A HIGH-ranking council official, a movie star, athlete and a new politician have landed in the top 20 of the Gold Coast’s most powerful list.
We’re counting down from 100 to 1 of the Gold Coast’s most influential people.
Today we reveal 20 to 11.
The full list is out tomorrow in a gloss magazine in your Gold Coast Bulletin and online.
20. DALE DICKSON
THE CEO of the city’s biggest and most complex company, the Gold Coast City Council, Mr Dickson has had a difficult 12 months.
He survived an attempt by some councillors to reconsider whether to renew his contract, which expires at the end of the year.
Mr Dickson is also on the board of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
19. SALLY PEARSON
HAS enjoyed a post-injury return to form in the past year, regaining her world champion status in the 100m hurdles in August after a three-year drought.
Pearson is the face of Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary and an ambassador for the Animal Welfare League of Queensland and 2018 Commonwealth Games.
Expect to see much more of her in the next five months.
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18. DAVID CRISAFULLI
NEW TO LIST
THE former LNP Local Government Minister and Townsville deputy mayor once known as “the kid”, stormed into the seat of Broadwater after a pervasive and persuasive six-month campaign.
Widely tipped as a future leader of the conservative party, Mr Crisafulli, once a WIN News journo, could wind up being our loudest voice in parliament.
17. TIM BRAILSFORD
THE Bond University Vice-Chancellor is an expert in business, finance and industry, has been in the job since 2012 and has also served on the board of the Queensland Rugby Union.
As well as overseeing the nation’s largest private university, Prof Brailsford is also a director of Australian Universities Sport.
16. PROF ALAN MACKAY-SIM
NEW TO LIST
THE 2017 Australian of the Year is a national authority on the regeneration of the nervous system.
The Griffith University professor and his research team are using stem cells from the nose to develop cellular models of diseases such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and motor neurone disease.
The research has already provided significant insight into how these diseases develop.
15. RON CALVERT
THE CEO of Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service added a third public hospital to his organisation in October, leasing a former day surgery to relieve pressure from the Parkwood and Robina sites.
He manages an organisation with a budget of more than $1.4 billion and more than 6000 staff and growing.
The service is among the nation’s fastest-growing, with demand for services an ongoing challenge.
14. PROFESSOR IAN O’CONNOR
THE Griffith University Vice Chancellor has been in charge since 2005, overseeing more than 17,000 students from Australia and overseas at the Gold Coast campus.
Prof O’Connor has attracted some of the world’s best researchers to the city and is respected by both political and business leaders.
Has played a lead role in developing the Parkwood precinct into a world-class health and knowledge hub.
13. GEOFF HOGG
STAR Entertainment Group’s Queensland managing director played a key role in winning the bid to build Brisbane’s Queen’s Wharf casino, and has had a huge year with the ever-growing $845 million redevelopment and rebranding of The Star Gold Coast — which is a key partner of the Commonwealth Games.
Mr Hogg, who also sits on the board for Broadbeach Alliance, will oversee the opening of the island’s six-star hotel in coming months.
12. HARRY TRIGUBOFF
THE mark of this billionaire property developer can be seen across the Gold Coast, most recently with the Sundale development which launched in 2016 on the bank of the Nerang River at Southport.
His company Meriton is Australia’s largest residential developer and construction is well under way on the Surfers Paradise Esplanade where he is building a $1 billion five-star hotel and apartment tower, due to open in 2018.
11. CHRIS HEMSWORTH
THE heart-throb movie star can do no wrong, his Gold Coast-filmed Marvel masterpiece Thor: Ragnarok has garnered rave reviews and he continued to rake in sponsorship dollars from major companies who fall over each other to put his name to their brands.
The flawless face of Australian Tourism and Foxtel was 2016 GQ Man of the Year and has Hollywood on speed dial — yet can still be spotted scoping out the markets with the locals or surfing the southern breaks with his mates.
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