As the world turned its attention to fighting a health emergency in 2020, James MacKenzie, chair of law firm Slater and Gordon, was fighting his own personal medical battle. Thirteen years after he was diagnosed – and ultimately beat – bowel cancer, MacKenzie found out he had prostate cancer.Chris Hopkins
The 70-year-old says he feels “better than great today” and has another reason to celebrate: on January 26 he was made an officer of the Order of Australia for his distinguished service to business, and to public administration, through various leadership roles, alongside his wife, Flavia Gobbo.“When it came up, I spoke to a friend of mine down in Port Fairy … and she put it in perspective.
The firm’s problems were deep: MacKenzie attributes it to being listed on the stock exchange, having poor governance and making bad strategic decisions. He is confident the organisation has turned things around and learned lessons from that period. Have his views on Australia’s relationship with China, our largest trading partner, changed in the past decade?
“The case for the suburban rail loop is well laid out in the business case ... What happens if isn’t built? What does that mean to Melbourne? So, you’ve got Jakarta levels of traffic jams?” MacKenzie says.
Source: Healthcare Press (healthcarepress.net)