The Hon John Winston Howard OM AC served as Australia’s 25th Prime Minister between March 1996 and November 2007. He is the nation’s second longest serving Prime Minister, was a Member of Parliament for 33 years, and was Treasurer in an earlier government.

During his term in office, Mr Howard made significant reforms in workplace relations, taxation, privatisation and welfare, and implemented national gun control laws.

Mr Howard is a Companion of the Order of Australia and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest civilian award in the United States—by President George W Bush. In January 2012, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Mr Howard to the Order of Merit. In 2013, he received the Japanese Award, the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun.

Michael Easson AM graduated with a BA (Hons) in Politics from the University of NSW, and has a PhD in history from the Australian Defence Force Academy, an MSc in urban development from Campion Hall at the University of Oxford, and a PhD in transport planning from the University of Melbourne.

He co-founded EG Funds Management in 2000 and has served on boards in insurance, water, energy, property management, and transport infrastructure. He is currently serving on the board of the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation.

Michael was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in 1997.

Michael was born with auditory nerve deafness and is greatly impressed with the work of NextSense.