OBITUARY

Bruce Kean died on 28/01/2022.

Bruce Kean was born in England in 1993 and came to Australia in 1950. He was educated in Melbourne where he studied chemical engineering and economics. He served in the Australian Army (CMF) from 1951, in The Royal Corp of Signals and later The Intelligence Corps. He retired in 1970 with the rank of a Major.

He joined Boral Ltd in 1968, after working for 17 years with The Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria in a wide range of positions. Mr Kean was appointed Chairman of Oil Company Australia in May 1987 and Chief Executive and a Director of Boral Ltd in June 1987. He retired from both roles in January 1994.

Bruce’s involvement with Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) began in 1968. He would go on to serve on the CEDA Board before being appointed Chairman in 1994, a role he undertook until 2002. He would later become an Honorary Life Trustee. He made an outstanding contribution to CEDA during his time with the organisation. His years at the helm of the organisation were transitional ones, influenced by big technological and societal changes taking place at the time.

In February 1994 he was awarded the Order of Australia for his service to Industry. In November 1994 he was the recipient of the Sir John Allision Award for achievements in Export and Trade.

He became an ATSE Fellow in 1995 and went on to serve as Chair of the ATSE Clunies Ross Awards Committee and the ATSE Audit and Risk Committee. In 2013 he received the ATSE Medal to mark his long service to the Academy.

He brought his vision, expertise and dynamism to ATSE policy Forums including the Climate Change, Energy and Industry & Innovation Forums. Bruce made an outstanding contribution to ATSE and assumed a key role in transforming ATSE into the organisation it is today. 

Bruce Kean has been a highly successful CEO for Boral, having made significant contributions to Boral's innovative management and export performance for which he was awarded Membership of The Order of Australia and the Sir John Allison Award for Export Achievement in 1994.

He has also been involved with a broad range of Government advisory groups including the Prime Ministers Economic Planning and Advisory Committee and is currently Chairing two committees making direct contributions to Australia's competitive future.

His wider interests include economic development management development, and the Arts. He will continue to pursue issues that relate to the future of Australia, economic and otherwise, in which efforts he has proved highly articulate, persuasive and determined in the past, and he is listened to by important decision makers.