Graeme Thomas Wood AM (born 1947)[1] is an Australian digital entrepreneur, philanthropist and environmentalist. He founded the websites Wotif.com[2] and The Global Mail. Wood has also invested in The Guardian Australia.
Graeme Wood AM | |
|---|---|
| Born | Graeme Thomas Wood 1947 (age 76–77) Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia |
| Alma mater | University of Queensland (B.Ec, M.IS) |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Career
editWood founded The Global Mail, a not-for-profit multimedia site for journalism in the public interest.[3] In July 2013, The Global Mail became the first institutional member of the Washington-based International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), as part of Wood's three-year, US$1.5 million grant to bolster cross-border investigative reporting.[4] Other businesses Wood has founded include Wild Mob (2008), a not-for-profit organisation that aims to protect Australia's most threatened species and ecosystems by giving young people the opportunity to participate in conservation work and environmental education;[5] Artology (2011), an organisation focused on youth development and social change through the arts;[6] and Wotnews, which closed in 2012[7] after spawning We Are Hunted, a music recommendation website sold to Twitter in 2013.[8]
The Graeme Wood Foundation supports environmental sustainability, the arts, tertiary education and improved justice for Australia's Indigenous community. In 2010, he gave a political donation of A$1.6 million, to The Greens[9] and is a donor of University of Queensland, the University of Tasmania, and Melbourne University.[10] In January 2013, Wood became a prominent backer of the digital arm of British newspaper The Guardian in Australia,[11] which he said would add quality and diversity to Australian media and foster a closer interaction with the rest of the world. In October 2016, leaked emails from the account of John Podesta included a claim by a public relations company, Fenton Communications, that Wood had pledged US$500,000 towards an advertising campaign to counter the climate change denial stance of media owned by Rupert Murdoch. Wood has since stated, "It sounded like a good idea at the time but in the end I didn’t proceed with any funding".[12]
In 2011, Wood acquired the Triabunna Woodchip Mill in Tasmania.[13] He submitted plans for the rejuvenation of the site, renamed Spring Bay Mill, in September 2016.
Awards and honours
editWood was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 2012 Australia Day Honours.[14] He was awarded Suncorp Queenslander of the Year[15] and received an Honorary Doctorate of Economics from the University of Queensland.
References
edit- ^ "Graeme's now even richer". The Morning Bulletin. 3 June 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- ^ "How Graeme Wood made his fortune". Money Magazine. 26 April 2006. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
- ^ McAthy, Rachel (10 June 2013). "Why The Global Mail has focused in on data and investigations". journalism.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014.
- ^ "Press Release - ICIJ and The Global Mail enter partnership" (PDF). The Global Mail. July 2013. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 September 2013.
- ^ "Wild Mob". Wild Mob. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ "Artology | Unlocking the creative potential of young people..." artology.org.au. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
- ^ Schmidl, Engel (21 June 2012). "Wotnews to shut down on 23 June as development team heads to New York". Smart Company. Archived from the original on 15 July 2016.
- ^ Gardner, Jessica (27 April 2013). "How three Australians took Twitter into music". The Australian Financial Review. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 20 August 2013.
- ^ Manning, Paddy (8 January 2011). "Web millionaire bankrolled Greens". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 15 July 2016.
- ^ Glaister, Shirley (October 2011), "Inspirational alumni honoured", Contact Magazine, University of Queensland, archived from the original on 4 July 2013
- ^ Sweeney, Mark (26 May 2013). "Guardian Australia launches with promise of 'fresh and independent view'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013.
- ^ Slezak, Michael (25 October 2016). "Hacked emails reveal plan to counter Rupert Murdoch's climate denial". The Guardian. London, United Kingdom. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
- ^ Darby, Andrew (14 July 2011). "Greenies buy woodchip mill". The Age. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016.
- ^ Australia Day honours to UQ community members, University of Queensland, 26 January 2012
- ^ "Suncorp Queenslander of the Year Award Recipients", suncorp.com.au, June 2008, archived from the original on 4 March 2016