The 75-year-old former National Australia Bank executive has an impressive resume filled with work assignments to Asia and other regions as well as helping not-for-profit organisations.

Mr Gall started his career in regional New South Wales. It was 1974 when he received a career-changing phone call from NAB.

‘‘They asked me if there was any reason I wouldn’t be prepared to go overseas for work. It was a bit out of left field.’’

Mr Gall spent the next few decades travelling throughout Asia for work while his wife Judy ‘‘did the hardest job of all — looking after the kids’’.

He said the proudest achievement in his career was the active role he played in developing relationships with China’s banks.

The father of three retired from NAB in 1994 but, only six months later, he was back in the banking world.

Mr Gall was headhunted to work for Franklin Templeton, a US global investment manager, while they established branches in Australia.

He retired again in 2006, and the avid golfer hasn’t slowed down much since.

Since 2004, Mr Gall has been chairman of the Melbourne Financial Services Symposium, an event that promotes Melbourne as a financial city of the world.

He was also the chairman of the marketing and fund-raising committee of the Windana Drug and Alcohol Foundation.

Mr Gall wasn’t able to tell anyone about the Australia Day honour before last Thursday. He and his family hosted a barbecue to celebrate on the day where ‘‘if no one has read about it in the paper, we’ll have to announce it’’.