Media executive Harold Mitchell left an indelible mark on Australia.
Harold Mitchell, the advertising and media buying executive who has died aged 81, was a man of great passions whose influence on Australia went far beyond the way he reshaped the media industry.
When Mitchell called you up, the phone line crackled with his intellect, his information, his gossip, his cunning and sometimes his invective.He gave journalists choice quotes, media moguls millions of dollars, corporations, middle Australia and rivals his venom, both privately and through the media.Acting Melbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece said Mitchell was unique: “Melbourne is in mourning for the loss of Harold Mitchell.
“To visit his office in South Melbourne was like Willy Wonka meets the advertising industry – there were the leather couches, the artwork, the collectibles, the big desk – it was another world.” “He was the only person whom when we went down to lobby people, people came and lobbied him. Bang! Policy advisers, politicians, industry people. About anything and everything. His contribution to public life was amazing,” she said.