Jacques Albert Nasser (

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: جاك نصر; born 12 December 1947) is a

Lebanese Australian Lebanese Australians () refers to citizens or permanent residents of Australia of Lebanese ancestry. The population is diverse, having a large Christian religious base, being mostly Maronite Catholics, while also having a large Muslim group ...

American business executive and philanthropist. Known for a management career at

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational corporation, multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. T ...

spanning several decades and continents, from 1999 to 2001 he served as Ford's

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

and president. He subsequently was a partner at

One Equity Partners One Equity Partners is a private equity firm with over $10 billion in assets under management which primarily deals with the industrial, healthcare and technology sectors in North America and Europe. One Equity Partners was the merchant banking ...

(JPMorgan), as well as on the boards of

British Sky Broadcasting Sky UK Limited (formerly British Sky Broadcasting Limited (BSkyB)), trading as Sky, is a British broadcaster and telecommunications company that provides television, broadband internet, fixed line and mobile telephone services to consumers a ...

and

Brambles ''Rubus'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae, most commonly known as brambles. Fruits of various species are known as raspberries, blackberries, dewberries, and bristleberries. ...

. Also previously on the international advisory council of

Allianz Allianz SE ( , ) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core businesses are insurance and asset management. Allianz is the world's largest List of largest insurance ...

and Chairman of the Australian mining company BHP Billiton from 2010 to 2017, ''Smart Company'' named Nasser No. 6 on a 2012 list of the "most powerful people in Australian boardrooms." Nasser is currently on the board of

Koç Holding Koç Holding A.Ş. () is a Turkish multinational industrial conglomerate headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey. It operates as the country's largest company, and the only to be listed on the Fortune Global 500 as of 2024. Koç Holding's contributio ...

, and served on the board of

Fox Corporation Fox Corporation (commonly referred to as Fox Corp or simply Fox) is an American multinational mass media company headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas, 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, with offices also in Burbank, Cali ...

, as both lead independent director and chairman of the compensation committee for the latter. He is also currently on the advisory board of Altimetrik and on the chairman's panel of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Nasser, who funds a number of scholarship programs, is a member of both the

National Order of the Cedar The National Order of the Cedar () is the highest Order (honour), state order of Lebanon, established on 31 December 1936. It is offered in five grades. History The Order was created on the 31 December 1936, but is regulated by the Lebanese C ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

and the

Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

. Nasser was also awarded the

Ellis Island Medal of Honor The Ellis Island Medal of Honor is an American award founded by the Ellis Island Honors Society (EIHS) (formerly known as the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO)), which is presented annually to American citizens, both native-born ...

, which pays homage to contributions made to America by immigrants. In 2017 he was named a

Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...

Early life and education

Jacques "Jac" A. Nasser was born in the city of

Amioun Amioun (; ) is the capital of the predominantly Greek Orthodox Christianity in Lebanon, Greek Orthodox Koura District (i.e. χώρα, "country" in Greek) in North Lebanon. Etymology The town of Amioun derives its name from the Aramaic language, ...

on 27 December 1947. He is the son of a former bus driver and independent businessman, Abdo Nasser. page 135 At four years of age Nasser moved with his family to

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, Australia. He attended

Northcote High School Northcote High School is a co-educational, state secondary school in Northcote, Victoria, Australia. It is situated at the southern end of the City of Darebin, on St Georges Road. The school teaches from Years 7 to 12 and has a current popula ...

. He started a number of businesses as a teenager, including a bicycle-making operation and several

discotheque A nightclub or dance club is a club that is open at night, usually for drinking, dancing and other entertainment. Nightclubs often have a bar and discotheque (usually simply known as disco) with a dance floor, laser lighting displays, and ...

s with his brother Jamie, which they promoted in Melbourne. He also has a sister, Betty. Nasser's first professional experience was at

Ford Australia Ford Motor Company of Australia Limited (known by its trading name Ford Australia) is the Australian subsidiary of Automotive industry in the United States, United States–based automaker Ford Motor Company. It was founded in 1925 as an Austral ...

as a student intern. He graduated with a business degree from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne in 1968, where he would later be awarded an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

of technology. He speaks four languages: English,

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and Portuguese.

Business career

Ford Motor Company

Early positions (1968–1997)

Upon graduating, in 1968 the 20-year-old Nasser joined Ford as a

financial analyst A financial analyst is a professional undertaking financial analysis for external or internal clients as a core feature of the job. working at the head office in Australia. In 1973 he joined Ford's global financial staff and transferred to Ford's North American Truck Operations in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Afterward, he returned to Australia to work as a manager of product programming and financial analysis, before joining Ford's International Automotive Operations. While with the international division, he helped oversee Asia-Pacific and

Latin American Latin Americans (; ) are the citizenship, citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their Latin American diaspora, diasporas are Metroethnicity, ...

operations. While working in Argentina, Nasser was notably kidnapped by political extremists, being returned to the Ford plant two days later. Nasser helped in the negotiations of Ford's

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

n joint venture program in 1982. The following year, he developed a business and operating plan for Ford's Hermosillo Assembly Plant in

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. In 1987 Nasser became the first director and vice president of Autolatina, a joint venture between Ford and

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and Argentina. While remaining in charge of Autolatina, in 1989 he also took charge of

, where he had started his career. He remained president and CEO of Ford Australia until 1993, where he picked up the corporate nicknames "Jac the Knife" for cost-cutting efficiencies. He was also dubbed "Black Jack" for his ability to keep numbers north of red. On 1 January 1993, Nasser was elected

chairman of the board The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a Board of directors, board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by ...

Ford Europe Ford of Europe GmbH is a subsidiary company of Ford Motor Company founded in 1967 in Cork (city), Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with headquarters in Cologne, Germany. History Ford of Europe was founded in 1967 by the merger of Ford of Bri ...

, a role he maintained until 1996. He was promoted to vice president of

in 1993 as well, becoming Ford's group vice president of product development in 1994. While in his position of Ford's VP, ''

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fate * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (19 ...

'' writes that he developed a reputation for working 18-hour days and regularly interacting with Ford employees via a newsletter. Wrote ''Fortune'' about his time as VP, "if Ford is a religion, then Nasser is the head preacher." On 1 November 1996, he began heading Ford Automotive Operations. Nasser was the featured speaker at the 1998 New York International Auto Show ( NYIAS).

CEO and diversification (1998-1999)

Bloomberg Businessweek ''Bloomberg Businessweek'', previously known as ''BusinessWeek'' (and before that ''Business Week'' and ''The Business Week''), is an American monthly business magazine published 12 times a year. The magazine debuted in New York City in Septembe ...

'' described Nasser in late 1998 as a "scrappy, hard-nosed cost-cutter who is widely credited with Ford's turnaround," and ''

'' in June 1998 described Nasser as "heir apparent" to Ford CEO Alex Trotman, who was soon to retire. The projected high-profile appointment met with a great deal of attention in the press, and largely positive reactions. On 1 January 1999, Nasser became president and CEO, as well as a member of the board of directors, of Ford Motor Company in

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Dearborn borders Detroit to the south and west, roughly west of downtown Detroit. In the 2020 United States ...

. During Nasser's time, Ford was the world's most profitable automaker, with profits of $7.2 billion on sales of $163 billion, so he was given free rein to experiment by the simultaneously appointed chairman Bill Ford. Nasser announced that he would transform Ford, according to ''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'', into a "consumer-products and services company". p. 10 He stated he would work to help Ford surpass GM in US market share, and would also try to make Ford less reliant on

pickup truck A pickup truck or pickup is a Truck_classification#Table_of_US_GVWR_classifications, light or medium duty truck that has an enclosed cabin (truck), cabin, and a back end made up of a cargo bed that is enclosed by three low walls with no roof (th ...

sales and expand into markets including electric, connected vehicles. Nasser promptly instituted a number of changes as CEO, closing plants that were losing money and selling unprofitable operations. He also instituted a new

human resources Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ' ...

policy mandating that 10 percent of low-performing managers could be subject to termination, arguing that new people and turnover were good for the company. He also instituted a program that gave internet access and home computers to employees. Beyond human resources, Nasser's other focus was

brand management In marketing, brand management refers to the process of controlling how a brand is perceived in the market (economics), market. Tangible elements of brand management include the look, price, and packaging of the product itself; intangible element ...

, and under Nasser's watch, in 1999 Ford formed Premier Automotive Group (PAG) to expand its market share in the luxury segment. PAG was formed to oversee the

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for ...

operations of Ford's high-end automotive

marque A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's goods or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create and ...

s, and it grew to include responsibility for the Lincoln, Mercury,

Aston Martin Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings PLC () is a British manufacturer of Luxury car, luxury sports cars and grand tourers. Its predecessor was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. Headed from 1947 by David Brown (entrepreneur ...

Jaguar The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large felidae, cat species and the only extant taxon, living member of the genus ''Panthera'' that is native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the biggest cat spe ...

Land Rover Land Rover is a brand of predominantly four-wheel drive, off-road capable vehicles, owned by British multinational car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), since 2008 a subsidiary of India's Tata Motors. JLR builds Land Rovers in Brazil ...

and

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

brands. To reinvigorate certain brand lines, Nasser brought in car designer J Mays. He also oversaw Ford's 1999 acquisition of

, and helped Ford start an "automotive e-business integrated supply chain." He diversified Ford's businesses to include

e-commerce E-commerce (electronic commerce) refers to commercial activities including the electronic buying or selling products and services which are conducted on online platforms or over the Internet. E-commerce draws on technologies such as mobile co ...

, junkyards, auto-repair shops, and car distribution among others. By August 1999, ''The Economist'' clarified that Nasser had already acquired the Kwik Fit exhausts-and-brakes chain in Europe, American scrapyard businesses, the consumer-finance arm of Japan's

Mazda is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima (town), Fuchū, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. ...

, and had "even signed a deal to provide drivers with satellite-fed audio and other services for a monthly fee." ''The Economist'' pointed out the diversification was an attempt to increase profit margins, as "whereas car makers are lucky to scrape operating margins of more than 5% from actually making cars, other businesses such as leasing, renting, insurance, finance and car repair, can all achieve margins of 10-15%." Also, by late 1999 Nasser was working to sell the under-performing in-house parts company,

Visteon Visteon Corporation (VC) is an American global automotive electronics supplier based in Van Buren Township, Michigan. Visteon designs, engineers, and manufactures vehicle cockpit electronics products, connected car services and electrification p ...

. Ford of North America began marketing the

Ford Focus The Ford Focus is a compact car (C-segment in Europe) manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1998 until 2025. It was created under Alexander Trotman's Ford 2000 plan, which aimed to globalize model development and sell one compact vehicle worl ...

in October 1999 for the 2000 model year as a surprise Christmas present for Nasser, with some changes from the European version. Ford's profits in 1999 were US$6.5 billion ($A9.94 billion), which Drive.com claims was the largest "ever made in the world car industry."

Disputes and Firestone (2000–2001)

According to

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, Nasser was "point man" in the dispute between Ford and Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. over tire safety. After an investigation in early 2000 found that tread separation on Firestone tires had led to fatalities in some

Ford Explorer The Ford Explorer is a range of Sport utility vehicle, SUVs manufactured by Ford Motor Company since the 1991 model year. The first five-door SUV produced by Ford, the Explorer, was introduced as a replacement for the three-door Ford Bronco II ...

s, Nasser appeared on prime-time television to announce a

product recall "Product Recall" is the twenty-first episode of the third season of the American comedy television series '' The Office'' and the show's forty-ninth episode overall. The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton b ...

allowing Ford owners to change the affected tires for others. Firestone responded by arguing that Ford Explorers had caused the accidents, not its tires, while Nasser defended the Explorer as one of the safer SUVs on the market. On 6 September 2000, Nasser and

Bridgestone is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company founded in 1931 by Shojiro Ishibashi (18891976) in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka Prefecture, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of (), meaning ...

executive Masatoshi Ono confronted a US Congressional sub-committee on the recall. Dispute arose in the hearings over whether Ford and Firestone had known about similar problems in the 1970s and 1990s. Nasser again denied that Ford had responsibility in the accidents, with Ono admitting some fault. On 22 May 2001, Bridgestone's CEO wrote to Nasser canceling the 100-year supply relationship between their companies, arguing Ford's tire recall was "casting doubt on the quality of Firestone tires."Text of Letter to Ford From Bridgestone
- ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' (22 May 2001) After numerous

class action lawsuit A class action A class action is a form of lawsuit. Class Action may also refer to: * ''Class Action'' (film), 1991, starring Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio * Class Action (band), a garage house band * "Class Action" (''Teenage R ...

s, Firestone ultimately recalled millions of tires later that year,NHTSA Recall Campaign 01T-016 Q4 Vehicle Safety Recall Quarterly Report Information, 25 January 2008 (Amended 26 March 2009)
(from the

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA ) is an agency of the U.S. federal government, part of the Department of Transportation, focused on automobile safety regulations. NHTSA is charged with writing and enforcing Feder ...

) with Ford Motor using AUS$4.4 billion of its own funds to replace Firestone tires on its vehicles. The scandal helped lead to a sharp dip in Ford's 2001 quarterly share prices. By late 2001, Nasser's efforts to diversify Ford's core business had met with mixed reactions in the press, with analysts at ''

'' and

arguing that diversification and recent recalls had hampered productivity. Nasser's manager evaluation system had also proved controversial at Ford, with allegations of

reverse discrimination Reverse discrimination is a term used to describe discrimination against members of a dominant or majority group, in favor of members of a minority or historically disadvantaged group. Reverse discrimination based on race or ethnicity is also c ...

. In July 2001, Nasser announced that the system was being changed to "allow for more flexibility." Ford settled several lawsuits over the system in late 2001 without admitting liability. In October 2001, Nasser retired from his position as Ford's CEO. He was succeeded in both positions by

William Clay Ford Jr William Clay Ford Jr. (born May 3, 1957) is an American businessman, serving as executive chair of Ford Motor Company. The great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford, Ford joined the board in 1988 and has served as chair since January 1999. F ...

, who as

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

's great-grandson had previously been chairman and president.

Sky and One Equity Partners (2001–2010s)

In February 2001, Nasser became a member of the International Advisory Council of Allianz Aktiengeselischaft, a role he would maintain until 2017. In 2002 he became a senior partner at

, the private equity arm of

JPMorgan Chase JPMorgan Chase & Co. (stylized as JPMorganChase) is an American multinational financial services, finance corporation headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. It is List of largest banks in the United States, the largest ba ...

. While with One Equity, he served as chairman of One Equity's

Polaroid Corporation Polaroid Corporation was an American company that made instant film and cameras, which survives as a brand for consumer electronics. The company was founded in 1937 by Edwin H. Land, to exploit his Polaroid (polarizer), Polaroid polarizing polyme ...

subsidiary starting in July 2002, before selling the company in 2005. Nasser was also involved when One Equity speculated on bidding for

Jaguar Cars Jaguar (, ) is the sports car and luxury vehicle brand of Jaguar Land Rover, a British multinational corporation, multinational automaker, car manufacturer with its headquarters in Whitley, Coventry, England. Jaguar Cars was the company that ...

and Premier Automotive Group in 2006.On your marques: former Ford chief Nasser eyes up Jaguar
''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 26 August 2006. He remained a One Equity partner until 2014, and from 2013 until 2019 he was an advisor to One Equity Partners LLP. Nasser was on the board of

from November 2002 to November 2012 and he served on the board of BuyTV.com. In 2004, he began a four-year tenure on the board of directors at

BHP Billiton chairman (2010–2016)

In June 2006 he was appointed to the board the Australian mining company BHP Billiton. He was elected chairman of BHP Billiton in March 2010, ending an 18-month search to find a replacement for the retiring Don Argus. The ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' claimed that "analysts welcomed the appointment," and that Nasser had possibly been selected because BHP was "looking for the stability of another long-term chairman." He officially became chairman of BHP Billiton on 13 March 2010. Over the following years Nasser would help implement a number of policy changes at BHP, including a large de-merger. Nasser also focused on maintaining the company's long-term financial goals, working to keep the balance sheet stable during a global downturn in the metals and oil markets, and revising the company's progressive annual dividend policy, which the ''

Australian Financial Review The ''Australian Financial Review'' (''AFR'') is an Australian compact daily newspaper with a focus on business, politics and economic affairs. The newspaper is based in Sydney, New South Wales, and has been published continuously since its foun ...

'' dubbed strategic for the "new era." On 5 December 2012, ''Smart Company'' named Nasser No. 6 on a list of the "most powerful people in Australian boardrooms." Nasser became a board member at

21st Century Fox Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., which did business as 21st Century Fox, was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was formed on June 28, 2013, as the legal successor ...

in 2013, and in 2015, Nasser joined the board of

, a large

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

-based conglomerate. At the height of the

fracking Fracking (also known as hydraulic fracturing, fracing, hydrofracturing, or hydrofracking) is a well stimulation technique involving the fracturing of formations in bedrock by a pressurized liquid. The process involves the high-pressure inje ...

boom in 2011, Nasser had overseen a $20 billion investment in US shale oil and gas. Afterwards, a fall in oil prices led to "pre-tax writedowns of about $13 billion on the Sbusiness." Within six years BHP considered exiting its US shale gas assets, with Nasser stating publicly that although "we bought exactly what we thought we were buying

n the US N, or n, is the fourteenth Letter (alphabet), letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the English alphabet, modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is English alphab ...

" the timing had been off. After the deadly Bento Rodrigues dam disaster in Brazil on 5 November 2015, Nasser announced that BHP would be permitting an external investigation into the incident, with findings to be released publicly. In October 2016, he announced he planned to step down as chairman in 2017, and would be overseeing the board during the selection of a successor. In June 2017, BHP announced that BHP board member Ken MacKenzie had been selected to succeed Nasser as chairman effective on 1 September 2017. Nasser retired as a director and chairman of BHP.

Recent positions (2017–2024)

As a 21st Century Fox director, among other high-profile issues, in April 2017 Nasser took part in closed board meetings to decide if

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

presenter Bill O'Reilly would be fired over sexual harassment settlements reported in the press. Since 2015, he is a board member of the largest Turkish conglomerate Koc Holding, which is a long time Ford partner through its subsidiary

Ford Otosan Ford Otomotiv Sanayi A.Ş. (Turkish for 'Ford Automotive Industry'), doing business as Ford Otosan, is an automotive manufacturing company based in Turkey that is equally owned by Ford Motor Company and Koç Holding. The company was established ...

. In 2018, Nasser backed the Australian financial-advice software company Ignition Advice. In March 2019, when 21st Century Fox sold assets to

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

and formed

, Nasser was announced as one of the new company's board members. Nasser was also elected Lead Independent Director, chairman of the compensation committee, and a member of the audit committee. Fox Corporation's assets at the time of the spinoff included

Fox News Channel The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American multinational conservative news and political commentary television channel and website based in New York City, U.S. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ow ...

Fox Business Network Fox Business (officially known as Fox Business Network, or FBN) is an American conservative business news channel and website publication owned by the Fox News Media division of Fox Corporation. The channel broadcasts primarily from studios ...

, the

Fox Sports Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world. The name originates from Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States, which in turn derives its name from Fox Fi ...

channels FS1 and FS2,

Fox Broadcasting Fox Broadcasting Company, LLC (commonly known as Fox; stylized in all caps) is an Television in the United States, American commercial broadcasting, commercial broadcast television broadcaster, television network serving as the flagship proper ...

, and various television stations. As of 2021, Nasser was a member of the four-person advisory board of Altimetrik. He was also on the chairman's panel of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation.

Honors and philanthropy

Nasser was named 'Automobile Industries Man of the Year' in 1999 by the Retail Motor Industry Organization. In 2002 he was named an officer of the

, the highest honour in Lebanon. Also that year, as part of the 2002 Australia Day Honours Nasser was appointed an Officer of the

and received the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or g ...

for "his contribution to Australian industry, as an Advisor to Government, and for education in the areas of technology." The National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations (NECO) awarded Nasser the

, which pays homage to contributions made to America by immigrants. At the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours in Australia he was named a

for his "leadership in the mining sector, development of sustainable policies and philanthropy." Nasser funds several scholarship programs"The Jacques Nasser Scholarships,
The Jacques Nasser Scholarships
''RMIT University'' that assist individual students, including the Jacques Nasser Scholarship in Entrepreneurship at

RMIT University The Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (abbreviated as RMIT University) is a public research university located in the city of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia., section 4(b) Established in 1887 by Francis Ormond, it is the seventh-o ...

in Melbourne, the Jacques Nasser Scholarship for

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular a ...

students at the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

, and the Jacques Nasser Scholarship at the INSEAD School of Business in France. He also founded the Jacques Nasser Rural and Regional Scholarship at RMIT University and has supported organizations such as Focus: HOPE, a training centre in Detroit. Nasser created the Jacques Nasser Scholarship Fund in 2004, which provides needs-based scholarships to RMIT students for "global entrepreneurship travel experiences." In 2021 he then started the Jacques Nasser Fund for Innovation, which funds startups which use technology in ways that "drive positive social impact."

Personal life

Nasser and his ex-wife Jennifer, also an Australian, married in 1970 and have four children together. By 2009 Nasser was based primarily out of his home in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, though after becoming chairman of BHP Billiton in 2010 he began spending equal time in Australia, also having properties in New York City, London, and Melbourne. He has Australian-American

dual citizenship Multiple citizenship (or multiple nationality) is a person's legal status in which a person is at the same time recognized by more than one sovereign state, country under its nationality law, nationality and citizenship law as a national or cit ...

and is nicknamed "Jac". Described as a fan of racing, Nasser has served as a periodic judge at

Concours d'Elegance Concours d'Elegance ( French: ''concours d'élégance'') is a term of French origin that means a "competition of elegance" and refers to an event where prestigious vehicles are displayed and judged. It dates back to 17th-century France, where a ...

events. He owns a 1961 Lincoln Continental.

References

External links

JacNasser.com
(outdated) {{DEFAULTSORT:Nasser, Jacques 1947 births Lebanese emigrants to Australia Ford executives Businesspeople from Melbourne Living people Australian corporate directors Australian chief executives RMIT University alumni Chief executives in the automobile industry People in the automobile industry Companions of the Order of Australia Officers of the National Order of the Cedar Officers of the Order of Australia American chief executives in the automobile industry Australian chairpersons of corporations Lebanese chairpersons of corporations People from Koura District BHP people