For the past three years, Greek Australian marketing expert Demetri Hughes has been celebrating back-to-back wins.
In 2016 he won the peer-nominated award Certified Practising Marketer of the Year for the state of Queensland, followed by a 2017 Lifetime Member recognition from the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) National Board, while most recently he scooped once again the 2018 AMI Certified Practising Marketer of the Year.
In this year’s AMI awards, which saw more than 200 participating organisations around Australia, Mr Hughes was among those whose achievements and contribution to the broader industry were recognised by the country’s preeminent professional association for marketers.
Accepting the award at a ceremony in Sydney on Wednesday 10 October, Mr Hughes praised the AMI membership for bringing together professionals “willing to be held to account and consistently deliver best practice”.
After completing his studies in business management at the University of Queensland, with postgraduate qualifications in communications and public relations, the young entrepreneur kick-started his career in the commercial and industrial property development sector.
Realising early on the importance of brand consistency led him to running his own business today providing brand counselling services to organisations and businesses, while he also works as a lecturer at the University of Queensland mentoring emerging practitioners.
“For a business to thrive, marketing and communications can’t be an afterthought, they have to be seen at the boardroom table as fundamental to long-term and immediate short-term growth,” Mr Hughes said during his speech and referred to the skillset of a successful marketer, as well as the solid educational underpinnings that can help young professionals to tackle challenges in the era of digitisation.
But before sharing industry insights, in the fist part of his speech Mr Hughes paid tribute to his Greek heritage as well as to a loved one whose teachings have proven instrumental in the marketing expert’s personal and professional trajectory, his late grandfather Demetrios (Jim) Halkeas.
Older members of the Greek community in Sydney might remember Demetrios’ brother, Stan, a prominent business figure with experience in the printing industry.
“My Greek ancestral roots are a deep source of pride for me and my family – just like it is for many Greeks, irrespective of whether they were born here or over in Greece,” Mr Hughes said while adding with a laugh:
“You could say being half Greek and born into a Greek household had its subtle differences from a traditional Aussie household and had its elements of My Big Fat Greek Wedding! For instance, I was told by school friends that I was different after being dressed as a Greek Kandyla any time there was a primary school super hero day or Greek national celebration to be had, and my grandfather had built a house in Queensland which was modelled on the Greek Parthenon with nearly as many columns!”
As Mr Hughes explains, it was his pappou who taught him what it means to be a businessman who is ambitious, yet “motivated for success for the right reasons.”
“He came to Australia with absolutely nothing and as patriarch of our family showed what it is to be hard working and a business owner – his down to earth nature resulted in him commanding respect from all those around.
“Pappou Demetri taught me through his example, to succeed in anything you must throw yourself fully into it … I continue to aspire to live up to his legacy of work ethic and determination.”
