Industry veteran Harvey Lister, ASM Global’s leader in Asia Pacific, has been appointed a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2021 for significant service to the arts, tourism, sport and to the venue management and events sector.
Lister, chairman and chief executive of ASM Global (Asia Pacific), has spent 50 years in the development of events spanning sport, the arts, conventions and exhibitions, concerts and general entertainment. His resume includes multiple Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Rugby World Cup and running venues that have welcomed the Rolling Stones, U2 and INXS over the last five decades. In total, he has been involved in the presentation of over 40,000 major events since the early 1970s.
Lister said he was humbled by the honour, which recognises Australians who have contributed to their community and to their country globally and domestically.
He said: “I would like to express my thanks to the many people who have been there throughout my career for their generosity, loyalty and camaraderie. I also wish to pay tribute to the 5,000 employees of our Australian ASM Global family, for the work they do and the role they play in the success of our many venues.”
Following the 2019 merger of AEG Facilities and SMG, creating venue management giant ASM Global, Lister took up his current role, responsible for overseeing the group’s portfolio in Australia, New Zealand, India, Asia and the Middle East.
ASM Global (Asia Pacific) currently manages venues such as the 52,500-seat Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, the 21,000 seat Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, the Coca Cola Arena in Dubai and convention and exhibition venues across the region.
ASM Global president and chief executive Ron Bension said: “This extraordinary honour is recognition of Harvey Lister’s lifetime dedication to the entertainment and events industry in Australia. His passion, innovation and determination to advance the sector is unmatched. We congratulate Harvey on being awarded an AM in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list and look forward to his ongoing advocacy and contribution to the industry both in Australia and globally.”
Lister began his career in public relations in 1971 and in 1975 launched a concert and event management business titled Tour Promotions. He was responsible for initially establishing Queensland Leisure to expand into the specialised area of managing major venues, firstly with the Brisbane Entertainment Centre upon its opening in 1986, and later the development of the business into a global network of venues in partnership with the US-based AEG Facilities – a division of global industry giant Anschutz Entertainment Group.
In addition to his corporate roles, Lister currently holds a number of positions with industry and community organisations including as advisory board member, the Committee for Brisbane, director of Australia’s peak tourism industry group, Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) and advisory board member, the Courier Mail Children’s Fund.
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