James Baillieu

James Baillieu
Born	1968 (age 56–57)
Nationality	Australian
Alma mater	Melbourne Grammar School University of Melbourne
Occupation	Activist investor
Relatives	Ted Baillieu Kate Baillieu William Baillieu
Family	Baillieu

James Baillieu (born 1968) is an Australian activist investor and writer.

Early life and education

Baillieu was born in 1968 to parents Ian Baillieu, an Australian lawyer, and the art gallery owner Marianne.[1] He is the nephew of former Premier Ted Baillieu and journalist, activist Kate Baillieu and also Olympian Will Baillieu.[2]

Baillieu was educated at Melbourne Grammar School. He graduated from the University of Melbourne where he received a BA and LLB (First Class Honours).[3]

Career

Baillieu practiced law at Mallesons Stephen Jacques in the early 1990s. He then joined management consultants McKinsey & Co for seven years until 2001.[4]

He then became an early investor and senior vice president of Aconex which was acquired by Oracle for A$1.6 billion in December 2017.[5]

From November 2017 to February 2019, Baillieu was chairman of ASX-listed BidEnergy and also its largest shareholder. BidEnergy was the top performing stock on the ASX in 2018.[6][7] However, the Board removed Baillieu as chairman, causing him to sell his shares and initiate a legal action that was settled out of court. [8]

Baillieu has been a protagonist in a number of high profile business conflicts. He is described by the Australian Financial Review as "seriously combative”.[9][10] He is described by The Age as "the Baillieu family's chief spear thrower".[11] He is described by The Australian as taking a stand as an activist investor who “targets the good fight.” [3]

Baillieu is an author for Crikey and The Spectator.[12][13]

Personal life

Baillieu lives in Melbourne and is married to Josephine.[14][15] His son Atlas was the Australian Junior Chess Champion.[16]

In December 2011, Baillieu and his wife hosted Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark and Frederik, Crown Prince of Denmark as guests for a week in a secret visit to their Mornington Peninsula home.[17]

References

1. MYER, ROD (10 April 2012). "Gallery owner chose to be game not gamekeeper". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
2. Loussikian, Samantha Hutchinson, Kylar (17 February 2019). "CBD Melbourne: Rob Stary presses pause". The Age. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
3. "bad-boy-james-baillieu-targets-the-good-fight". www.theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
4. "Kon, Stephen David, (born 26 Sept. 1949), Senior Partner, since 2012 and Co-Deputy Global Chairman, since 2013, King & Wood Mallesons (formerly SJ Berwin) LLP", Who's Who, Oxford University Press, 1 December 2012, doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u255982
5. Waters, Cara (17 December 2017). "Oracle to buy Melbourne company founded over squash game for $1.6b". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
6. "How BidEnergy went from one of the worst stocks to a small-cap success". Australian Financial Review. 16 January 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
7. "Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps". myaccount.news.com.au. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
8. "Baillieu sues BidEnergy over chairman replacement". Australian Financial Review. 28 July 2019. Retrieved 17 April 2024.
9. "'Imposter': Clandestine artist targets Baillieu 1889 execs". Australian Financial Review. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
10. "James Baillieu threatens Updater with legal action". Australian Financial Review. 19 March 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
11. Loussikian, Samantha Hutchinson, Kylar (5 March 2019). "CBD Melbourne: Greens hope in Twin Set Territory". The Age. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
12. "Why Australia is saying 'No' to the Voice, and 'Yes' to something better". The Spectator Australia. 24 September 2023. Retrieved 26 September 2023.
13. "James Baillieu". Crikey. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
14. Pearson, Erin (5 March 2021). "'You're a maggot': James Baillieu's business dispute laid bare in Melbourne court". The Age. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
15. "James Baillieu settles spat with BidEnergy". Australian Financial Review. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
16. "Atlas has all the right moves - Geelong Grammar School". www.ggs.vic.edu.au. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
17. "Peninsula princess enjoys family getaway". www.heraldsun.com.au. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2019.