James A. Strong

James A Strong

"Mr Strong is currently Chairman of Insurance Australia Group Limited (IAG), Rip Curl Group Pty Ltd and the Australia Council for the Arts. He is also a Director of Qantas Airways Limited. Mr Strong is also a member of the Board of various sporting organisations. He was the Chief Executive and Managing Director of Qantas Airways Limited until March 2001, and previously the Chief Executive of Australian Airlines Limited, Managing Partner and National Chairman of Corrs Chambers Westgarth Solicitors and Group Chief Executive of DB Group Limited (New Zealand). Mr Strong was appointed a Director of Woolworths Limited in March 2000 and Chairman in April 2001."

Among many of his other interests, James Strong was a board member of Michael Porter's Tasman Institute which Porter created after his previous Centre for Policy Studies (at Monash University) lost its funding. The Tasman Institute was funded by Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett to prepare a policy document for 'Project Victoria', and the think-tank later merged with ACIL consulting. The board of the Tasman Institute was a police line-up of all the known millionaires who liked to dabble in right-wing politics: John Elliott, Hugh Morgan, Ballieu Myer, Dame Leonie Kramer, Sir Arvi Parbo, Richard Pratt and a few others.