Cav. Simon Mordant AO and Catriona Mordant AM
In 2026, Cav. Simon Mordant AO and Catriona Mordant AM will support First Nations modern and contemporary curators, directors, and museum professionals residing in countries with emerging and developing economies (Groups C, D, E of this list according to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) of every State).
About Cav. Simon Mordant AO
Simon Mordant, Vice Chairman and founder of Luminis Partners, became a Supporter of CIMAM in 2023 and a Travel Grant Funder in 2026.
Simon specialises in advising local and multinational companies and Government on their capital markets strategy and merger and acquisitions.
Simon has been a practising corporate adviser in Australia since 1984 and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants.
He previously co-founded Caliburn Partnership which was sold to Greenhill in 2010 and prior to that was Head of Corporate Finance at BZW Australia and ABN AMRO.
Simon is a passionate collector of contemporary art with a long history of benefaction to the Arts. In 2007 he was appointed Chairman of the Museum of Contemporary Art Foundation which was re-established to raise funds for the $53 million capital campaign for its redevelopment. For 10 years until 2020 Simon was Chairman of the Board of the MCA Australia and was then appointed the Inaugural International Ambassador.
Simon is the Vice Chair of MOMA PS1 in New York, a Trustee on the Council of Marlborough College (UK), Vice Chair of The Tate International Council, a member of the the International Council of Museum of Modern Art in New York, a director of Forward Thinking (UK) , a director of the Garvan Research Foundation, Chair of Lend Lease’s Art Advisory Panel for Barangaroo, a member of The Centre for Independent Studies Board and a Sydney Committee member of Human Rights Watch. He is Global Ambassador and Advocate of Australia's presentation at the 61st Venice Biennale.
He was Australian Commissioner for the 2013 & 2015 Venice Biennale, a director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation 2012-2017, Deputy President of Takeover Panel 2000-2010, Chair of the NSW Visual Arts Board, a director of the American Academy in Rome, a board member of Opera Australia, Sydney Theatre Company, Bundanon Trust, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) Los Angeles and Wharton Executive Board for Asia and a past member of The Ethics Centre Board.
In 2021, Simon was appointed Honorary Consul for the Republic of San Marino in Australia.
In 2020, Simon was knighted in Italy and awarded the Order of the Star of Italy (Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia) and was awarded an AO being made an Officer in the General Division of the order of Australia for Distinguished service to the visual arts at a national and international level, to emerging artists, and to philanthropy.
Also in 2020, Simon was appointed an Adjunct Professor at Università Cattolica in Milan and Rome for their International Program in Cultural Diplomacy and Masters Program in Cultural Diplomacy: Arts and Digital Media for International Relations and Global Communication.
In 2010 Simon and his wife Catriona were awarded the Australia Business Arts Foundation’s Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Leadership Award.