Marcus BesenAC (19 December 1923 – 8 November 2023) was a Romanian-born Australian businessman, philanthropist, and Holocaust survivor. He was the managing director of fashion retailer Sussan from 1951 to 1980, and he was involved in various philanthropic activities. In 2015, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia.
Early life and education
Marcus Besen was born on 19 December 1923 in Cernăuți County, Kingdom of Romania, to a Jewish family, the son of Gusta and Simon Besen.[1] He was a Holocaust survivor who fled from Romania and the Nazis after World War II. He survived the sinking of his small boat off Turkey, and arrived in Australia in 1947.[2][3][4]
Initially, Besen worked as a hosiery supplier. In the 1950s, he went into business with John Gandel running the Sussan clothing stores that had been started by John's parents, Sam and Fay Gandel, as a Collins Street corsetry store in 1939. Besen married John's sister, Eva Gandel. Sussan grew rapidly: by the 1960s it had become one of Australia's largest fashion retailers and Besen was the managing director from 1951 to 1980. While expanding the number of Sussan outlets, they diversified by adding fashion chains Suzanne Grae and Sportsgirl.[2]
By 1990, there were 168 Sussan and 152 Suzanne Grae stores.[5]
The Sussan group also acquired interests in shopping centres, including Highpoint, Chatswood Chase, Whitehorse Plaza, and Moonee Ponds Market Place.[5] In 2006, the Besen family sold a 50% stake in Highpoint Shopping Centres for $621 million to GPT Group. The Besens sold their remaining 25% stake in Highpoint in 2017, for $680 million, also to GPT.[2][6]
TarraWarra
The Besens owned and operated a 300 hectares (740 acres) winery and cattle stud named TarraWarra, in the Victorian Yarra Valley. This is also the site where they established the TarraWarra Museum of Art in 2000.[5][4]
Philanthropy
In addition to his work in the fashion industry, Besen and his wife, Eva, were involved in various philanthropic activities over many years. They established their family foundation, named The Besen Family Foundation, in 1978.[2]
The Besens also supported education. They donated $10 million to the University of Melbourne to establish the Besen Family Foundation Chair in Design. They also gave to other educational institutions, including Monash University and RMIT University.[10]
Besen married Eva Gandel on 15 June 1950. The couple had four children: Naomi Milgrom AC, Carol Schwartz AO, Debbie Dadon AM and Daniel Besen. Eva was also an art patron and philanthropist, and the couple were known for their philanthropic work, having donated millions of dollars to various charities and causes.[12][13][14]
In addition to his philanthropic work, Besen was a collector of contemporary art. He and his wife commissioned a private art collection that is Australia's first privately funded public art gallery, the TarraWarra Museum of Art, which houses around 500 works including works by many prominent Australian artists.[13][15]
Marcus Besen died on 8 November 2023, at the age of 99.[16] Eva predeceased him in 2021.[17]
In the 2015 Australia Day Honours list, he was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia "for eminent service to the visual and performing arts as a leading benefactor and supporter, through philanthropic contributions to a range of social welfare, community health, educational and youth initiatives, and to business".[20][15]
^"Award extract: Mr Marcus BESEN, Centenary Medal". honours.pmc.gov.au. Australian Government: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 5 May 2023. For service to the arts as a philanthropist
