Queen’s Birthday Honours: Former Hoyts boss Peter Ivany still likes giving back

Former Hoyts boss Peter Ivany, AM, has received an AO for distinguished service to the community as a supporter of sporting, arts, film, not-for-profit and natural science organisations.

While still well known for his commercial exploits, he is hopeful that other business people will follow the giving path.

Ivany says that the younger generation have an expectation that they will give back to the community, and make a contribution, beyond business and he says that at 67 he is just making a start, even after more than two decades in philanthropy.

He has been guided by the need to create and says he has got more out of being involved in a range of organisations than he has given.

Ivany’s life gravitated towards the arts after his time at a kibbutz in Israel, before he undertook an MBA.

He is perhaps best known for his cinematic endeavours and still sees about 100 movies a year, with many due to his involvement in film festivals.

Since leaving Hoyts at 43 he has matched his achievements in business with passionate involvement in the not-for-profit sector.
He has drawn on the energy he used in taking Hoyts from a small cinema chain in Australia to a global business with more than 2000 theatres in 12 countries.

“It wasn’t about money; it was about creating jobs and other opportunities,” he says.

After the sale of Hoyts in 1999, the entrepreneur built his own diversified investment business, Ivany Investment.

It holds investments across property, private equity, technology, bonds and shares, start-ups, and company turnarounds, both in Australia and overseas.

Investments have ranged from IMAX to Sydney Zoo and Allied Credit, and Ivany has previously been involved with Video Ezy, Harris Scarfe and TAHL.

He says he tried getting a government role after Hoyts and, although that did not at first succeed, he was undeterred, and pursued a wide range of philanthropic endeavours.

His passions in the community, football and arts have come to the fore. He was a member of the Sydney Cricket Ground Trust and serves as chairman of the NIDA Foundation Trust and Community Chair of the Sydney Swans Foundation.

Given his passion for cinema it is only natural that he has chaired the advisory council for the Sydney Film Festival since 2006.

He is also on the board of NIDA and an honorary life governor for the Jewish Communal Appeal.

He previously chaired the Australian Film, Television and Radio School and the Jewish International Film Foundation of Australia, and has contributed to the boards of the MCA, the president’s council of the Art Gallery NSW, and was a founding member of Events NSW, now Destination NSW.

In 2007, Ivany was appointed a member of the Order of Australia for service to the community through a range of fundraising, Jewish, arts, sporting organisations and business education.

 

 

BEN WILMOT

COMMERCIAL PROPERTY EDITOR

Ben Wilmot has been The Australian’s commercial property editor since 2013. He was previously a property journalist with the Australian Financial Review.

 

$1 million gift for Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art

Original article posted on Visual.artshub.com.au

In an innovative approach to philanthropy, the MCA has received a promised bequest that will be invested in sustaining future programming.
In an innovative approach to philanthropy, the MCA has received a promised bequest that will be invested in sustaining future programming.
Philanthropists Sharon and Peter Ivany at Museum of Contemporary Art Australia.
Photo credit: Daniel Boud

The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) has announced an extraordinary million dollar pledge by philanthropists Peter Ivany AM and Sharon Ivany – one that takes a particularly innovative approach to the future sustainability of the museum.

The pair’s promised bequest of $1 million will be invested by Peter Ivany to ensure that accruals earned on the gift will be partly used to support the MCA Access Programs. The remainder will be reinvested, thereby increasing the value of the original bequest.

MCA Director, Elizabeth Ann Macgregor OBE said: ‘This is a highly innovative approach to giving: I love the idea that Peter is working for us! The savvier his investments are, the more support we get for our programs.’

With a particular focus on Western Sydney, the Ivany’s Major Gift donation will support the MCA Momentum program, which enables disadvantaged young people from NSW in Years 9-11 to participate in an intensive art workshop at the MCA.

Delivered in partnership with the Smith Family’s ‘Learning for Life program’, participants will explore contemporary art practice and exhibitions with MCA Artist Educators.

Macgregor said of Ivany’s innovative approach: ‘This way we concentrate on delivering high quality experiences for young people, while Peter uses his investment skills. He expects the fund to grow over time, enabling the bequest to ultimately be significantly higher than the amount originally invested.’

Sandy Ma, Sharon Ivany, Ruisi Chen, Peter Ivany, Ela Curic, MCA Australia.
Photo credit: Daniel Boud.

The couple are long-standing donors to the Museum. This major pledge follows a significant donation made to the MCA’s capital campaign in 2011, and ongoing support through the MCA Ambassador program since 2003.

Additionally, Peter Ivany was previously an MCA Board Member and Sharon Ivany, a member of the MCA Bella Committee.

The pair said of their bequest: ‘We hope our pledge will encourage more philanthropic minds across the nation to follow in our footsteps, and help the MCA to continue to connect a broad and diverse public with the work of living artists and to develop programs that foster the creativity that is so essential to society.

‘We believe, like the MCA, that access to art can – and does – change lives, and the MCA has demonstrated its leadership in this field.’

Peter Ivany was the CEO behind the success of Hoyts Cinemas, at the time when the company grew from a small chain in Australia to a global business with over 2,000 theatres operating in 12 countries. After the sale of Hoyts in 1999, he built his own investment business, Ivany Investment Group (IIG) with a range of diversified investments from property, private equity, bonds, start-ups, and company turnarounds, both in Australia and overseas.

Current investments include IMAX, Sydney Zoo and Allied Credit. Previously Peter was Chairman of the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) and Chairman of the Jewish International Film Foundation of Australia. He has also contributed to the Boards of the MCA, the President’s Council of the Art Gallery NSW, and was a founding member of Events NSW, now Destination NSW. 

Ivany is also an Adjunct Professor for the Faculty of Business at the University of Technology Sydney.

In 2007, he was appointed a member of the Order of Australia for service to the community, business and the arts.