Tom Wheelwright
Encyclopedia
Thomas Clive "Tom" Wheelwright (born 29 April 1953) is a former Australia
n politician. Born in Huddersfield
in Yorkshire
, he migrated to Australia and was educated at the University of New South Wales
and the Australian Graduate School of Management, after which he became a university tutor, research officer, stockbroker, economist and author. He was a senior adviser to both Prime Minister
Paul Keating
and Member for Dobell
Michael Lee
. In 1995, he was appointed to the Australian Senate
as a Labor
Senator for New South Wales, filling a casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator Stephen Loosley. He was defeated at the 1996 election.
He tried unsuccessfully to obtain Labor Party endorsement to stand for the Senate again in 1998, after which he formed his own public affairs consultancy "Politic". He moved to Hong Kong in 2000 to set up a public affairs function across Asia Pacific and India for Lucent Technologies. After a brief stint studying Mandarin Chinese in Beijing in 2003, he reestablished Politic in Hong Kong and consulted to various MNCs on public affairs issues in Asia Pacific.
In 2006 he accepted a new role with Deutsche Post - DHL and moved to Singapore, setting up a public affairs function for the DHL business units in Asia Pacific and India. He was given additional responsibility for Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa for DHL Express in 2009.
Tom Wheelwright married Julia Zhang Wenyan in 2005 and they have one son, Sebastian Yuqi, born in 2008.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n politician. Born in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, he migrated to Australia and was educated at the University of New South Wales
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales , is a research-focused university based in Kensington, a suburb in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
and the Australian Graduate School of Management, after which he became a university tutor, research officer, stockbroker, economist and author. He was a senior adviser to both Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
Paul Keating
Paul Keating
Paul John Keating was the 24th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 1991 to 1996. Keating was elected as the federal Labor member for Blaxland in 1969 and came to prominence as the reformist treasurer of the Hawke Labor government, which came to power at the 1983 election...
and Member for Dobell
Division of Dobell
The Division of Dobell is an Australian electoral Division in New South Wales. The division was created in 1984 and is named for Sir William Dobell, the painter. It is located in the Central Coast region of New South Wales and includes the towns of The Entrance, Tuggerah and Wyong...
Michael Lee
Michael Lee (Australian politician)
Michael John Lee is an Australian Labor politician. He was a member of the House of Representatives 1984–2001, a minister in Paul Keating's government, and a member of the City of Sydney Council 2004–08....
. In 1995, he was appointed to the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
as a Labor
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
Senator for New South Wales, filling a casual vacancy caused by the resignation of Senator Stephen Loosley. He was defeated at the 1996 election.
He tried unsuccessfully to obtain Labor Party endorsement to stand for the Senate again in 1998, after which he formed his own public affairs consultancy "Politic". He moved to Hong Kong in 2000 to set up a public affairs function across Asia Pacific and India for Lucent Technologies. After a brief stint studying Mandarin Chinese in Beijing in 2003, he reestablished Politic in Hong Kong and consulted to various MNCs on public affairs issues in Asia Pacific.
In 2006 he accepted a new role with Deutsche Post - DHL and moved to Singapore, setting up a public affairs function for the DHL business units in Asia Pacific and India. He was given additional responsibility for Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa for DHL Express in 2009.
Tom Wheelwright married Julia Zhang Wenyan in 2005 and they have one son, Sebastian Yuqi, born in 2008.