The 15th annual Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame welcomed five new inductees at a gala dinner in Brisbane on 25 July, celebrating outstanding contributions to the state.
The Business Leaders Hall of Fame was established in 2009 and is a partnership between QUT and the State Library of Queensland. It recognises outstanding Queensland business leaders for their public contribution to the state’s reputation and economic and social development. This year saw the 99th member inducted at a black-tie dinner event at the Brisbane Convention Centre and Exhibition Centre attended by more than 700 people.
The 2024 inductees are:
Stefan Ackerie AM
He is a self-made businessman and entrepreneur. Stefan, the man behind Stefan Hairdressing Salons, says he was “born to be a hairdresser”. In 2024, Stefan Ackerie celebrates 60 years in business. He is the largest private employer in Queensland of apprentices, and a household name with his “Discover Yourself” television show and his salon’s signature rainbow logo. He has the longest-running hairdressing company in Australia.
Shelley Reys AO
With a vision to create a culturally competent Australia “one workplace at a time”, Shelley Reys has established herself as a leader in the corporate, First Nations and reconciliation spaces. For 30 years, Shelley, a Djirribul woman from far north Queensland in the Atherton Tablelands, has led Arrilla Indigenous Consulting, specialising in raising people’s cultural capability across the Australian workforce, as well as helping them to work in the First Nations space with greater skill and confidence.
Longhurst Family
Brothers Tony and Rodney Longhurst own almost 40 hectares of prime riverfront land along the Coomera River, not far from Dreamworld, and are responsible for a team of more than 1000 people directly, and another 2000 people indirectly. The Longhurst Family is inducted in recognition of over 50 years of visionary and sustained entrepreneurship across the tourism, property and boating industries nationally.
Piñata Farms Pty Ltd
The fourth-generation business employs more than 400 staff and operates farms from the Northern Territory to Tasmania, supplying pineapples, as well as mangoes, strawberries and raspberries. It supplies produce to every Coles and Woolworths store nationally. It is recognised because of its outstanding leadership and innovation in Australia’s food production industry for over 60 years.
Data#3 Limited
With nine offices, including its head office in Brisbane, and three integration centres, Data#3 is a leading IT services and solutions provider that has worked with a diverse client list from federal, state and local governments, large corporations, to schools, hospitals, universities and stadiums. Data#3 is inducted in recognition of continuing excellence and outstanding innovation in the provision of technology solutions and services throughout Australia.
Readers also enjoyed our story about Cherish Fundraising Luncheon
