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Samantha Mostyn, a former non-executive director of Virgin, has been appointed Australia’s next Governor-General.
Mostyn was recommended for the role by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the decision was approved by King Charles.
She replaces David Hurley and will be Australia’s 28th Governor-General when she is sworn in on 1 July this year.
The Governor-General represents The King in Australia and is also the Commander-In-Chief of the ADF.
In 2021, Mostyn was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to business, the community and women.
She started her career as an associate in the Court of Appeal of the NSW Supreme Court and has worked at law firms Freehills and Gilbert and Tobin. She has more recently been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from the Australian National University.
She has also been a member of the Australian Faculty of The Prince of Wales’s Business & Sustainability Programme for 12 years, and a senior associate in the International Programme.
Accepting the appointment, Mostyn reflected on family values as the daughter of an army officer.
“I’m deeply honoured by this great privilege and look forward to representing the values, hopes and aspirations of all Australians,” according to Governor-General Designate Samantha Mostyn AO.
“I will never underestimate or take for granted the expectations that come with high office and I am ready to serve with integrity, compassion and respect.
“Like most people, and certainly most people in Australia, my fundamental values were set early by my parents and our family life.
“Along with my three younger sisters, I grew up in an army family, our father a Royal Military College Duntroon graduate who served Australia with distinction for almost 40 years, supported by the generosity, love, care and selflessness of our late mother.
“In my very early years, my dad’s military service took us to the United States and Canada before returning to Australia and living in Adelaide and Melbourne, including time spent with my grandmother when my father served in Vietnam. We learned to be resilient.”
Mostyn has been employed at senior levels in telecommunications and insurance companies in Australia and globally.
She has also held senior non-executive roles on boards including Transurban and has been chair of Citibank Australia. She currently chairs AWARE Super and Alberts Music Group and is on the board of Mirvac.
“Being of service is what often provides a person with their greatest happiness and sense of purpose. That is certainly the case for me and I can think of no greater purpose… than to serve this country I love as Governor-General, particularly at a time in our history when the challenges and opportunities we face are large and complex,” she said.
“My legal training, including time spent in courts from the Magistrates Court here in Canberra to the Court of Appeal of the New South Wales Supreme Court, ensures that I understand and deeply respect our institutions, the rule of law and in particular the democratic will of the Australian people when it comes to our constitutional arrangements. It is this that will guide me in carrying out the duties of this office.
“My final reflections are reserved for the most important people in my life, my husband Simeon, a senior barrister and our talented and creative daughter, Lottie. A decision to serve the Australian people could only be taken in partnership with my family. Their unwavering support in enthusiastically accepting this appointment in the knowledge and understanding of the considerable changes to our family life is something I will always value. I love them dearly and they will be a big part of what I do as your next Governor-General.”
