Part 5: Queensland’s 100 most influential people - Positions 40-26
A CAMPAIGNER who has become a thorn in the side of the resources industry, and a company executive who holds the fate of potentially thousands of jobs, are among Queensland’s most powerful people in 2018.
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- Part 1, 100-86: Who’s really running our state?
- Part 2, 85-71: Power struggle at the Broncos
- Part 3, 70-56: He’s given $100m to benefit our state
- Part 4, 55-41: Labor’s ‘agent of infection’
THE Courier-Mail’s Power 100 is a who’s who of Queensland’s most influential people.
The countdown to our top 10 continues today with positions 40-26 – and it’s a mix of smarts, sport, business nous and controversial campaigners.
The top 10 will be revealed online and in a special edition of our QWeekend magazine this Saturday.
Who do you think are Queensland’s most powerful people?
Post your nominations in the comments section below or email to editor@couriermail.com.au.
Queensland’s 100 most influential people: Positions 40-26
40 - ELLEN ROBERTS, ACTIVIST
The green campaigner has become a bete noire for the resources industry.
As lead Queensland organiser for the online protest movement GetUp! she authorised the stopadani.com website and has been a key figure in rallying opposition to the $16 billion Carmichael coal mine proposed for central Queensland.
The campaign succeeded in making the mine a dominant factor at the state election campaign late last year, with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk dramatically reversing support for a NAIF loan for a pit-to-port rail line.
They lobbied hard in the Brisbane seat of Maiwar where former LNP minister Scott Emerson lost to Greens candidate Michael Berkman.
The ongoing efforts of the movement have continued to shape growing anti-Adani sentiment around the country, leading to Labor increasingly distancing itself from the project.
She cut her teeth at the Mackay Conservation Group, where she helped bring Federal Court litigation which delayed approvals for the mine, and is on the board of Queensland
Conservation Council.
39 - JEYAKUMAR JANAKARAJ, ADANI
Jeyakumar Janakaraj, known as JJ, holds the fate of potentially thousands of jobs and a massive new resource basin in his hands.
Mr Janakaraj was thrust into the spotlight through the Adani role but he has worked in Australia before, in Mt Isa and Tasmanian Copper.
He started his career in the smelting sector in India.
He is now the chief executive of Adani Australia, based in Brisbane, and has the role of finding about $US2.5 billion ($A3.39 billion) to start the controversial Carmichael coal mine in the Galilee Basin.
His career began in 1992 when he joined Essar Steel before moving to Sterlite Industries as a mechanical engineer of the copper division at Tuticorin in 1995.
He later moved to Zambia with Konkola Copper.
Adani so far employs about 800 people but it plans thousands of jobs over the next 30 years if the mine is started and reaches its full capacity.
38 - TIM FORRESTER, DEVELOPER
Aria Property Group founder Tim Forrester is recognised as the cutting edge developer in Brisbane, setting new standards for creating vibrant new precincts.
The character-packed Fish Lane area in South Brisbane – with its eclectic dining and street art – is an example of the 35-year-old’s emphasis on “place-making”.
Aria’s apartments, mostly located in South Brisbane and Woolloongabba, have won a string of industry awards. The firm has embraced the “buildings that breathe” concept of green walls of plants and rooftop gardens.
A development currently before council includes a 33-storey water feature cascading down the side of the building, while another proposed 30-level tower would include Australia’s largest green wall, an off-leash dog park and a pool of tesla electric cars to be shared by residents.
The family-owned group has also created Brisbane’s first luxury retail precinct at Edward St, featuring high-end global brand stores including Hermes, Mont Blanc, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Cartier.
Mr Forrester sits on the Queensland Museum board.
37 - ALEX GOLDEN, UBER BOSS
The rideshare industry has revolutionised personal transport in Queensland, as it has across the country and around the world.
The sheer force of Uber’s entry into the market and its appeal to consumers proved irresistible, with the Palaszczuk Government forced to order a review and legalise rideshare in 2016 despite the full resistance of the previously powerful taxi lobby.
Rarely has an industry been turned upside down so quickly and so comprehensively.
Since Mr Golden became Uber’s Queensland and Northern Territory state manager in 2015, the number of drivers in Brisbane has more than quadrupled to more than 11,000 and the firm has expanded from Brisbane into the Gold Coast, Toowoomba, Townsville and Cairns.
It’s opened the door to a string of rideshare rivals looking to launch.
We’ve seen the introduction of Uber Eats food delivery service, a new app to book other forms of transport is coming along with Uber rental cars. But you ain’t seen nothing yet with Uber Elevate fleets of flying cars expected in city skies within a few years and driverless vehicles beyond that.
36 - SCOTT HUTCHINSON, BUILDER
Chairman of Queensland’s most recognisable construction company, Hutchinson Builders – affectionately known as Hutchies.
A likeable larrikin who makes an annual pilgrimage to the Burning Man Festival in the Nevada desert, the 58-year-old is also a sharp business brain – the fourth generation boss of a $2 billion-plus turnover company, whose name adorns building sites and cranes all over the state and beyond.
The completion of their 270-metre Brisbane Skytower will reshape the cityscape with the capital’s tallest building this year.
Mr Hutchinson is also a passionate advocate and generous supporter of the local music scene.
A board member of industry body, QMusic, he turned a wartime bunker in Newstead into The Triffid bar and live music space run by ex-Powderfinger member John Collins. He is now spending $40 million to create a new 3300-capacity venue to fill the gap left by Festival Hall.
35 - GRAHAM and JUDE TURNER, TRAVEL & TOURISM
From running trips across Europe and North Africa in an old London double-decker bus in the 1970s to heading a $5.6 billion company, it’s been quite the journey for Flight Centre Travel Group co-founder and chief executive Graham “Skroo” Turner.
Wife Jude has been by his side for the whole ride and has proven a hugely successful businesswoman in her own right – establishing and running the Spicers Retreats chain of luxury resorts and hotels.
The billionaire couple last year topped The Sunday Mail’s Big Givers list of the state’s most generous philanthropists, donating more than $20 million from their Turner Family Foundation, including $18.5 million to open a native wildlife conservation centre in the Scenic Rim with UQ.
Mr Turner, 67, is also a supporter of the Sustainable Australia movement and an outspoken critic of rapid population growth, calling for a cap on annual migration numbers to protect the environment and lifestyle.
34 - LAURA GEITZ, SPORT
Queensland’s best-known sportswoman, this new mum is more than a netball sensation – she is an inspiration to girls and young women.
The former Australian and Queensland captain has made her comeback for the Firebirds in this year’s Suncorp Super Netball season after sitting out 2017 following the birth of her son Barney.
She also secured a place in the Australian team for the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, with the 30-year-old confident of juggling the commitments of motherhood and elite sport.
And why shouldn’t she? Ms Geitz is regarded as one of the most dedicated and talented sports stars the country has ever produced.
Geitz remains Australia’s second most capped player and a Queensland hero – immortalised with a bronze statue outside the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
She has sponsorship deals with Suncorp, Samsung, Rebel Sport, Queensland Country Health, AVJennings, and runs netball clinics with former Firebird Clare McMeniman.
33 - FRANK GANNON, SCIENTIST
Frank Gannon has headed the prestigious QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute for seven years, moving to Brisbane from his native Ireland.
His major research interest is the regulation of gene expression by the oestrogen receptor, which plays a major role in breast and endometrial cancer.
Professor Gannon has authored more than 200 research articles published in international journals and his research has contributed to the development of novel cancer treatments.
He’s a member of the Advance Queensland expert panel, which provides advice to the State Government on how the $518 million should be spent. Professor Gannon is also a board member of the Australian Association of Medical Research Institutes.
32 - REBECCA FRIZELLE, BUSINESS
This car dealership executive is proving a driving force in business and sport.
Ms Frizelle is group operations manager with the James Frizelle’s chain of auto dealerships, founded by her father-in-law, which last year partnered with Sydney-based Peter Warren Automotive Group to create a national giant.
The 46-year-old is a key player in corporate and commercial circles on the Gold Coast – a reputation which saw her approached to join the board of the local Titans league club in 2014 to help turn its fortunes around and became the first female to chair an NRL club.
Her sway within the game has continued to grow, not least when she stood up to some of the sport’s heaviest hitters and abstained from the unanimous vote needed to oust then-Rugby League Commission chairman John Grant last year.
Ms Frizelle and husband Brett became the Titans’ new owners in partnership with fellow director Darryl Kelly and his wife Joanne late last year.
A passionate champion of gender equality, she helped transform the workforce of the traditionally blokey car sales business and will undoubtedly play an important role in supporting new NRL Commission chairman Peter Beattie achieve his aim of getting more women into positions of power in the game.
She recently joined the board of ASX-listed Gold Coast development company Sunland, and is a director of the Griffith University Advisory Board, Audi Australia Foundation Board and St Hilda’s School Foundation.
31 - MATT CANAVAN, POLITICIAN
The Resources Minister began his Senate term in 2014 after working for Barnaby Joyce.
Senator Canavan beat LNP president Gary Spence for preselection after Mr Joyce went in hard for Senator Canavan, who he viewed as his protege.
The Senator is known to be outspoken in Cabinet and relied upon by Nationals MPs who hold marginal seats.
In private and public he argues strongly for the resource sector, putting him at odds with some in his own side who hold more liberal views.
Those in Canberra believe Senator Canavan will run for a Lower House seat in the future, putting him in the frame as a potential Deputy Prime Minister.
There’s speculation that after the next federal election he may be demoted so new Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack can reward his supporters.
30 - CHRIS SAINES, DIRECTOR
This prodigal son of the Queensland arts scene is leading a new interpretation and presentation of the state’s collection of Australian art.
Returning to the gallery in late 2013 (he began his career in 1984 as an education officer), Mr Saines, 63, is committed to growing audiences and deepening engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and communities.
His efforts are working.
In 2017 QAGOMA was visited by 2.17 million people, more than 300,000 above the previous record in 2010. Marvel: Creating the Cinematic Universe broke all records for a ticketed exhibition, attracting 269,000 visitors.
As convener of the gallery’s first Indigenous Advisory Panel, his commissioning of a major work by Indigenous artist Judy Watson is now a permanent fixture at the GOMA entrance.
Snaring a prized exhibition by contemporary artist Patricia Piccinini (March 24-August 5), Mr Saines’ next big project is the flagship The Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art, which kicks off in November.
29 - PAULINE HANSON, SENATOR
One Nation has two senators in Federal Parliament and one MP in Queensland.
However, its leader is more like a one-woman ginger group because without her the party would not exist.
The One Nation Leader is among a handful of senators the Turnbull Government needs to negotiate with when Labor or the Greens do not support its contentious legislation.
While Hanson was considered to have underperformed in West Australian and Queensland elections, in many seats her preferences helped determine winners.
Hanson is considering running candidates in a number of marginal Coalition-held seats at the next federal election, which has some LNP MPs worried.
Despite some of her controversial views, Hanson is well-regarded by some in Canberra for willing to listen to policy arguments and for not trying to extract special deals for her vote.
28 - KATE JONES, POLITICIAN
A fourth-term MP, Kate Jones holds one of four key economic portfolios in the Palaszczuk Government Cabinet.
The Minister for Innovation and Tourism Industry Development, who was turfed from Parliament for a term after losing her seat in 2012 to former Premier Campbell Newman, is also the head of her faction, Labor’s Old Guard.
Considered one of the Government’s most seasoned performers, Ms Jones was dispatched to the Gold Coast repeatedly last term in a bid break the LNP’s stranglehold on the region and pick up seats for Labor.
The party eventually claimed Gaven at the November 25 poll. Ms Jones sits in on strategy meetings and is considered a key political player having honed her skills while working as a staffer for former Bligh and Beattie government minister Robert Schwarten.
27 - LAURENCE LANCINI, DEVELOPER
It would be hard to find a more passionate advocate for Townsville and north Queensland than straight-talking apprentice bricklayer-turned major developer Laurence Lancini.
The 57-year-old’s projects including Flinders Plaza and City Lane helped shaped the city and he expanded to commercial and retail developments including homemaker centres around the state.
Last year, his broader influence in the sector was recognised with his election as president of the Property Council in Queensland.
That role led to him stepping down last year as a director of the Townsville Enterprise economic development group after 11 years, but he was immediately made a life member.
Current NQ Cowboys chairman, Mr Lancini helped build their existing stadium and, as a director since 2000, he has helped turn the club from debt-laden strugglers to NRL premiers.
He was one of the most persistent voices in the successful lobby for Townsville’s new $250 million stadium. And new Commission chairman Peter Beattie can expect plenty of phone calls and visits until the NRL relents and gives Townsville a State of Origin game.
Mr Lancini’s businesses made $75,000 of political donations in 2016 and 2017, all but $2000 of it to the LNP. He has also supported mayoral election campaigns.
26 - MICHAEL CAMERON, SUNCORP CEO
Michael Cameron has been the chief executive officer of Suncorp, one of Queensland’s biggest businesses, since 2015. In that time Cameron’s had sway with his company being one of the State’s biggest insurers, particularly in cyclone-vulnerable North Queensland, along as having a well-known bank.
Suncorp’s moves can prod governments. Under the previous CEO Patrick Snowball, Suncorp took the extraordinary move of banning new policies and ramping up prices for existing customers in whole towns where the insurer felt mitigation works were inadequate. That led to a new levee being built in Roma, for instance.
Overseeing a company worth more than $17 billion, Cameron, 57, is publicly less fiery than his predecessor but has his own fires to fight. One is trying to change Suncorp’s whole business-model, with Cameron arguing the company of more than 13,000 needs to change to avoid going the way of once-great companies such as Kodak.
His vision involves setting up Suncorp as a financial marketplace of various products. But critics, and there are more than a few in the market, see it as a risky idea linked to a failed cross-selling model.
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