An extraordinary life, honoured by the King

A Surf Beach resident who has worked with the likes of Microsoft’s Bill Gates to ecologist David Attenborough – and who has surmounted significant disability - has been awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours.

Emeritus Professor Martin Bean has been awarded the AM for significant service to tertiary education governance, digital learning and to business, a title which comes on top of a 2015 Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), which was presented to him by the now King Charles.

According to his Wikipedia page, the 62-year-old has served as Vice-Chancellor of both RMIT, from 2015 to 2021, and Open University UK, from 2009 to 2015 (where he worked with Attenborough), as well as working for Microsoft in the USA as a global manager.

Despite now travelling the world for about 75 per cent of the year for his work with The Bean Centre, where he inspires global leaders, Martin says listening to the waves crashing below his Surf Beach home is his personal inspiration.

“Every time I drive from Tullamarine to Phillip Island I don’t regret one minute of it because of the magic of this island,” says the father-of-three, who moved to the island permanently nearly three years ago.

“I travel all around the world – I’m just back from the UK, Finland and Iceland and I’m about to travel again (the US, Europe and UK), but I wouldn’t trade anywhere else on the planet for Phillip Island.

“I could have picked anywhere to live, but I kept coming back here.

“There’s something about this place. The traditional owners say it’s an island of healing….It’s the connection to nature and a caring community.”

Martin this week dedicated the award to his mum, Margaret Smith, who lives in aged care in Cowes, explaining how she was a “fierce warrior” and defender of him as a child, after he was born with two separate conditions: cerebral palsy and scoliosis of the spine.

“As I’ve got older I’ve realised how much mum sacrificed as a single mother of three kids,” says Martin, who continues to be an advocate for those living with disabilities.

“At the end of a busy day of work she’d come home to look after the three of us, including much of the time I was in hospital.

“Reflecting on this award, none of the work I’ve done would have been possible – given the hand I was dealt – if it wasn’t for mum.

There’s no way I would have achieved anything like I’ve achieved without her being the courageous, caring, loving warrior she was for me.

“I’m hoping this award can be a thank you to all the mothers who are warriors for their kids.”

Martin – who has just successfully battled prostate cancer - says he grew up in a society of judgement and discrimination, but his mother’s belief system was that “anything could be done and achieved”.

Margaret - who moved to Cowes in 2000 with her husband Jim (now deceased), and was heavily involved in the community including World Vision, Probus, the church and San Remo op shop - says she is “of course” incredibly proud of her son, and attributed Martin’s success to his personal courage.

“He has done it all himself. Since he was a baby he has been an incredibly, strong, amazing person,” Margaret says.

“He went through so many tough surgeries and was always bright, never grizzled. That had nothing to do with me.

“That was you, your personality.”

Martin says Margaret was unable to attend Buckingham Palace when he was awarded the CBE by then Prince Charles, but she will accompany him when accepting his AM at Government House.

Artificial intelligence

Alongside his work with The Bean Centre, Martin is now a professor at the University of NSW, specialising in the future of work and leadership, helping education keep pace with rapidly changing technologies and disruptions.

His skills are a mix of education and entrepreneurialism and as the co-author of Toolkit for Turbulence he espouses embracing change, not resisting it.

He acknowledges that people are fearful of the impact of artificial intelligence, especially on jobs, but one of his key messages for young people leaving school or heading to employment, is to keep “passion and curiosity”.

“The most valued skills in the future will be those enduring human capabilities – creativity, critical thinking, empathy, which help humans navigate the world.

“You need to study life: get a part time job, join clubs, give and get involved in charitable activities, get involved in public speaking, don’t accept one version of truth.

“When parents ask me what their kids should study, I say whatever they’re passionate and curious about – those are the survival skills of the future.

“It’s no longer about a prestigious university or job because AI doesn’t think that way.

“The thing that will carry people forward are human skills.”

Martin admits a degree of fear about the potential of AI, but says our collective response should ultimately not be anger or denial.

He says ethics and education are the best way to navigate the future.

“It will come to the ethics of society – as communities, individuals and parents.

“The key to great change is to adapt and adapt in the right way.

“We are in a great moment of transition and how we manage it will decide the outcome.”

Martin says thanks to his upbringing, “growing up in a house that celebrated all people”, the three core values that have guided him through life are courage, care and mateship.

“Mateship is about caring for people, not judging them on their skin colour, or religion or abilities.

“Those values were all given to me at a young age.”