John Spalvins

John Spalvins,(bornJānis Gunnars Spalviņš,1936)inLatvia,was Managing Director of theAdelaide Steamship Companyfrom 1977 until the company's collapse in 1991. During this period under Spalvins' control, "Adsteam" becameAustralia's major corporate entity with interests and significant holdings in retailing, food, wine, dairy, hardware, building, banks, and numerous other companies."Spalvins built up one of Australia's largest industrial conglomerates, which took inDavid Jones,Woolworths,Metro Meat, food companyPetersville Sleigh,beer and wine companyTooth & Co,as well as a tugboat business, before it was put into receivership in 1991. "

Early career

Spalvins spent the first 13 years of his life in Latvia before his mother brought him to Australia.

In 1957, aged 21, he became company secretary of Camlec where he remained until 1973. During this period he studied economics in the evenings earning a degree from theUniversity of Adelaide.

The Adelaide Steamship Company

In 1973,Adelaide Steamship Company's managing director (and later chairman) Ken Russell head-hunted Spalvins to aid in revitalising the company. In 1977 Spalvins was appointed managing director, and in 1980 Spalvins and Russell commenced their acquisition and control of David Jones, followed through the 1980s by acquisition of numerous Australian "household names" including, but by no means limited to,Tooth & Co,(Penfolds,KB Lager,etc.),Petersville Sleigh,(Four’N Twenty pies,Bodalla Cheese,Pura Milk,Peters Ice Cream,Birds Eye frozen foods,Nanna's frozen apple pies, etc.),Farmers Union,Metro Meat,AWA,John Martin's,Pioneer Property Group andWoolworths.

Retirement

Following the collapse of the Adsteam share price, in March 1991 it was announced that Spalvins "would be terminated as an Adsteam employee". He departed on 5 July 1991.

For many years, Spalvins and his second wife Gale divided their time between "Kintyre", their home inSpringfield, South Australia,their villa onHamilton Island,and their units in the United States. They continue to spend at least three months each year in the United States at their home inSun Valley, Idaho,where he indulges his passion for skiing.He remains an active investor through his company Galufo Pty Ltd, and is prominent for his role in advocating the obligation of company boards to provide value for their smaller shareholders.

Family

On 16 December 1961, Spalvins married Cecily Westall Rymill (b. 1939, d.14 April 1991). They had two sons.

After Cecily's unexpected death, aged 53, from a rare blood disease, Spalvins subsequently married Gale.

Further reading

• Andrew Clark: "How the takeover king of the 1980s came undone",Australian Financial Review,28 January 2022