Louise Adler


Louise Adler is a prominent figure in Australian publishing.

Early life

Louise Adler was born in Melbourne to Jacques and Ruth Adler, Jewish immigrants from Paris, France, who arrived in Australia in 1949. Jacques joined the French Resistance in World War II after his own father, Simon Adlersztejn, was rounded up and deported to Beaune-la-Rolande, eventually dying at Auschwitz. Ruth was taken to France as a seven-year-old by her parents fleeing from Nazi Germany, but her extended family all perished in the Holocaust. In Melbourne, Ruth worked as a schoolteacher, and Jacques was a research fellow in the history department of the University of Melbourne.
Adler attended Elwood Primary School, the Elsternwick campus of Methodist Ladies' College, and finally Mount Scopus Memorial College.

Career

Adler graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from University of Reading, and a Master of Arts and Master of Philosophy from Columbia University, studying under Edward Said. From 1988 to 1989 she was editor of Australian Book Review. She has also worked as the Publisher at Reed Books, Arts and Entertainment Editor for The Age, Deputy Director at the Victorian College of the Arts and CEO and Publisher of Melbourne University Publishing.
Adler has also served on several boards, including as a member of the Monash University council, director on the Melbourne International Arts Festival board and director on the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art board. She is chairperson of the board of Methodist Ladies' College in Kew, a suburb of Melbourne.

MLC Kew controversy

In 2012, the MLC board, that Adler chaired, controversially terminated the employment of then principal of the college, Rosa Storelli. The sacking was not received well by many students, parents and old collegians and most of the board was replaced by 2017.

Personal

She has been married to the actor and comedian Max Gillies since 1981, and they have two adult children.

Honours

In 2008 she was made a Member of the Order of Australia for services to literature.