Mr James Dominguez
CBE AM
Appointed : 1 May 2011
Jim Dominguez has a financial background having co-founded the Stock Exchange Member firm Dominguez & Barry in 1976 (later to become Dominguez Barry Samuel Montagu, then SBC Dominguez Barry and now UBS Australia). He was also Chairman of Swiss Bank Corporation's Australian business and a director of Samuel Montagu & Co in London.
Mr Dominguez is now the Chairman of Wine Australia Corporation which has the responsibility for the marketing of Australian wine, especially overseas.
His investment banking background led to an active involvement in Asia, an interest that he maintained after his move into non-executive roles, including membership of the Asia Pacific Advisory Council of Fuji Xerox Tokyo and 10 years as director of Tat Hong in Singapore. Other corporate involvement included Cisco Systems Australia, Etrade Australia and Nestle Australia.
His public sector work encompassed a number of advisory or board roles to Federal and State Governments – one such appointment, in addition to that of Wine Australia, was Commissioner (Chairman) for the Private Health Insurance Administration Council, the regulator for the Australian health fund industry. His directorships have encompassed diverse areas such as aluminium smelting, coal mining, electronic data storage, online stockbroking, power stations, property management and telephone call centres. His current private sector directorships include Arrow Voice Data, O'Connell Street Associates and Wesbeam Holdings (Perth).
He is a former owner of Yering Station Vineyards where he was responsible in 1988 for planting the vineyard in the Yarra Valley. He also participated around the same time in the purchase of Orlando Wines from Reckitt Colman – later acquired by Pernod Ricard.
His active corporate life still left room for community activities such as Chair of St Vincent's Hospital, Director of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Fellow in the Senate (the governing body) of Sydney University. He was a Governor of the University of Notre Dame Australia for 13 years, to 2012.
He has had business and other interests in the Kimberley in WA, in property and pearl farming.
He was invested with Papal honours as Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great.