About
Andrew Banks is an English-Australian entrepreneur best known for turning a small recruitment start-up into a billion-dollar enterprise and for hearing ambitious founders pitch on Shark Tank Australia. Born in Lambeth, London, on 30 November 1951, he migrated to Sydney in 1972 with little money but an eye for opportunity. Over five decades he has co-founded two international HR powerhouses—Morgan & Banks and Talent2 International—steered countless acquisitions on Wall Street, produced independent films, and become a familiar television “shark” ready to write a cheque when a clever idea hooks him. Today, at 73, Banks divides his time between investing in early-stage ventures, advising education-tech boards, and supporting community pitch events such as JCA’s 2024 charity “Shark Tank,” proving that his appetite for backing bold talent is still strong.
Before Fame
Banks was the fifth of six brothers in a lively military household—his father served in the Royal Army Medical Corps and his Austrian-born mother spoke six languages, giving young Andrew a worldly perspective from day one. A gifted student, he earned ten O-levels and four A-levels and began a science degree at London University, but side gigs selling art door-to-door and performing voice-overs felt more exciting than lab work. When an Australian colleague offered sponsorship, he seized a £10 assisted-passage ticket and started fresh in Sydney. Acting classes at the Old Tote Theatre Company landed him small roles in Number 96 and a production of Macbeth at the brand-new Sydney Opera House in 1974. Yet the late-night restaurant he co-owned soon taught him that running a business was even more dramatic—and much more profitable.
Trivia
- Ten-Pound Pom to Top Investor: Banks likes to joke that his best return on investment was the ten pounds he paid for his passage to Australia in 1972.
- Hollywood Detour: Long before Shark Tank, he tried film production, backing indie features such as A Suicide Note in the 1990s.
- Record-Breaking Deal: Although his on-air $2.5 million pledge to coffee-pod start-up iCapsulate later fell through in due diligence, it was the largest verbal offer in Australian Shark Tank history at the time.
- Industry Hall of Fame: With Geoff Morgan, he was an inaugural inductee into the Australian Recruitment Industry Hall of Fame in 2014.
- Serial Learner: Even after listing two companies, he still enrols in short online courses each year, telling founders that curiosity “pays the best compound interest.”
Family Life
Banks married Australian actress Andrea in 1974 after a whirlwind courtship during his theatre days. The couple has two adult daughters, both of whom have steered clear of reality TV but inherited their father’s entrepreneurial streak—one runs a sustainable fashion label while the other heads an ed-tech start-up in Melbourne. The family keeps close despite living on three continents; Sunday video calls are non-negotiable, and Christmas is usually spent at their beach house on Sydney’s Northern Beaches, where Andrew can be found firing up the barbecue and swapping investment tips for surfing pointers from his grandkids. He often credits Andrea’s steady counsel for helping him stay grounded when multi-million-dollar deals and television fame threatened to pull him off course.
Associated With
- Geoff Morgan: Banks’ long-time business partner; together they built Morgan & Banks into an HR juggernaut commanding 17 percent of the Australian recruitment market before listing it publicly in 1995.
- Mark Cuban & Daymond John: Although they fish in different ponds, Banks has shared conference stages with his US Shark Tank counterparts, swapping notes on how founders can perfect their pitch without jargon.
- Allegis Group: The world’s largest private staffing firm partnered with Banks in 2012 to privatise Talent2, giving the company a global springboard while letting Banks exit day-to-day operations.
- Peter Ivany AO & Hana-Lia Krawchuk: Fellow “sharks” at the JCA 2024 charity pitch night, where Banks mentored social-impact entrepreneurs and pledged follow-up capital.
- budding Founders Everywhere: From Bottlepops to Synxsole and the quirky “Hamdog,” creators still quote Banks’ favourite advice: “Solve a real problem, know your numbers, and make your story memorable.”
