Former Australia Post boss Ahmed Fahour sells Hawthorn mansion for $40.5m

Former Australia Post boss Ahmed Fahour has found a buyer for his landmark Hawthorn mansion, reaping $40.5 million from the sale.

The eye-watering price is the second-highest ever paid for a residential property in Melbourne, eclipsed only by Stonington mansion in Malvern, which art dealer Rod Menzies sold for $52.5 million in 2018.

It’s a strong paper gain for Mr Fahour, who has almost doubled his money after he bought the home for $22 million off-market in 2013.

Since then, the former chief postie, who was paid $10.8 million in base pay and bonuses at the end of his tenure at Australia Post, has taken a new role as chief executive of consumer finance group Latitude Financial. He declined to comment on the property sale.

Public records show the home, held by a nominee company attached to law firm Arnold Bloch Leibler, has settled for $40.5 million.

The buyer is Angela Tomisich, who co-founded the analytical science and devices company Trajan Group with her husband Stephen, and was contacted for comment.

Trajan Group last month listed on the stock exchange, valuing the founders’ near-60 per cent stake at $151 million even after they reportedly pocketed $40 million from selling part of the company into the float. Its products include a form of blood sampling for COVID-19 research.

The standout home, known as Invergowrie, was listed for sale in 2018 with a price guide of between $40 million and $44 million but did not sell. At the time, it was offered through Marshall White’s Marcus Chiminello.

Set on an oversized 1.11-hectare block, the property’s five-bedroom main house was advertised with a separate three-bedroom brick house, a bluestone two-bedroom cottage and a hall that could be used for a studio or gym.

He spent several million dollars on renovations, refurbishing some of the buildings, reinstalling a tennis court and installing water tanks.

The sale was concluded directly, without the involvement of a real estate agent, according to two sources with knowledge of the deal but not authorised to speak publicly.

Mr Fahour is known for his top taste in property. A “downsizer” home in the same suburb that he and his then-wife Dionnie bought for $16.25 million in 2018 was later transferred into his name alone. And a Glenferrie Road penthouse apartment once owned by Ms Fahour was moved into Mr Fahour’s name for a token $1 consideration before he sold the pad for $5 million late last year.