIM Holdings, a Director of Crane Holdings Limited, Chairman of Avanteos, a Director of a health food company, and the St. James Ethics Centre.

In addition to memberships on the Boards of several community-based associations, Ivan Deveson is Patron of Melbourne CityMission and Patron of the Spastic Society of Victoria.  Mr Deveson is an Adjunct Professor and Director in Residence at RMIT School of Management and Chairman of the Cooperative Research Centre – Advanced Manufacturing.

He was elected Chairman and President of CEDA (Committee for Economic Development of Australia) in November 2002.

In June 2002, Ivan was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Management from Kettering University (USA) and in May 2003 received an Honorary Doctorate from the Australian Catholic University for his contribution to ethics in business. In March 2004, Mr Deveson was invited by the Pontifical Council to participate in a conference in Rome on Business Ethics.

The Deveson family has established a vineyard and olive grove on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.

Ivan Deveson talks about:

Ivan Deveson speaks with commitment and passion about Business Success; The role of CEO/MD; Change Management ; Corporate Governance; Economics; Ethics; Government/Politics; Leadership