Greek-born businessman awarded highest honour by Flinders University

Piraeus-born Nick Begakis AM has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Flinders University in South Australia for his charitable and entrepreneurial contributions to society, as well as his work restructuring the university's School of Engineering in more recent years.
Nick Begakis' father decided to migrate from Alexandria after travelling the world in the merchant marine and realised that, given the economic and political situation in Greece, Australia offered the brightest future. So, in 1951, he moved his wife and four year old son to Adelaide, to join relatives who had already migrated. Although Begakis' immediate family began their Australian adventure in the 1950s, his maternal grandfather had an earlier connection to the country. Around 1900, he temporarily left Greece to work in Broome and Darwin, then returned home.
"My parents instilled the Greek culture and values which include respect for cultural heritage and traditions, community involvement, philanthropy, freedom of expression and the dignity of the individual," Begakis told Neos Kosmos.
This clearly inspired his later roles which, after achieving a Bachelors Degree in Electronic Engineering at the South Australian Institute of Technology (now the University of South Australia), have included community-based charitable work. For the past 40 years, Begakis has involved himself in fundraising for charities such as the Red Cross, the Disability Information Resource Centre, and still holds the position of Chairman of the Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation in South Australia. In the past, he was also a Deputy Chairman of the Australia Day Council (SA).
Begakis has also held business-related positions such as senior management in manufacturing industries, entrepreneurial work, merchant banking and serving as a professional company director. Today, he is a Director of Business SA, chairs the Trade and International Affairs Committee of ACCI, serves as a Government advisor, and his decades of experience have also earned him the position of Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is also a former Director of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry after serving the maximum eight year period, till the end of 2011.
His extensive experience also resulted in his being appointed a Member in the general section of the Order of Australia for services to business and export development, as well as to the community in 2000.
Begakis' efforts also led to an invitation by Flinders University to contribute to a business and academic consultation forum, which then led to his being asked to join the governing council of the university. He has now served three terms as an external member of the Flinders University Council, which has led to further involvement with the institution.
In 2008, Begakis was one of the founders of the Flinders University Business Plan Competition and, as the Chair of the Engineering External Advisory Committee, has been deeply involved in restructuring the university's engineering courses. As a result, the success of these courses has increased.
Despite these wide-ranging responsibilities, Begakis has not forgotten the land of his ancestors, and still regularly travels to Greece with his Spartan-born wife Matoula to visit loved ones and, in the words of Begakis, to "celebrate Greek culture".