was 24 when she made – in her words – a reckless decision that would come to change the course of her life, and in turn, the cultural landscape of the state of Victoria. That’s not hyperbole.. At the time, she was a social worker and Harold employed her to work at his market research firm, the Amberley Corporation. The pair fell for each other pretty much straight away, says Campbell-Pretty.
You do. But the Campbell-Prettys were married until Harold’s death in an accident at home in 2014. It was a happy marriage, and one that would ultimately result in one of the most generous ongoing acts of philanthropy in Victoria, and in particular, for the National Gallery of Victoria. You might say that Campbell-Pretty is the NGV’s fairy godmother.
Campbell-Pretty and her late husband made their fortune consulting, doing market research for the likes of Ford, IBM, Compaq, Pacific Dunlop and Qantas. The couple were equal partners in the business, which often made Campbell-Pretty the lone woman in the boardrooms of some of Australia’s most prestigious offices. It gave her a kick of much-needed confidence, she says, that has allowed her to become the philanthropist she is today.