Robert James Champion de Crespigny, AC (born 1950) is an Australian businessman.
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Champion de Crespigny was educated at Melbourne Grammar School and the University of Melbourne, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Upon completing his studies, he practiced as a Chartered Accountant for 13 years with KMG Hungerford in Perth, Western Australia, where he was partner for 10 years.[1]
In October 1985, he left the accounting profession and formed Normandy Mining Limited.[2] He remained its Executive Chairman through its 17 years of activity. In 1988, Champion de Crespigny and his family moved to Adelaide, South Australia when it took control of Poseidon Limited. Normandy was taken over by Newmont Mining in 2002 but he and his family remained in Adelaide.[1][3]
In September 2001, at the start of the AngloGold - Newmont takeover war for Normandy, he warned that Australia could lose control of more gold assets because of a lack of support from local institutional investors. He argued for the support of Western Mining, should his own company fall to foreign investment.[4]
In early 1999, Normandy made an offer for Great Central Mines, a company led by the ordained Rabbi Joseph Gutnick,[5][6] through Yandal Gold, a company it owned a 49.9% interest in.[7] This offer came under investigation from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, which demanded a termination of the offer on 23 March 1999.[8] Gutnick and Crespigny were found to have illegally structured a takeover of the company and Gutnick was ordered to return $28.5 million to investors. The court found that their behaviour in jointly bidding $450 million earlier that year for Great Central Mines was unlawful and deceptive. Both Gutnick and Crespigny had shareholdings in GMC before this bid was launched, and they agreed together to form the Yandal Gold company. The court found however, that it was only Gutnick who received any benefit and it was therefore him who had to pay the $28.5 million.[9]
The deal nevertheless went ahead and brought the Bronzewing, Jundee and Wiluna Gold Mines to the company.
He has also been a member of a number of associations, such as the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation, the National Gallery of Australia Council, the Commonwealth Expert Group on Democracy and Development, the South Australian Museum, the Australian Gold Council, the World Gold Council, the Minerals Council of Australia and the Business Council of Australia.[10] Champion de Crespigny was the thirteenth Chancellor of the University of Adelaide from 1 June 2000 until 26 July 2004.[11][12]
He is on a number of company boards, including serving as Chairman of market research firm Crosby Textor which was founded by Lynton Crosby and Mark Textor.[2][13] In February 2010, Barclays Capital announced that de Crespigny had joined the advisory panel of its natural resource investment business.[14]
At the invitation of the Premier of South Australia, he chaired the South Australian Economic Development Board from 2002 until 2006.[15] In that role he was very active in developing and promoting South Australia, including attracting the Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Mellon University to Adelaide. In addition, he served on the Executive Committee of Cabinet of South Australian Government.
In 2002, Champion de Crespigny was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia for his service to the mining industry, to business and to the community in the areas of cultural preservation and education. He was also in the same year awarded the South Australian Director of the Year by the Australian Institute of Company Directors and South Australian of the Year for 2002 by SA Great.[15] In 1993 he was awarded Australian Businessman of the Year.
Champion de Crespigny is currently a resident of the UK.[2]