Simon Lewis PSM awarded AO in Queen's Birthday Honours List 2019

The 63-year-old Sutton resident was one of 69 people appointed as Officers of the Order in the Queen's Birthday 2019 Honours List.

The list was announced by Governor-General and Chancellor of the Order of Australia, His Excellency General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove AK MC (Retd) on Sunday, June 9.

"I feel humbled, honoured and really grateful to have been included," Mr Lewis said.

Mr Lewis was thankful to those who had nominated him and to those who had supported his career.

"The reality is, anyone who has been able to progress through their career as I have, is because of the support and assistance of the people around them," he said.

"I've worked with some really great people in my career and it's the thing I miss the most now that I've been out for a year."

Mr Lewis has concentrated on his personal life in the past 12 months, taking time to care for his brother-in-law and mother-in-law who recently died of cancer and to celebrate his oldest daughter's marriage.

"I wouldn't have been able to do that when working full-time as secretary," Mr Lewis said.

Mr Lewis was enjoying a few rounds of golf on a course in Muswellbrook a couple of hours ahead of his interview with the Tribune on Friday.

Although, his time on the course may soon be shortened, having recently accepted a role on the Defence Housing Australia's Board.

Mr Lewis has worked across a range of portfolios in the public service and the AO speaks to his hand in transformational change and organisational design in those portfolios.

His foray into the public service was not usual, however.

Mr Lewis started work as a gardener with ACT Parks and Garden Service, then part of the public service. Later, he was convinced by his father to sit the public service entrance exam and was successful in joining the Bureau of Statistics as a base grade clerk in 1976.

He worked for ABS for eight years but left to join the Department of Defence in 1986 in search of a new challenge.

However, with substantive promotional opportunities sparse in the department at the time, in 1999 Mr Lewis transferred back towards numbers, joining the Department of Finance and Deregulation as deputy chief executive officer of the Office of Asset Sales.

In this role, he was involved with the second tranche of the Telstra public offer and the first and second tranches of the airport trade sales under the Howard government.

He led the team running the sale of Sydney Airport and, just two days before the office of asset sales was due to receive final bids for the sale, 9/11 happened.

The sale was paused for nearly a year before the sale process was recommenced.

In 2001, Mr Lewis was appointed as group manager of the Budget Group under the same department and deputy secretary of the Asset Management Group in 2003.

That same year, Mr Lewis led the Secretariat for the Kinnaird Review, which externally reviewed defence procurement activities.

"It was a fascinating experience," he said. "It was a full-time job for 12 months and we got to interview all of the seniors in defence and those interacting with defence.

"The review team was very focused on not producing a report that was 100 pages long or full of hundreds of recommendations, we just wanted enough to make a difference in how procurement happened."

In 2010, Mr Lewis transitioned to the Department of Defence as deputy secretary of Defence Support. He then became chief operating officer of the department in 2012.

Mr Lewis moved to the Department of Veterans' Affairs in 2013 as secretary, as well as president of the Repatriation Commission and chair of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission.

He was awarded a Public Service Medal in 2007.

Anyone can nominate any Australian for an award in the Order of Australia. If you know someone worthy, nominate them now at www.gg.gov.au.