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
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.

Career
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. He also owns Stefan's Boating World in Coomera on the Gold Coast, Queensland.

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. When the Milton Tennis Centre was demolished circa 1999, Stefan rescued the 7 m 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.

Awards
In 2013, Stefan was presented a Queensland Greats Award from the Queensland Government.

Stefan was a finalist in the 2004 Australian of the Year awards. He is also a keen power boat racer and holds the records for the fastest crossing of Bass Strait and the fastest crossing of the Straits of Malacca.