Australia's longest serving non-executive directors

Retired long serving directors

Bruce Teele: AFIC, 49 years: 1954-2013.

Robert Anderson: GWA International, 37 years (1979-2016)

Ken Cowley: News Corp, 32 years: non-executive director since 1996 and before that executive director since 1979. Finally retired in 2011.

John Church: Milton Corporation, 31 years (1986-2017)

David Gonski: Westfield, 26 years (1985-2011)

Robin Holyman: Gunns, 26 years (1983-2009)

David Crawford: BHP/South32, 25 years (1994-2019) - 1994 until 2015 on BHP and then chaired the spun-off South32 from 2015 until declining health caused his retirement in April 2019.

Alan Bentley: Brickworks, 24 years (1984-2008)

Allan McDonald: Brambles, 24 years (1981-2005)

Peter Ritchie: Seven Network, 23 years (1991-2014) - appointed to the Seven Network board in 1991 and finally retired from the reconstituted Seven Group Holdings board in 2014.

Stan Wallis: AFIC, 22 years (1987- 2009)

Fred Hilmer: Westfield, 22 years: appointed a director in 1991, spent a period as deputy chairman and finally retired in 2013.

Mark Johnson: AGL, 22 years (1988-2010)

Lou Giglia: Wesfarmers, 22 years (1984-2006)

Murray Wells: Seven Network/Seven Group, 21 years (1995-2016)

Graham Reaney: AGL, 21 years (1988-2009)

Dulcie Boling: Seven Network/Seven Group, 21 years (1993-2014)

James Graham: Wesfarmers, 20 years (1998-2018) - then chaired Coles after it was demerged by Wesfarmers in 2018.

David White: Wesfarmers, 20 years (1990-2010)

Stephen Gerlach: Santos, 20 years (1989-2009)

Elizabeth Alexander: CSL, 20 years: director since 1991, chair since 2006 and retired in 2011.

David McQuestin: Gunns, 20 years (1988-2008)

Mark Burrows: Brambles, 19 years (1987-2006)

Charles Goode: ANZ, 19 years (1991-2010).

Charles Goode: Woodside Petroleum, 19 years (1988-2007)

Richard Longes: Lend Lease, 19 years (1986-2005)

Sir Ron Brierley: AGL, 19 years (1987-2006)

John Schubert: CBA, 19 years (1991-2010)

Rick Allert: Axa/AMP, 19 years (1995-2014) - joined the Axa Asia Pacific board (the old National Mutual) in September 1995 and was chair when it merged with AMP in 2011, scoring an extra 3 year term on its board until retiring in April 2014. However, he was still on the AMP payroll as chair of AMP Super Trustees at the time of the Hayne Royal Commission in 2019.

Meredith Hellicar: James Hardie, 17 years (1992-2009)

Jim Kennedy: GWA International, 17 years (1992-2009)

Martin Kriewaldt: GWA International, 16 years (1992 -2008)

Nick Greiner: QBE Insurance, 15 years (1992-2007)

Judith Sloan: Santos, 15 years (1994-2009)

Mike Codd: Qantas, 15 years (1992-2007)

Trevor Eastwood: Wesfarmers, 14 years (1994-2008)

Brian Finn: Axa Asia Pacific, 14 years (1992-2006)


Maurice Newman: ASX Group, 14 years (1994-2008)

Martin Kriewaldt: Suncorp-Metway, 14 years (1996 -2010)

Dean Wills: Westfield, 14 years (1994-2008)

Adrienne Clarke: Woolworths, 13 years (1994-2007)

Barbara Ward: CBA, 12 years (1994-2006)

Longest serving non-executive directors as at 2025

Harry Boon: first appointed to the Tatts board when it floated in May 2005 and after various mergers and demergers is still serving on the Lottery Corp board to this day.

Robert Millner: Soul Pattinson, 1984

Chris Brown: Harvey Norman, 1987

Check out all the Mayne Report business lists here and email through corrections or additions to stephen@maynereport.com.

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