Nick Loukas, Retail Pharmacy Group, Founder & Managing Director Nick is the founder and Managing Director of Retail Pharmacy Group, the retail expertise behind franchises Alive Discount Pharmacy and V Pharmacy. Nick is also chair of the advisory committee at James Cook University, and owner/partner in three pharmacies.

1. Where do you hail from?  
Born in Melbourne and lived there until 14 before moving to Cairns.

2.What was your nickname as a child?
Wop. My Mum used to call me that.

3. What was your first ever job?
Big W at Earlville in grade 11.

4. What were you doing when you were 20?
Third year pharmacy at University of Qld in Brisbane. Trying to balance college life with studying.

5. Why Pharmacy?
I knew then I wanted to be my own boss and wanted something medical. This ticked both boxes.

6. What achievement are you most proud of?
Personal – my wife giving birth to our two girls
Work – Harvard Business Scholarship from Faulding for Leadership and Management.

7. What motivates you to go to work each day?
The challenge of creating something new and working with a great bunch of people. There’s always something new at our work, which creates a stimulating environment.

8. What is the best thing about doing business in Cairns?
The physical setting and the non-pretentious people.

9. What is the one, single food that you would never give up?  
Cheese. Good quality from all corners of the world.

10. Tell us something we don’t know about you.
I was a quiet emotional child at school without much confidence before I moved to Cairns.

11. If you had an opportunity to change careers for a month – what would you do?
Mayor of Cairns. I’d love to see the other side of running this great city.

12. If you could live anywhere else in the world where would it be?
Chamonix France. The food, the skiing, the scenery……awesome!

13. What is your favourite time of the day?
6.00pm – see the family and have a wine

14. What great idea or innovation do you wish you had the time to pursue?   
Developing a single branded medical facility combining medical, pharmacy and all allied health services.

15. Who do you aspire to in business or in life?
James Bond.

16. If you could re-live one moment in your life, what would it be? 
Leo Howard vacation school – where I met my wife.

17. Who would be on your ultimate dinner-party table of 8?  
Richard Branson, Warren Buffett, Winston Churchill, Lachlan Murdoch, Roger Corbett, Sam Walton, Charlie Sheen and Me

18. Where is your favourite holiday destination?
Queenstown, New Zealand

19. Which is your favourite restaurant for that Friday afternoon lunch?
Mondo’s. Unbeatable!!

20. What do you want to be doing when you are 80? 
Breathing and standing!!