Former Bendigo Bank chair Robert Johanson is being appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia.
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The appointment recognises Mr Johanson's distinguished service to the banking sector, to relations between Australia and India, and to tertiary education governance and financial administration.
Mr Johanson served for 31 years on the board of the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank.
He was chair of the bank's board for 13 years.
"I'm delighted and very honoured," Mr Johanson said of his recognition in the Australia Day honours.
He was proud of having been part of the bank's transformation from being a "little country building society" to a nationally important financial institution.
"Important not just because it's there and big, but because it's different and what it stands for," Mr Johanson said.
Mr Johanson was recognised for his involvement in the Australia India Institute and the Australian Friends of Asha, a group supporting work to tackle entrenched poverty in India.
Opportunities to be involved in both groups came about as a result of Mr Johanson's work with the University of Melbourne.
Mr Johanson served as the university's deputy chancellor from 2011 to 2016.
He was on the university council for 10 years and was involved in a number of committees.
Mr Johanson said the university went through huge change in the time he was involved.
He and several members of his family attended the University of Melbourne.
"It was good to be able to give back to an organisation that made such a big difference to our life," Mr Johanson said.
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Other career highlights included membership of the Australian Government's takeovers panel for nine years, to 2015.
Mr Johanson was a director of corporate finance advisory firm Grant Samuel for 19 years from 2003.
He was a director of NeuClone Pharmaceuticals and of arts trust fund the Robert Salzer Foundation.
Mr Johanson was also chair of The Conversation for four years.
He was born and raised in Kangaroo Flat - an environment he believed had encouraged him to be more self-reliant and provided him with opportunities to work within his own community.
"'I look back and think it was probably a great advantage to have been brought up in that kind of environment," Mr Johanson said.