US ambassador for Pratt advisory board

FORMER US ambassador to Australia Jeffrey Bleich is joining the Pratt family's advisory board.

Anthony Pratt receives his doctorate accompanied by his sister Heloise Waislitz, left, mother Jeanne Pratt, partner Caludine Revere, and sister Fiona Geminder

FORMER US ambassador to Australia Jeffrey Bleich is joining the Pratt family's high-powered advisory board for its $5 billion global paper, packaging and recycling empire.

A former special counsel to US President Barack Obama in the White House, Mr Bleich will advise the Visy Group in Australia and Pratt Industries in the US after stepping down from his role last month.

"Jeff will be a great resource as we develop our tripartite strategy linking our business interests in Australia, the US and, increasingly, in Asia," Anthony Pratt told The Australian.

The move comes after long-time Packer family lieutenant Ashok Jacob earlier this year joined the Pratt family advisory board. The board is controlled by the Pratt family members, who each own a one-third stake in Visy.

The other external directors are former Macquarie Group chief executive Alan Moss, the former chairman of ANZ National Bank in New Zealand, Dryden Spring, British-based venture capitalist Ross Fitzgerald and former Visy chief executive Chris Daly.

Current Visy chief executive John Wheeler is the sole executive on the board.

"Anthony has a compelling vision for his company. He's a business leader with extensive experience in both Australia and the US. His focus on sustainable industries and Asia-Pacific co-operation reflect a commitment to the things that will make both of our nations stronger. It is an honour to join him in that effort," Mr Bleich said.

Last month Mr Pratt predicted that Pratt Industries would double its sales to more than $US4 billion by 2020 after revealing plans to build its fourth paper mill in the US state of Indiana on a site adjacent to one of the world's largest box-making plants.

He said work on the $US260 million ($276m) project about 80km south of Chicago would begin next year and bolster the sales of his US company Pratt Industries to about $US2bn, up from the current level of more than $US1.5bn.

He also revealed that the company had just recorded its best year of profits.

Mr Bleich said Mr Pratt's strong presence in the US was a reminder of the strength of the US-Australia relationship.

"It is sometimes forgotten that the bilateral portfolio investment between Australia and the US is now over a trillion dollars, some 30 times Australia's investment relationship with China," he said.

"I'm confident that Anthony and Visy will significantly add to that bilateral relationship in the years ahead."

Mr Bleich's comments come as Anthony Pratt received an honorary doctorate at Melbourne's Monash University yesterday.

Mr Pratt told graduates that he could see a future for manufacturing where a factory would employ only a few people.

"The factory of the future will not employ 150 people, but only three or four. Furthermore, it will be completely dark, because robots don't need to see."