Stefan Ackerie
Stefan Ackerie (born 1941), usually known by the mononym Stefan, is a businessman who owns a chain of hairdressing salons in Brisbane, Australia.
Early life
[edit]He was born in 1941 in Batroun, Lebanon. His family migrated when he was 15 to Adelaide, South Australia, where he trained as a hairdresser and learned to speak English at nightschool.[1]
Career
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He owns a chain of approximately 50 hairdressing salons throughout Queensland and New South Wales as well as the Brisbane restaurant Jo Jo's, a bar and restaurant originally opened above the Queen Street Mall in the 1970s and now on Melbourne Street, South Brisbane.[2][3] He also owns Stefan's Boating World in Coomera on the Gold Coast, Queensland.[4]
Stefan's Brisbane headquarters is located in South Brisbane, underneath the Skyneedle, a landmark which Stefan bought to prevent it being moved overseas after World Expo '88.[5] When the Milton Tennis Centre was demolished circa 1999, Stefan rescued the 7-metre (23 ft) tennis racquet icon (based on the Aldila brand) erected there (he had sponsored the Queensland Tennis Open competition at that site). In June 2014, it was re-erected over the Frew Park tennis facility, which replaced the Milton Tennis Centre.[6]
Awards
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Stefan was a finalist in the 2004 Australian of the Year awards.[7] He is also a keen power boat racer and holds the records for the fastest crossing of Bass Strait[8] and the fastest crossing of the Straits of Malacca.[1]
In 2013, Stefan was presented a Queensland Greats Award from the Queensland Government.[9]
In 2024, Stefan was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in recognition of 'sustained entrepreneurship in developing an iconic Queensland business for 60 years'.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Lindsay, Cat. "The life story and photos of Stefan Ackerie". Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ "South Bank Corporation Board". Archived from the original on 5 May 2007. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
- ^ "Jo Jo's Restaurant and Bar". Must Do Brisbane. August 2017. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ "About Us". Stefan's Boating World. Archived from the original on 10 March 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ Atfield, Cameron (22 August 2015). "Skyneedle 'should never have left South Bank': Stefan". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ Moore, Tony (20 June 2014). "Stefan's big racquet returns to new tennis park at Milton". Brisbane Times. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
- ^ "National Australia Day Council – Australian of the Year Award". Archived from the original on 10 October 2006. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
- ^ "Stefan – History". Archived from the original on 29 August 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2006.
- ^ "2013 Queensland Greats recipients". Queensland Government. Archived from the original on 31 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
- ^ "Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame". Stefan Ackerie AM. July 2024. Retrieved 31 July 2024.
External links
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