As 2023 drew to a close, The Advertiser named at least six Greek Australians in its annual Power 50 rankings list for South Australia’s most powerful and influential people.
Theo Maras AM – 48th
Theo Maras, the founder and Chairman of Maras Group, is most known in the property market in South Australia, having been instrumental in shaping development in South Australia since the early 1980s.
He previously worked with Mancorp Group before founding Maras Group in July 2006, with his main skills lying in design and construction while also being highly accomplished in issues relating to planning, leasing and management.
Today, Mr Maras is the chair of the business’ Board as well as sitting on its Advisory Board.
In addition to his business dealings, Mr Maras is also an active member of his community, having served in a number of roles.
These include (but are not limited to) being President of the Greek Orthodox Community of SA, President of the Ridleyton Greek Gome for the Aged, President of the Federation of Greek Orthodox Communities of Australia.
He currently serves on the Board of the Foundation for Hellenic Studies, of which he is a founding member.
Danny and Michael Philippou – 39th
The South Australian identical twins have launched themselves into the film medium after the successful release of their independent horror/thriller film titled ‘Talk to Me’, which is currently on Netflix.
The 2022 film was shot in the suburbs of Adelaide and came out to critical acclaim.
The brothers established themselves with horror/comedy videos they created for their YouTube channel ‘RackaRacka’, which now has 6.82 million subscribers.
The duo is now working on a new Street Fighter film for Legendary Entertainment.
Chris Kourakis – 36th
Mr Kourakis has had a distinguished career that has seen him serve as Chief Justice of South Australia since 2012.
The lawyer and judge who is the son of Greek migrants form the island of Ikaria acted as the Solicitor-General of South Australia from 2003-2008 before being appointed onto the Supreme Court.
Four years later, he ascended to the position of Chief Justice, an office he has held ever since.
Tom Koustantonis – 18th
Anastasios “Tom” Koutsantonis has had a longstanding political career which has seen him serve in the South Australian House of Assembly since 1997.
The Labor politician notably served as Treasurer of SA (among other portfolios) from 2014-2018.
He is currently the Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and for Energy and Mining in the Malinauskas ministry, serving in these roles since March 2022.
Kayla Itsines – 13th
Kayla Itsines has established a huge brand for herself as a personal trainer, creating social media accounts to promote workout videos aimed towards women which has reached 16 million followers on Instagram and 28 million followers on Facebook.
The fitness guru has stretched her influence in other avenues as well, including her Sweat digital fitness app which she sold with ex-partner Tobi Pearce in 2021 to US fitness tech company iFIT for a reported $400 million.
She has also written books such as ‘The Bikini Body 28-Day Eating and Lifestyle Guide’ and ‘The Bikini Body Motivation & Habits Guide’, with her personal net worth estimated at $171 million.
