Chancellors of the Academy
Sir Walter Scott, Australia, 1969 to 1975
Sir Walter Scott founded Australia's first management consultancy firm. WD Scott and was active in its leadership until his death in 1981. Sir Walter was knighted in 1966 and appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 1979.In the 1950s 1960s and 70s, WD Scott was Australia's leading management consultancy firm. Born in Perth and trained as an accountant, he is best known for leading the review into decimal currency and heading the Australian Decimal Currency Board. Australia converted to decimal currency on 14 February 1966 and most Australians alive at the time can remember the theme song to the advertising teaching about the conversion, which was sung to the tune of “Click go the Shears”. WD Scott's Australian business was sold to Coopers and Lybrand in 1985, but has been recently relaunched as a separate company. WD Scott was named after Walter Scott and his wife, Dorothy (later Lady Scott).The Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of NSW has a leadership scholarship named after Sir Walter Scott.
He formed WD Scott Pty Ltd, which for over 40 years was the largest and best-known Australian owned management consultancy, until it was sold to Coopers and Lybrand in the mid-1980ﾕs. Sir Walter who was knighted in 1966 was at the forefront of a move in Australia to have management become a recognized, respected profession, which lifted the quality and performance of business and the public sector in Australia. As one of the founders of the Australian Institute of Management, and as World President (1960) and later Chancellor of the International Committee of Scientific Management (CIOS), Sir Walter raised the profile of management as an important subject of study to assist Australiaﾕs economic development. He brought world figures in management to Australia like Peter Drucker and Joseph Juran. His first two books, “Business Budgeting and Budgetary Control” and “Cost Accounting” were both leading accountancy books for over 20 years. His later two books on ”Greater Production” and “Australia and the Challenge of Change” were widely read by leaders in business and government. Sir Walter’s outstanding reputation led to his appointment as Chair of the Decimal Currency Committee and later the Decimal Currency Board, which planned the implementation of decimal currency that took place on 14 February 1966.