Jeanne Pratt and her husband Richard have had an active and long running involvement in Melbourne business, creative and charitable communities. The Pratts made their money in the recycling and packing industry through the family-run business, Visy, which operated under Richard’s leadership from the 1970s until his death in 2009. Jeanne, a member of Dūcere’s Global Leaders Faculty, has continued to guide the family business since that time. She and her eldest son Anthony act as co-chair of the company’s board.

The family established the Pratt Foundation in 1978 with the aim to assist other charitable enterprises while also adding value to the philanthropic world. The Foundation has grown over the decades under the Pratt’s leadership to become one of the largest private sources of philanthropy in Australia. It now distributes around $14m annually to a range of causes, in fields such as medical research, Aboriginal health, education and the arts. In the past 30 years, the foundation is credited with having raised more than $500m for charities in Australia and abroad.

Outside of Visy and the Pratt Foundation, Jeanne pursues her love of theatre through The Production Company, a nonprofit organisation that specialises in promoting and showcasing emerging theatre talent to help stimulate the Melbourne and Australian theatre industry. The company produces three musicals each year with its backing from the Pratt Foundation and a range of private and corporate donors.

Jeanne was named the Victorian Woman of the Year in 2013 for her work with charitable ventures and the large amounts of funding she has been able to help provide to benevolent causes.