John Grill AO (born 1945) was the founder and chief executive officer of Australian-based engineering company,

Worley Worley may refer to: Places * Worley, Idaho, United States * Worley, Kentucky, United States * Worley, West Virginia, United States * Worley Point, Antarctica People * Worley (surname), people with the surname ''Worley'' * Worley baronets * ...

Biography

He graduated with Honours in

Civil Engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

from the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...

before joining

Esso Australia ExxonMobil Australia (formerly Esso Australia) is an Australian affiliate of ExxonMobil, the U.S.-based oil giant. It operates a number of oil and gas platforms in Bass Strait, south east of Melbourne, Australia, as well as a gas processing f ...

in 1968. Grill then moved in 1971 to be Chief Executive of Wholohan Grill and Partners, a civil engineering firm. This specialised consulting practice acquired the business of Worley Engineering in 1987. Worley Group Limited listed on the

Australian Stock Exchange Australian Securities Exchange Ltd or ASX, is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as ...

in November 2002 and Grill is the company's largest shareholder. In 2004, Worley Group Limited acquired Parsons E&C Corporation, a US-based global project services company, and in time amalgamated with various other parties to form WorleyParsons. An engineer by profession, the notoriously media shy Grill is nevertheless very well respected in engineering circles. He was named

Engineers Australia Engineers Australia (EA) is an Australian professional body and not-for-profit organisation whose purpose is to advance the science and practice of engineering for the benefit of the community. Engineers Australia is Australia's recognized org ...

Professional Engineer of the Year 2006. Grill retired as WorleyParsons CEO in October 2012 and became its chairman in February 2013. Upon his retirement as CEO, Grill donated $20 million to the

to establish the John Grill Centre for Project Leadership. In January 2014, Grill was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to engineering and to business, to the minerals, energy and power supply industries and as a supporter of advanced education and training.

Fortune

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' 2006 listed John Grill as #1014 with a net worth of US$1.01 billion. This estimates him as the 19th richest man in Australia and New Zealand. In a March 2008 ranking of ''

Business Review Weekly ''BRW'' (formerly ''Business Review Weekly'') was an Australian business magazine published by the Fairfax Media group. The magazine was headquartered in Melbourne. It regularly compiled lists which rank corporations and individuals according to ...

''s richest Australian executives and managers, John Grill was placed as #8 with a 2007 value of A$861.6 million and total remuneration of $2.59 million. However, on 5 April 2008, it was reported that John Grill is among Australia's richest executives to be most affected by the global financial turmoil, suffering an estimated share value loss of $585 million.Australia's richest lose $5bn in three months

References

1946 births Australian chief executives Living people Australian billionaires Businesspeople from Sydney Fellows of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering University of Sydney alumni {{Australia-business-bio-stub