NT’s 120 Most Powerful people for 2022
Property mogul Warren Ebert makes his debut in the 120 Most Powerful list at number 92 while one of the NT’s star legal mind’s Mary Chalmers SC comes in at 88. Follow the countdown from 100-81.
Northern Territory
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The NT’s 120 Most Powerful people wield considerable power and influence.
There’s some newcomers to this year’s list and those who have made it in years past face a challenge to keep their position – or move up.
Others fall.
Today we countdown from number 100 to 81.
Property mogul Warren Ebert makes his debut in the 120 Most Powerful list at number 92 while one of the NT’s star legal mind’s Mary Chalmers SC comes in at 88.
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– NT’s top 10 most powerful business people revealed for 2022
Follow the countdown from 100-81.
100. Kaia Wright
A writer and model by trade and increasingly notable public figure, Wright has had a big year in 2022.
The numbers speak for themselves – Wright’s Instagram following jumped from 20,900 to 91,700 since May.
Wright announced the pregnancy and birth of her daughter Dusty alongside partner Matt, and made her global television debut in Netflix’s Wild Territory.
She also stepped into the beauty world with a Biolage hair-care partnership, claiming she was ditching the “mum bun” for weekly self-care that started at her roots.
Her claim to fame no doubt increased thanks to her husband’s popular TV series and adventure tourism businesses but the beauty has no doubt stepped out of his shadow and made waves of her own in the Territory community.
99. Vicki Telfer
The challenge for Public Service Commissioner Telfer is to turn around the disastrous results from the 2021 People Matter survey that show all is not well in the NTPS.
The survey identified more than 60 employees within the Chief Minister’s Department alone had witnessed ‘improper conduct’ at work and that 20 per cent of staff in the agency had been bullied in the previous 12-months.
At the same time only 46 per cent of surveyed staff reported their manager dealt with poorly performing employees appropriately.
Another spotlight was shone in July when ICAC Commissioner Michael Riches dropped a bombshell report that accused the government of “favouritism, nepotism and cronyism” in public service recruitment and selection.
Telfer prefers to operate behind the scenes rather than voicing her opinions through the media but public servants are rightly waiting for their boss to outline a plan for correcting the key shortcomings identified last year.
98. Danila Dilba
Danila Dilba Health Service runs a holistic diversion program that is set to play a critical role as the NT’s age of criminal responsibility is raised later this year.
The program involves taking young people into the hospital to see the impacts of trauma, while also putting support services around both the child and family.
By November 2022, 50 young people had participated in its program and 38 had completed it.
Chief executive Rob McPhee, who joined Danila Dilba in 2021, said the organisation could cater to more children with additional funding.
Danila Dilba previously led by example during the pandemic boasting a 100 per cent vaccination rate among staff.
The service championed vaccinations throughout 2021 delivering more than 10,000 Covid jabs to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders over the last 12 months.
97. Jane Lewis
Raintree Art gallery owner Lewis has amassed a cult following on TikTok after sharing some of the NT’s Aboriginal artists painting their artwork before it is sold.
Lewis shares work from artists across the Top End and Central Australia with more than 83,400 followers, and art-lovers can purchase the one-of-a-kind pieces for themselves online.
She launched the account in February 2020 and has said the women are “flourishing in the art industry”.
The gallery itself is located in Victoria, but its no surprise the vibrant account has made a splash across the country.
96. Michael Bridge
Known universally as Bridgey, his profile is lower than it was when he headed AirNorth, Australia’s second-oldest airline, but his importance to the Territory is as significant as ever.
As chairman of Tourism NT’s Board of Commissioners, Bridge and the six-member team had responsibility for growing visitor numbers to the Territory in the post-pandemic era.
Given the competitiveness of tourism markets here in Australia and internationally, this promises to be one hell of a fight so it’s good to have an experienced campaigner at the helm.
A board member of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority since 2018, he has had extensive experience on numerous boards including the Aviation Industry Superannuation Trust, AustralianSuper’s aviation division and Embraer International.
Also a commercial pilot, his 19 years at AirNorth transformed the business and steered it through tough times in aviation which saw better credentialed businesses like Ansett bite the dust.
95. Rob Blenkinship
Blenkinship is set to play a key role in bringing workers back to the Territory in the aftermath of Covid.
He is a founding director and chief executive of the Darwin-headquartered CGH Group, founded as CoreStaff in 2008.
Blenkinship has more than 25 years’ experience leading recruitment and human resource companies.
CGH Group was founded in Darwin in 2008 as CoreStaff Group Holdings and has grown rapidly to become a national leader in recruitment and human resource services turning over about $400m annually.
CGH is represented by four individual brands; CoreStaff (recruitment and labour hire), Beilby Downing Teal (Executive Search & Permanent Placement services), OPRA Psychology Group (Psychological Testing & Profiling) and GOAL Indigenous Services (Indigenous Employment Pathways).
They have 2500 active candidates on their books every day.
94. Athina Pascoe-Bell
The mayor of Palmerston may appear to be the silent type but she’s been sticking to her guns in the past 12 months.
In the latest council elections held in August 2021, Pascoe-Bell reclaimed her position with a landslide win claiming 74 per cent of the votes.
Since then, she has strongly opposed the introduction of wards to Palmerston – as have more than two-thirds of respondents in an NT News survey.
Pascoe-Bell’s council also initiated the Swimming, Wellness, Events, Leisure, Lifestyle (SWELL) centre project, to create a truly family-friendly venue.
The new centre will include a Ninja Warrior-style obstacle course, a second pool, and a half basketball court.
For these reasons, Pascoe-Bell has almost maintained her spot on the list, dropping just one place since 2021.
93. Greg Ireland
Ireland was a strong voice for small businesses in 2022 and will face continued pressure from his constituents to keep the Territory government’s feet to the fire on the number one issue plaguing the sector going forward - crime.
The Chamber of Commerce chief executive has called out the “crisis” facing local entrepreneurs, particularly in Alice Springs, who are suffering “physically, emotionally and financially”.
Despite NT Police rolling out additional officers to Central Australia through Operation Drina late last year, the issue is one that is all but certain to continue to fester, as local businesses remain at their wits end.
Ireland could also have a fight on his hands with the federal government after slamming its Secure Jobs, Better Pay Bill as “bad for Australian businesses”.
With small ventures the perennial backbone of the Territory economy, Ireland’s voice as the head of the chamber is sure to remain one of the loudest in 2023.
92. Warren Ebert
Ebert is a new entrant in the 120 Most Powerful list that includes several prominent business people who have made Darwin’s property landscape their own.
Managing director of Queensland-based Sentinel Property Group, Ebert made his first bold steps into the Darwin property scene in 2016 when he bought the CasCom building in Casuarina for $34m.
The following year he bought Jacana House for $60.75m and Arnhemica House in suburban Parap for $9.5m.
This was Sentinel’s entree to the main course, in February finalising purchase of Casuarina Square from GPT for a whopping $418m.
Believed to be the largest non-pastoral property transfer in Territory history, Ebert has plans to transform the centre into a defacto CBD with a residential component adding to the centre’s core retail function.
His first big plan is to relocate the bus transit centre further along Trower Rd to free up land to expand the centre footprint.
Ebert (pronounced with a soft ‘e’), followed up Casuarina Square with the $17m purchase of the Casuarina Club and, this month, the $280m acquisition of Caneland Central shopping centre in Mackay.
Sentinel is Australia’s largest commercial property owner in Northern Australia.
91. Cath Hatcher
The hangover from the Territory government’s controversial wage freeze remains a hot-button issue heading into 2023 with Australian Nursing and Midwifery NT secretary Cath Hatcher still locked in negotiations with Natasha Fyles’ administration.
Fyles replaced the wage freeze with a 2 per cent per annum pay rise policy in August but is yet to reach an agreement with workers in a number of industries.
Ms Hatcher represents one of several sectors still holding out after Territory teachers accepted a 3 per cent pay rise by a two-thirds majority vote in December, with the ANMF set to return to the negotiating table in the coming weeks.
Depending on how those talks go, Hatcher’s union could remain a thorn in the government’s side for some time to come as it seeks to put the policy introduced by former chief minister Michael Gunner behind it.
90. Marion Scrymgour
The new member for Lingiari has some big shoes to fill in 2023 after taking over from the long-serving father of the house, Warren Snowdon, when the Albanese government took power in May.
While Scrymgour is yet to make waves as a potential inheritor of Snowdon’s legacy, she used her maiden speech to parliament in July to outline her goals, including protecting vulnerable Territorians after the expiry of the Stronger Futures legislation.
“What is at least needed is for both governments, federal and Northern Territory, to work out a plan to protect the innocent victims who are being swamped by waves of violence, now that takeaway alcohol is getting let back into town camps,” she said.
As one of three Territory voices now inside the tent as part of a federal Labor government, Scrymgour will be perfectly placed to make a real difference for her constituents in 2023 — if she seizes her chance.
89. Sam Gibson
Now in his second year at AFLNT, Gibson has overseen another massive year of growth in the premier NTFL competition.
The former Tennis NT leader has overseen an unprecedented 41 new teams for the 2022-23 NTFL season, including the Tiwi Bombers’ first ever Women’s Premier League team.
He originally joined the AFLNT as Stadium, Facilities and Government Manager but quickly found himself in the top job when former chief executive Stuart Totham departed.
Gibson has continued to support AFLNT’s relationship with the NT News allowing the publication to exclusively live broadcast NTFL matches to screens across the country.
The partnership is currently in its third season and continues to benefit both parties, particularly with an added Women’s Premier League match each week.
Prior to heading up sport organisations, Gibson worked in NT government roles and studied a Bachelor of Business and Sport Administration.
88. Mary Chalmers SC
Chalmers’ star as one of the NT’s top legal minds has only continued to rise since the experienced advocate and serving vice-president of the NT Bar Association took silk in 2021. The long-term Territorian graduated with a Bachelor of Laws from the former NT University in 2001 and was appointed Senior Counsel just three years after joining the independent bar in 2018.
More recently, Chalmers served as counsel for the NT government at two royal commissions, including inquiries into abuse and neglect of people with disabilities and defence and veteran suicides.
Meanwhile, as a Captain in the Australian Army Legal Corps, Chalmers regularly appears for defendants in Defence Force Magistrate and Court Martial proceedings at the Territory’s numerous Defence facilities.
As one of Darwin’s most sought after advocates, Chalmers will no doubt continue to be a fixture in courts and tribunals across the Territory as a number of high-profile cases make their way through the justice system in 2023.
87. Lis Clark
Katherine mayor Lis Clark has graduated to the main list after coming in at number 60 on last year’s Most Powerful Women docket as she continues to steer the ship for the outback hub.
The long-serving former alderman has lived in Katherine for 52 years and continues to advocate for the town’s 6000 residents since taking over as mayor in 2020.
As is the case elsewhere in the NT, anti-social behaviour has been an issue in Katherine in recent months with Clark speaking out in September.
“At the moment there has been quite a bit of damage occurring in town,” Clark said.
“We need to mitigate these things before they happen, not after they happen.
“The damage is worse than we’ve seen.”
86. Coleman family
Given their long involvement in the Top End’s hospitality scene, it’s worth remembering the Colemans began their business life in the Territory as printers and the Cavanagh Street press is a reminder of their earlier contribution to the NT economy.
More recently though, they’ve been keeping locals and tourists fed and watered at the Landmark@Gateway, more recently Breezes at Muirhead and since November 2021 have been managing the Great Northern Hotel in Byron Bay.
But the Colemans are one of a number of other families in this list who regularly reinvest in Darwin and their latest plans – if approved – promises to revitalise the Daly St end of Mitchell St.
The Colemans want to open a new venue where Ducks Nuts and the BCC cinema were.
The drawings look spectacular and here’s hoping it goes ahead.
85. Elizabeth Morris
As the Territory’s Chief Judge, Elizabeth Morris will continue to wield significant power within the NT’s judicial system in 2023. While already managing what is a significant workload for the Local Court system, Ms Morris will be in the gun to address worsening delays and backlogs experienced in 2022.
In July, Ms Morris presided over a “super directions hearing” in which she assigned dates well into 2023 for dozens of defendants who were unable to have their day in court last year, including cases dating back as far as 2020.
At the time, a court spokeswoman said the backlog had been caused by high volumes of cases coming through along with limited resources in judges’ chambers as well as prosecution and defence offices.
How well Ms Morris is able to address the issues from her side of the bench will decide to what extent she is able to earn her place on this year’s list.
84. Nigel Browne
In the nine years since Browne was appointed chief executive of Larrakia Development Corporation, it has continued its ascent to become one of the nation’s most recognisable commercial Aboriginal organisations as well as a significant contributor to economic growth in the Territory.
Late this year LDC announced it was teaming with partners in South Korea and Western Australia to develop a solar farm that will deliver 300 megawatts of power to Middle Arm. Clearance work at the site of the proposed $40m Larrakia Cultural Centre is also underway with construction expected to begin this year.
A Larrakia/Wulna man, Browne began his journey with the LDC in 2005 and has climbed the ladder from director to chairman to chief executive.
A CDU trained lawyer, he’s currently part-time chairperson with the Redfern-based National Centre of Indigenous Excellence and a director with The Healing Foundation in Canberra.
No less important, he’s a Wanderers fan.
83. Ken Davies
Recently inducted into the Institute of Public Administration, Davis was praised for his capacity to collaborate with colleagues to grow the value of the public service.
“Over 40 years Ken has served the Northern Territory and helped shape the NTPS as a place where public servants thrive and deliver. Ken Davies is the very model of a modern public servant”, the accolade stated.
In an environment where the public service is often scapegoated for some of the Territory’s broader economic shortcomings – the wages freeze being exhibit A – Davies has survived multiple changes of government and countless ministers to be by far the Territory’s most senior departmental chief executive.
Currently heading the Department of Territory Families, Housing and Communities, the affable Davies never appears ruffled by the enormity of his job and the ongoing challenges the agency faces.
82. Joe Martin-Jard
This time last year, Martin-Jard was the Northern Land Council’s acting chief executive but has since been given the job permanantly.
He moved to the Top End after two years in charge of Central Land Council and years in Aboriginal administration, including almost four as regional manager of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet in Arnhem Land and Groote Eylandt and as chief operating officer with Aboriginal Medical Services Aliance.
His passion is Aboriginal employment and economic development and he has an opportunity to advance both these by inserting the NLC and the people it represents as serious players in the Territory government’s ambitious plan to grow the economy to $40bn by 2030.
He also has an opportunity to position the NLC as a strong advocate for a Treaty after the Territory Government appeared to place it in the ‘too hard basket’ late last year.
81. Tracey Hayes
People involved with the Country Liberal Party still shake their heads at the one that got away.
Hayes put her hand up to take-on the chief minister in his Fannie Bay electorate at the 2020 election and looked a chance until Covid kicked in and gave Labor an easy run home on polling day.
But some in the party had her earmarked for a shot at Solomon where, had she won, her skills as a pastoralist and businesswoman – not to mention her knowledge of the Territory – would have been a valuable addition to the Coalition’s women-averse ranks.
Instead, she accepted a position as chair of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (the NAIF), which has billions of dollars to potentially invest in projects to grow the Northern Australia economy.
This gives her an opportunity to make a difference to the Territory without the ritualistic abuse and suspicion that goes with a career in politics.
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