Will Fowles is an Australian businessman. He is the Principal of Piper Capital, a boutique hospitality and property investment firm based in Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

. He shot to prominence in 2005 when he became the youngest ever member of the Committee of the Melbourne Cricket Club

Melbourne Cricket Club

The Melbourne Cricket Club is a sporting club based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1838 and is regarded as the oldest sporting club in Australia....

. He also received much attention for his unsuccessful bid for Lord Mayor of Melbourne in 2008.

Early life

Fowles grew up in the eastern suburbs of Melbourne, the son of David Fowles, part owner and chief executive of the Fowles Auction Group. He went to school at Scotch College

Scotch College, Melbourne

Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....

 and, upon graduation, he was accepted to study Commerce and Law at Monash University

Monash University

Monash University is a public university based in Melbourne, Victoria. It was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. Monash is a member of Australia's Group of Eight and the ASAIHL....

. There, he became involved in student theatre and student politics, elected as President of the Monash Student Association

Monash Student Association

The Monash Student Association Inc is located at the Clayton campus of Monash University in the Campus Centre building. The MSA is made up of elected student representatives who represent all Clayton campus students on general issues such as education, fees and student welfare, and also specific...

 in 2000. He was also involved in the Australian Republican Movement

Australian Republican Movement

The Australian Republican Movement is a non-partisan lobby group advocating constitutional change in Australia to a republican form of government, from a constitutional monarchy.-Foundation:...

 as its national youth convenor.

Professional career

At the 2002 Victorian Election, Fowles, aged 24 at the time, stood for the upper house

Upper house

An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...

 seat of East Yarra, representing the Australian Labor Party

Australian Labor Party

The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...

. Traditionally a strong conservative area, Fowles lost the seat by only 1%.

In 2008, Fowles ran unsuccessfully for the position of Lord Mayor of Melbourne. Today, Fowles works primarily as Principal of the hospitality and investment firm Piper Capital. He is also involved with various charitable organisations, including the Monash Law School

Monash University Faculty of Law

Monash University Faculty of Law, or Monash Law School, is the law school of Monash University in Melbourne, Victoria. Established in 1963, it offers the LLB, J.D., LLM, S.J.D., LLD and PhD degrees in law. It has been ranked as one of the top 20 law schools in the world...

Foundation.