Michael Chaney
Michael Alfred Chaney is an Australian businessman and former Chancellor of the University of Western Australia.Biography
A son of Sir Fred Chaney, a minister in the Menzies government and brother to Fred Chaney, a former Deputy Liberal leader, he attended Aquinas College, Perth.
Chaney graduated from the University of Western Australia with a Bachelor of Science and Master of Business Administration in 1972 and 1980 respectively. He attended the six-week Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1992, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Western Australia.
After obtaining his science degree, Chaney worked for eight years as a petroleum geologist in Australia and the USA. He joined the Australian Industry Development Corporation in 1980 as a corporate finance executive and became Manager for Western Australia in 1981. He joined Wesfarmers in 1983 as Company Secretary and Administration Manager, became Finance Director in 1984 and was appointed Managing Director in July 1992. He retired from that position in July 2005 and returned as Chairman in November 2015.
Chaney was Chairman of the National Australia Bank Limited from 2005 to 2015. He is current Chairman of Woodside Petroleum Limited and Wesfarmers Limited, a Director of the Centre for Independent Studies, and the former Chancellor of the University of Western Australia, between 2005 and 2017. He was a director of BHP Limited and subsequently BHP Billiton Limited from 1995 to 2005 and a member of the JPMorgan International Council from 2004 to 2015.
Chaney was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia on 14 June 2004 for service to the business sector through innovative leadership and management strategies, and to the community through involvement with and support for a broad range of artistic, cultural and scientific organisations.
