Nicholas Whitlam, Head of the NSW Rural Bank

Nicholas Whitlam is a banker and company director. He has over thirty years experience in all aspects of banking and finance; in recent years he has been active in major corporate re-organizations and reconstructions, in Australia and overseas, and has served as an adviser to Deutsche Bank AG. Mr Whitlam was President of the National Roads and Motorists' Association Limited ('the NRMA'), Australia's largest mutual organization, from 1996 to 2002. From 1996 to 2001 he was Chairman of NRMA Insurance Limited, Australia's largest general insurance company; he was the central figure in the demutualisation of that company which was listed on the stock exchange in 2000 and now trades as Insurance Australia Group. Mr Whitlam started his banking career at JP Morgan in 1969, working first in New York and then in London. From 1975 to 1978 he was with American Express in Sydney and then Hong Kong, before joining Banque Paribas, also in Hong Kong. He was Managing Director and chief executive of the State Bank of New South Wales from 1981 to 1987, having joined the board of the Rural Bank (as the State Bank was then known) as an executive Commissioner in 1980. Mr Whitlam was then Managing Director of the private investment bank Whitlam Turnbull & Co from 1987 to 1990. In 1990 he established Whitlam & Co, where he serves as Chairman of the board. For many years Mr Whitlam served on the board of the Australian Graduate School of Management (from 1986 to 1997 as Chairman) and continues as a member of the AGSM Advisory Council. He has served on the Council of The University of New South Wales, and was the inaugural Chairman of the Whitlam Institute within the University of Western Sydney, 2000 - 2002.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of the artist 2001
© Estate of Joe Greenberg