Jack Smorgon was involved in the Smorgon Group of Companies from 1954 until 1995, mostly in the meat industry where he was Managing Director of the Meat Division from 1976-1991.

A Member of the Board of the Committee for Melbourne, he was appointed Chairman in 1995, and stepped down after 10 years. Jack remains on the Board of the Committee for Melbourne and also chairs the Future Focus Group Sub-Committee. He became interested in transport as Chairman of the Infrastructure Sub Committee in 1992, pushing the Government to start the City Link Project, chairing the State Government’s Freightways Melbourne. He was appointed Chairman of the Australian National Railways Commission in 1995, until 1998, when the Federal Government agreed with the Board to privatise. Jack chaired the Federal Government Task Force, “Rivitalising Rail” in 1999.

Jack is President of the United Israel Appeal for Australia; (UIA) and the former Chairman of the Montefiore Foundation. He is also Chairman of the Jack & Robert Smorgon Families Foundation and a member of the Board of the family company – Escor, Deputy Chairman of the Bionic Ear Institute and Chairman of their Investment Sub-Committee, board member of the Australia Day Committee (Victoria), recently stepped down as Chairman of the Melbourne Chapter of the World Presidents Organisation, retired from the International Board of the World Presidents Organization at the end of 2006 after 10 years, a member of the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency for Israel, where he has been appointed as Co-Chairman of the Israel Department effective from 1 November 2008. Jack is also a member of the Executive of Keren Hayesod and Chairman of the Projects Committee and is the National Chairman of the Australian Defence Reserves Support Council.

Jack was made a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the 1998 Australia Day Honours. In 2006 Jack was elevated to an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO).

Jack is married to Val - they have four children and seventeen grandchildren.