Three South Australian Greeks have been named in The Advertiser’s Power 50 list is for 2022.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong, who on Wednesday made the first official visit to China by an Australian government minister since 2019 topped the list, followed by SA’s Philhellene Premier Peter Malinauskas, who rose five spots to No2.
Many rose and fell during 2022 but developer Theo Maras was listed as 32nd, one spot up from last year, with The Maras Group empire dominating the East End market with major residential and commercial developments in the area. Maras is also very active in terms of community engagement, with roles across the SA Greek community, the university sector, land use and property development and councils. Passionate about his role on the board of the Adelaide Central Market, Maras has undertaken a big chunk of the site’s redevelopment.
Transport minister Tom Koutsantonis made his first appearance on the list this year at number 28. Koutsantonis who was first elected in 1997, at 26 years old is South Australia’s longest serving member or parliament.
Sweat co-founder and fitness queen Kayla Itsines dropped 18 places from 9th spot last year, to number 27. Itsines and her 15.3 million followers have been slightly less active this year, following the sale of the Sweat App to iFit for $US80m last year after physical gyms reopened post-Covid. Sweat has been letting go of staff recently, down to about 45 from 100 or so at the time of the buyout, but Itsines, due to give birth to her second child early in 2023, is still dominating the online fitness industry in the country.
