Wakil Susan
Main achievement
Philanthropist from Australia. Donated a record sum of USD 35,000,000 to Sidney University
About
Susan Wakil AO, born in 1933 in Bessarabia (present-day Republic of Moldova/Romania), left Eastern Europe at the age of 15 with her aunt, fleeing Soviet persecution; her mother died in a Soviet concentration camp, and her father was interned in the Siberian gulag. Arriving in Sydney, Australia, she quickly learned English at Holy Cross College in Woollahra and entered the fashion industry, where she met Isaac Wakil, an immigrant from Iraq. Together, the two built an empire in the clothing trade, later investing in properties in Sydney's central business district and Pyrmont, transforming abandoned buildings into valuable assets. Her major achievements stem from exceptional philanthropy, marked by the establishment of the Susan and Isaac Wakil Foundation in 2014, through the sale of a real estate portfolio exceeding $200 million. The couple donated $35 million to the University of Sydney for the construction of the Susan Wakil Health Building, a 21,500 m² facility uniting medical and health disciplines, and founded the Susan Wakil School of Nursing and Midwifery, offering 12 annual scholarships for students from rural, Aboriginal, or Torres Strait Islander backgrounds. Other record donations include $24 million for the Sydney Modern wing of the Art Gallery of New South Wales, scholarships for disadvantaged students through the Public Education Foundation, and initiatives for opera access through Opera Australia. Susan Wakil was married to Isaac for 62 years until his passing in 2018, aged 84, with both being appointed Officers of the Order of Australia in 2017 for philanthropic service. The couple actively supported the Sydney Jewish Museum, St Vincent’s Hospital, and various educational and cultural causes, shunning the spotlight but frequently appearing in the social pages of the '70s, dressed in French couture. She served as vice-president of the Black and White Committee for decades, dedicating countless hours to volunteering, leaving a lasting legacy in health, education, and the arts in her adopted Australia.
