Meet Our Speaker
Mr Geoff Cumming
Born into a medical family in Kingston, Canada, Geoff went on to become educated in economics at the University of Calgary, The London School of Economics (LSE), and the University of British Columbia.
Geoff has been a director of over 30 companies in Canada, New Zealand, and several other countries, and he has chaired companies in solar and other energy technologies. One early-stage company, Ryman Healthcare Limited, has grown to become a $5 billion pre-eminent integrated retirement company active in New Zealand and in Victoria, Australia. He has been, and remains, engaged in property investments in various countries.
Geoff is active in global philanthropy. He made one of Canada’s largest donations by gifting more than C$100 million towards long-term medical research at the University of Calgary—a contribution that was matched by the Government of Alberta.
On 31 August 2022, the University of Melbourne announced a significant philanthropic donation from Geoff and the Cumming family to establish the Cumming Global Centre for Pandemic Therapeutics (CGCPT), located within the Doherty Institute. The Centre will advance the science behind antiviral therapeutics, transforming the management of future pandemics and saving lives.
Geoff lives in Melbourne. He and his wife Anna have two children.
Read more:
Building global resilience: The motivation behind Australia’s largest medical gift
