Leonard Joel is delighted to announce the movement of John Albrecht to the position of Chairman, as we expand our national presence, continue to develop new departments and progress our digital transformation for a new collecting audience.
John Albrecht took the reins as CEO in 2009 and for the past 12 years has overseen a successful repositioning of the firm as now both the largest specialist auction house in the country and the preeminent saleroom for the management of important single-owner collections. The development of new categories for, what John himself has described as, “the new collector” has been a parallel passion of John’s over this time, complimented by his commitment to community and conservation projects with both Arts Project Australia and The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), where John now sits as an international member of their board.
John’s new position to Chairman reflects his desire to focus solely on the management and sale of important single-owner collections and high-value lots nationally. John is well qualified to take on this role, having successfully managed in this time such notable collections as The Decorative Arts Estate of James Fairfax AC, The Estate of Mirka Mora, The Ron Barassi Collection and the management of numerous important single transactions, including the historically important QANTAS medal group, the 1909 silver Ashes Urn and this year the first million-dollar diamond ever to be sold at auction in Australia, at 1.125M (IBP).
John Albrecht: “My passion is collaborating with clients, celebrating important single-owner collections and creating new categories. This new role for me now frees me to do what I do best, and that is curating beautiful collections with my dynamic team of specialists across the country. And with Marie now running the day-to-day business, I know I’ll now have more time for clients and their needs and with the peace of mind that the complex management of our sale-rooms are in good hands.”
Marie McCarthy, former CFO of Leonard Joel and instrumental in all operations of the business, steps into the role of CEO. Her appointment is only the 5th to this position in the firm’s 102-year-old history. Marie has worked in a number of different industries, since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in Ireland. Her corporate experience internationally included tax, project management, statutory, systems and people integration. Since moving to Australia, she spent the first 8 years in the private wealth and family office sectors and then moved to Leonard Joel in 2015. Connected to Leonard Joel’s partnership with Arts Project Australia, Marie was appointed to its board in 2019 and enjoys working with the creative team there.
Marie McCarthy: “I’m honoured to have been appointed to this position and I feel confident that my years at Leonard Joel, immersed in every aspect of the business, has me well placed to guide and deliver what is the next phase of Leonard Joel’s vision and growth plans. While my focus was on being the CFO, I was fortunate enough to have managed the delivery of so many important auction events between Melbourne, Sydney and even Adelaide and it is these parts of the business that I will enjoy being my focus now. Working at Leonard Joel has allowed me to enjoy all aspects of great design, from art to furniture to rugs and lighting. Every room in my home has at least one piece purchased from Leonard Joel.”
July 2021