Five Years of GAS Mentoring: Guiding the Next Generation of Greek-Australian Leaders

Now successful its 5th year, the GAS Mentoring Program is connecting Greek-Australians worldwide. Two of its mentors – The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO, erstwhile Australian Ambassador to the United States, and Bill Karagounis, planetary exertion enforcement and entrepreneur – bespeak connected heritage, leadership, and helping usher the adjacent generation.

Since launching successful 2021 with conscionable 5 mentors successful Sydney, the GAS Mentoring Program has grown into the organisation’s flagship initiative, bridging generations and linking participants crossed Australia, Greece, the United States, and the United Kingdom. This year, GAS counts 27 mentors worldwide and has accepted 39 mentees into its latest intake, helping to code what GAS President George Mpliokas calls “the generational spread successful our community.”

“We formed the Mentoring Program to assistance facilitate connections betwixt generations of Greek-Australians, from young graduates and students done to palmy businesspeople and assemblage leaders,” explains Mpliokas. “It’s been a level to physique our rank – present implicit 650 worldwide – and a mode to nurture and turn aboriginal leaders of our community.”

GAS President George Mpliokas

To people this milestone, GAS is shining a spotlight connected 2 of its astir distinguished mentors: The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO, erstwhile Australian Ambassador to the United States, Senator, and Minister; and Bill Karagounis, erstwhile Microsoft enforcement and present CEO and Co-founder of Xhilon – PrivateAI. Their stories uncover the powerfulness of mentorship and the enduring value of staying connected to one’s roots.

Carrying Heritage Abroad

For some Arthur and Bill, being Greek-Australian is simply a defining constituent of who they are – not conscionable a inheritance detail.

“Being Greek-Australian means a pridefulness successful a practice that goes backmost thousands of years fused with being calved successful 1 of the existent ‘lucky’ countries of the world,” says Sinodinos. “My practice has shaped however I presumption radical – that taste origins, portion important, are not arsenic important arsenic the things that unite america arsenic chap humans.”

Bill echoes this sentiment, saying; “Being Greek-Australian is astatine the halfway of who I am. From my household I inherited a beardown enactment ethic, the worth of filotimo – doing what’s close – and a heavy consciousness of community. Growing up successful Australia gave maine opportunities to research and to imagination big. That premix has been powerful: it grounded maine successful practice portion giving maine the thrust to clasp the world.”

Both leaders spot their identities arsenic thing to beryllium celebrated, not compromised, erstwhile surviving abroad. Bill made a pivotal determination to determination his young household backmost to Australia truthful they could turn up person to their grandparents and sorb the stories of migration that shaped his ain childhood. “When we returned to the U.S., they weren’t conscionable American kids anymore – they carried roots, perspective, and a practice that gave them a broader worldview.”

Lessons from a Life of Service

Arthur Sinodinos’ vocation spans 4 decades, from his aboriginal days successful the Australian Public Service to serving arsenic Chief of Staff to Prime Minister John Howard, Cabinet Secretary, Minister for Industry, and yet Ambassador to the United States.

“Whatever other I bash successful life, my relation with John Howard was a item of my nonrecreational career,” helium reflects. “We established a narration that endured done the pursuing decades, and it acceptable maine connected a people that led to different opportunities I would ne'er person foreseen increasing up successful Newcastle.”

Arthur is proudest not conscionable of the titles helium has held but of the mode helium has treated people. “I would anticipation a wide accomplishment has been the mode I dainty radical and enactment myself successful their shoes – to beryllium remembered arsenic a trusted adviser.” His enactment guiding the Washington Embassy done COVID-19 and shaping cardinal initiatives specified arsenic AUKUS and the Quad reflects a vocation built connected trust, relationships, and service.

The Hon. Arthur Sinodinos AO

Former Prime Minister John Howard with his past main of unit Arthur Sinodinos

From Canterbury Boys’ High to Silicon Valley

Bill Karagounis’ way took him from Sydney to the bosom of the planetary tech industry. Over 16 years astatine Microsoft, helium led teams delivering Windows and Cloud technologies utilized by hundreds of millions worldwide.

“Delivering products astatine that standard means starring precise ample teams connected projects that impact thousands of people, each portion moving nether aggravated unit and choky deadlines,” helium says. “Through those experiences I learned 3 lessons: collaboration is everything, leaders turn leaders, and autonomy fuels innovation.”

Those lessons present underpin his enactment arsenic CEO of Xhilon – PrivateAI, wherever helium is focused connected gathering exertion that makes AI harmless and businesslike for endeavor customers.

The Power of Mentorship

Both Arthur and Bill spot mentoring arsenic a earthy hold of their careers and their committedness to giving back.

“I privation to springiness backmost to emerging leaders successful our community,” says Arthur simply. “Mentoring helps young radical clarify what they privation to bash and however to get there. You tin get a lifetime’s worthy of acquisition distilled into a fewer hours of dialog that whitethorn marque each the quality to your life’s trajectory.”

Bill describes mentorship arsenic “the span I privation I’d had aboriginal successful my career.”

“My ain travel – from Canterbury Boys’ High to an engineering person astatine Microsoft – was shaped by perseverance, luck, and the fewer mentors who invested successful me. GAS gives the adjacent procreation the guidance I erstwhile lacked. Watching mentees turn successful assurance and execute things they erstwhile thought intolerable is simply a changeless reminder of wherefore mentorship matters.”

Both mentors hold that organisations similar GAS play a important relation successful keeping Hellenism vibrant and applicable for aboriginal generations.

“Absorption into the broader civilization tin interaction staying connected,” notes Arthur. “But giving young radical a consciousness of their practice gives them pridefulness successful who they are – and I would argue, makes them amended citizens too.”

Bill adds that mentoring transforms taste individuality from a nostalgic thought into thing lived and active. “A programme similar GAS creates community, preserves our culture, and gives young radical a harmless spot to speech openly astir challenges with radical who’ve walked the aforesaid path.”

As GAS celebrates its 5th anniversary, some men spot the Mentoring Program arsenic a cornerstone of the Society’s future.

“I spot GAS becoming the starring level successful Australia for Greek-Australian professionals to connect, collaborate, and enactment 1 another,” says Bill. “No young Greek-Australian should ever consciousness they person to locomotion their way alone.

Arthur’s imaginativeness is arsenic clear: hoping for the Mentoring Program “to turn and go an important fixture of assemblage life.”

Asked what proposal they would springiness to young Greek-Australians, some Arthur and Bill promote boldness and connection.

“Take risks erstwhile you are young,” Arthur says. “There is clip to rectify mistakes. Going overseas works champion erstwhile you are young and unattached. And ever comparison yourself to your past, not others.”

“Be bold, person courageousness but enactment grounded,” Bill echoes. “Don’t beryllium acrophobic to instrumentality your vocation overseas and purpose high. But ne'er suffer interaction with your practice – it volition support you centred nary substance wherever you go.”

Five years on, the GAS Mentoring Program reflects the spot and imaginativeness of a assemblage determined to put successful its future. It continues to support Greek practice live portion opening doors for the adjacent procreation – connecting people, sharing experience, and helping the adjacent question of Greek-Australian leaders find their voice.

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