Georgegina Poulos was the first person I approached for the “21 Women for 2021” interview series. 

With her positive attitude she encouraged me to follow a storytelling path towards recording the voices of Australian women of Greek heritage who challenge stereotypes and break glass ceilings. 

And if you think this is a rather unusual intro, you should read on.

A Global Director People at T2 Tea, Georgegina is responsible for shaping, leading and delivering the company’s global People strategy in order to support and enable performance against agreed business objectives.

Five years ago, by becoming the first woman to lead the male-dominated Hellenic-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HACCI) the Greek Cypriot senior executive, proved that generosity and empathy are virtues that have the potential to create change. 

Now she’s on a mission to transfer her knowledge to future female leaders who will in turn contribute to the society as a whole. 

Q: You are currently the Global Director of People at T2 but you chose an -out of the box- path to pursue your career. Tell us a bit more about it.

A: I started working at a young age in my Mum’s clothing store, with a love for fashion I opened my own small boutique when I was 19. At 21, my parents gave me a year abroad and I stayed 10! 

I remember sitting in Burger King on Tottenham Court Road with my best friend and the Evening Standard looking for jobs. We would each take a turn to run up the stairs to use the payphone. Towards the end of the day, it was my friend’s turn and she made the call to Johnny Pizza Bar. He asked if she had any experience, she said no but my friend does. So, I called back and I ended up working for Gioma Restaurants for 10 years in London and The Netherlands. I trained all new managers, developed a Children’s marketing campaign and opened 6 restaurants.

After returning to Australia in 2000, I stayed in hospitality and completed my Post Graduate in HR and IR. My first HR role was for HMS Host at Melbourne Airport, from there I moved to the Stamford Plaza Hotel. 

After spending 15+ years in hospitality I decided to move into another industry, Supply Chain. I soon realised my strength as an HR practitioner was strategic thinking, organisational design and working in complex and challenging environments. 

I have been able to transition across multiple industries such as Food Service, Logistics, Energy, Retail and Local Government. I’ve loved the flexibility of running my own consultancy and working in organisations to build capability to deliver strategy. Four years ago, I joined T2 and I love every minute of it.        

Q: How has your Greek background and values helped you navigate your career path and overcome barriers?

A: Work ethic and resilience have been instilled in me since a child and I bring these attributes with me.

Q: You were the first woman to lead the Hellenic Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HACCI) as the Chair of Board. Why is it important for more women to follow in your footsteps?

A: I was privileged to be the first female Chair of HACCI. The current Chair is also a woman as are many of the Greek Community Groups.

For me it is important that I am a role model to younger females within our community so they can see it isn’t a ‘boys club’, that women can be strong influential leaders both in business and in the community 

Q: You have worked around the world. Are our workplaces inclusive enough in Australia?

A: I think organisations globally still have a lot of work to do to be truly inclusive. We have strong social biases that need to be broken. I am proud of the work we are doing at T2 in this space, we have just started this journey and we too have so much more to do 

Q: What is the message you would like to share with our readers this International Women’s Day?

A: This year’s theme “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world” is so important as many women were severely impacted last year during the peak of COVID and still are. 

Flexibility was one of the great outcomes of last year. Employers need to continue to embrace flexibility to encourage more women to take up leadership positions. Whether it be flex roles & or Work From Home (WFH). 

The notion of working 5 days in the office 0800-1800 no longer exists. COVID has shown us that true leaders can lead virtually and by embracing flexibility creates more opportunity for female leaders to thrive both personally and professionally 

My own personal takeaway is that having flexibility to anywhere, anytime and any way I become more productive and a better leader.

With a memorial service and a wreath laying ceremony held on Sunday morning at South Australia’s State War Memorial in Adelaide and a cultural evening that took place the same day, at the grounds of the Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Prophet Elias in Norwood, the state’s Hellenes and Philhellenes had the opportunity to commemorate and celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution of 2021.

The memorial service, organised by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, was initiated by His Grace Bishop Silouan of Sinope and in attendance were a number of distinguished guests and representatives of federal state and local governments as well as community representatives. 

Among them, the Consul General of Greece in Adelaide George Psiachas, Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni representing the Premier of SA Marshall, Leader of the opposition Peter Malinauskas and Greek Australian politicians Tom Koutsantonis, Andrea Michaels and Steve Georganas. Representing the Mayor of the city of Adelaide was Deputy Lord Mayor Mary Couros and representing the South Australian Multicultural and Ethnic Affairs Commission (SAMEAC) Andriana Christopoulos. 

Following the laying of the wreaths Bishop Silouan of Sinope and the Consul General addressed the crowd and the function concluded with a march and traditional dances from the students of Greek Orthodox schools and colleges.

Marshall: “The Greek Revolution inspired many nations around the world”

The commemorative celebrations continued at the grounds of the Greek Orthodox Parish and Community of Prophet Elias in Norwood with more than 400 attendees enjoying traditional food, dance, music, songs, poems and presentations from the 160 Prophet Elias Greek school students. 

In presence were the Premier of SA Steven Marshall, Assistant Minister to the Premier Jing Lee MLC, Tom Koutsantonis MP representing the Leader of the Opposition, the Consul General of Greece in Adelaide George Psiachas and Ms Andriana Christopoulos of SAMEAC.

“The Greek Revolution of 1821 inspired many nations around the world to seek Independence. Today is a great day to celebrate not only the Revolution but also the democracy that Greece has provided to the rest of the world,” Premier Marshall told The Greek Herald. 

“Multiculturalism is the backbone of our society in South Australia. We have very harmonious multicultural relations in the state and this is something we must never take for granted.”

Addressing the attendees Prophet Elias Parish priest Fr Michael Psaromatis gave an inspirational speech about the role of church during the Ottoman oppression in cultivating and maintaining the Greek language and culture and referred to the Revolution as an event of global significance. 

The grand finale of the evening was a Zorba Dance performance by students of Prophet Elias Greek School.