Queen’s Birthday Honours 2017: Sony head Denis Handlin ‘made hobby a career’

Denis Handlin has spent almost half a century helping Australian musicians achieve their goals.

Sony chairman and chief executive Denis Handlin becomes an Officer of the Order of Australia. Picture: Renee Nowytarger

Denis Handlin has spent almost half a century making a successful career out of his hobby: helping Australian musicians achieve their goals.

The chief executive and chairman of Sony Australia is being recognised today as an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to the recording industry through leadership and mentoring young artists, as well as his service to the community through charitable organisations.

“I am lucky to have made a career­ out of a hobby and work every day with people who share the passion to help artists fulfil their dreams,” said Handlin. “I have never met anyone who doesn’t love music, and to be able to bring new music and artists to the public is a great privilege.”

Mr Handlin started with Sony when the company was still called CBS Records, in Brisbane in 1970, and is now Sony’s longest-serving employee globally.

He has helped foster many of Australia’s most successful artists, including Midnight Oil, John Farnham, Guy Sebastian, Men at Work, Tina Arena and young indie rocker Tash Sultana. He also signed Delta Goodrem and Jessica Mauboy when they were just 15 years old.

He is also the founding member of the Sony Foundation of Australia, which has raised almost $30 million since 1998 for youth-focused charitable causes.

Mr Handlin, a father of six, is a patron of Father Chris Riley’s Youth Off The Streets scholarship program and a board member of the Ricky Stuart Foundation, which builds care facilities for children with autism.

“My compassion for supporting charitable causes is grounded in the wonderful upbringing from my loving parents, who instilled in us the importance of helping those in need,” he said.

He has already been honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia, on Australia Day 2005, in recognition of his service to the music industry and charities. And he was awarded the ARIA Industry Icon Award in 2014.

Others from the music industry being recognised today include classical composer Ann Carr-Boyd, Tasmanian piano teacher Jody Heald, and Sydney Symphony Orchestra Concertmaster Emeritus Dene Olding, all being honoured as Members of the Order of Australia.