The top 30-21 most powerful people in the Sunshine Coast, Noosa, 2022
The region’s movers and shakers of 2022 have been narrowed down to deliver you the Sunshine Coast and Noosa’s 50 most powerful people of the year. See 30-21 of the list here.
Sunshine Coast
Don't miss out on the headlines from Sunshine Coast. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The region’s most powerful and influential movers and shakers have been compiled for the past year, in what was another testing 12 months in many ways.
From major housing projects to the region’s largest education institution, these people have risen above the challenges and cemented themselves among the heavy-hitters on the Coast this year.
This year, our two mayors and two state MPs aside, we’ve tried to avoid including politicians in the list in a bid to cast the net wider, but we acknowledge the efforts and influence wielded by all of our federal, state and local representatives.
Power List: 40-31 of Sunshine Coast, Noosa’s most influential of 2022 revealed
We’ll roll out 10 a day, with the top 10 to be revealed on Friday, December 2, while our Power Sport list will be revealed on Saturday, shining a light on the heavy hitters on and off the field in 2022.
Here’s 30-21 of the Sunshine Coast Daily’s Power 50 for 2022:
30. Scott Whitaker:
Mr Whitaker is playing a key role in major roads and transport infrastructure projects on the Coast as North Coast regional director of Transport and Main Roads.
Key decisions looming include the mass transit solution, Bruce Highway works and the long-awaited Mooloolah River Interchange.
29. Alister Eiseman:
Pacific Motor Group branch manager Alister Eiseman celebrated his 10-year anniversary at the business this year after starting as a trainee sales consultant at age 18.
Mr Eiseman said he joined the team because he was passionate about automotives, and has since rapidly climbed the ranks.
While Mr Eiseman enjoyed his exciting and evolving industry, now focusing on electric cars and sustainable products, his life wasn’t all about cars.
Mr Eiseman’s influence spread across many initiatives, including being involved in Uniforms 4 Kids Charity, Kawana Chamber of Commerce, and Caloundra Chamber of Commerce, to name a few.
“The Sunshine Coast is a big community and I want to ensure I can make my mark on the future of the region and the people within it,” he said.
28. Jennifer Swaine:
When Jennifer Swaine and her husband moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2010, she was committed to breathing life into a region that had plenty of untapped potential.
“I’m going to do everything I can to make a difference to the Coast,” she recalled thinking.
Fast-forward to today, she has been true to her word.
Ms Swaine is one of the region’s best communication consultants, vice-chairwoman of Sunshine Coast Chamber Alliance, non-executive director of Visit Sunshine Coast, and chairwoman of the prestigious and rapidly-growing Sunshine Coast Business Awards.
She said the business awards were a top priority next year, saying she wanted the next ceremony to seat 1000 people and use 100 per cent local producers for its menu.
“If we get the blueprint right, we can roll it out again and again,” she said.
27. Craig Mansfield:
The closure of a flurry of a quick succession of alleged murders at the start of 2022 proves the resolve of the Sunshine Coast Criminal Investigation Branch, led by Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Mansfield.
As officer-in-charge, the seasoned detective brings more than two decades of police experience to the role, spending a chunk of that time in the drug and serious crime task force on the Sunshine Coast.
In recent times Sergeant Mansfield in partnership with Detective Senior Sergeant Phil Hurst also leads a community group to support victims of sexual violence on the Sunshine Coast.
Sergeant Mansfield believes the proactive work done by his detectives and the general duties police along with their skill and tenacity has been pivotal in achieving arrests and stemming crime compared to other parts of the state.
26. Damien Glanville:
Locality Planning Energy chief executive Damien Glanville said he was most proud of his company surviving the energy crisis and how his staff had dealt with an “immense amount” of pressure due to industry factors.
Mr Glanville made waves in May, 2022, when he announced the energy provider wrote to customers telling them his company was “no longer in a position to provide competitive rates to our (on market) residential and business customers in the Queensland region”.
LPE aims to empower people to save money on electricity costs and create sustainable future communities.
25. Mark Stockwell:
Stockwell managing director Mark Stockwell said the developer’s biggest achievement of this year was completing the subdivision works for the Noosa Business Centre delivering roads and infrastructure and creating opportunities in commercial, residential, medical and health, start-ups, entertainment and leisure.
He said his proudest moment of 2022 was achieving development approval for the Noosa Civic medihub and Hof Noosaville residential apartments.
“They are our first projects in Noosa since we developed, built, and opened Noosa Civic in 2006,” Mr Stockwell said.
Mr Stockwell even took a tilt at the top job in Australian Olympic circles, running for president of the Australian Olympic Committee in April.
24. William Thompson:
After joining his dad’s insurance company in 2014, William Thompson, 30, has been an unstoppable young insurance broker as 2022 marked a breakout year for the businessman.
He won the award, Young Broker of the Year, for Queensland and Australia by the National Insurance Brokers Association this year.
Mr Thompson, working at Thompson Insurance in Maroochydore, said part of his success was being surrounded by a highly-educated team.
Next year, he said he was focused on adding high-quality staff and clients to his team.
On top of being a part of his dad’s business, Mr Thompson helped launch Sunshine Coast Young Chamber of Commerce in 2018, and was an executive member of the Maroochydore Chamber of Commerce.
23. Caroline Hutchinson:
Veteran broadcaster Caroline Hutchinson said she was most proud of the 92.7 Mix FM Give Me Five for Kids campaign that raised $642,000 in 2022 for children’s hospital and health services on the Sunshine Coast.
She also said her breakfast show, which she co-hosts with Mark Darin, had won the breakfast ratings again this year.
“I managed to marry off two children this year too,” Ms Hutchinson said.
She said she was proud her husband had also made the Power 50 list this year.
22. Cleighton Clark:
Cleighton Clark founded Habitat Development Group in 2005, a privately owned property development company with a focus on delivering luxury properties at affordable prices.
With a track record of almost 20 years, Habitat is playing a lead role in the development of the Maroochydore city centre.
The Brisbane-based firm are behind Market Lane and The Corso Residences in the Maroochydore CBD.
In 2021, Mr Clark unveiled plans for a $153m project of 200 units across two eight-storey apartment towers overlooking Lake Kawana and was behind several significant projects in construction across the region.
Mr Clark’s company has been building on the Sunshine Coast for the past 17 years and he said it was the “most buoyant market” he had ever seen.
21. Roz White:
White’s IGA Bli Bli owner and operator Roz White is more than just a business owner – she’s a driving force of development in the community.
Aside from owning and running a major supermarket, Ms White was one of the driving forces behind the $20m Bli Bli Tavern, which was tipped to be one of largest licenced venues on the Sunshine Coast, while she was also driving a significant project breathing new life into Forest Glen.
In 2022, White’s IGA was a winner in the large category of the retail division of the Sunshine Coast Business Awards.
Stay tuned as we roll out 10 more of the list each day, with the top 10 to be revealed on Friday, December 2.
‘Come on dog’: Trial begins over haymaker punch outside pub
A jury will decide whether a man’s action were in self-defence after he punched another person outside a Sunshine Coast tavern who had allegedly circled and barked at him like a dog.
Read more
‘Goat track’: Debate sparks over road upgrade after horror head-on
Debate surrounding the duplication of a busy stretch of the Sunshine Motorway has reignited following the death of a woman in a head-on collision, while candidates keep quiet on the project’s future.
Read more