The Daily Telegraph has revealed it’s ‘Power 100’ rankings for 2022 and among the list are two Australians of Greek heritage – Nick Politis and Peter V’landys.
They have joined a number of other powerful people in Sydney, including NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet at number one position and Prime Minister Scott Morrison at number two.
4. Peter V’landys:
Peter V’landys has two of the biggest jobs in sport as the CEO of Racing NSW and Chairman of the Australian Rugby League Commission.
The child of Greek migrants, V’landys actually has a background in business and commerce, but was drawn to rugby league because he never forgot how he felt as a young boy playing for Wests Illawarra.
“My parents, being migrants, they didn’t think rugby league was a career. So I went to uni and got into business, took a different path,” V’landys told the Illawarra Mercury in 2020.
READ MORE: Childhood lessons set the tone for Peter V’landys’ career trajectory.
“But I never forgot what rugby league did for me. When the opportunity to pay it back came, I took it up. That’s why I’m doing what I’m doing. It’s purely to repay the game.”
Now, V’landys has become one of the most powerful men in Australian sport.
In recent years, his profile has also been pushed further into the public spotlight as he fought to keep rugby league viable during the COVID-19 pandemic.
READ MORE: Opinion: How the coronavirus outbreak will change the future of global sport.
22. Nick Politis:
Nick Politis is a migrant from the Greek island of Kythera who has helped save rugby league in Australia and turned a single car dealership into a $2 billion fortune.
Politis was born to George and Argyro Politis on Kythera in 1941, only months after the Germans took over the island during WWII.
READ MORE: How Nick Politis went from Kythera to becoming one of Australia’s billionaires.
At the end of the war, Politis and his family arrived in Australia when he was eight. From an early age, a strong work ethic was instilled in him.
Now, Politis is one of Australia’s least-known billionaires.
He’s 80, of modest height and does yoga four times a week. He also happens to be one of the most powerful men in rugby league as the Chairman of the Sydney Roosters, and is the most influential person in the Australian car industry.
READ MORE: Greeks billionaires feature among Australia’s 250 richest people.
Source: The Daily Telegraph.
