Harry Katsiabanis
NationalityAustralian
Alma materSwinburne University of Technology
Occupation(s)Australian entrepreneur, public transport operator, self storage developer and operator, executive coaching
Years active1988-present
Known forFounding StorageX, CABiT and TaxiLink
Websitewww.storagex.com.au

Harry Katsiabanis is an Australian entrepreneur and public transport operator known for founding self storage company StorageX, TaxiLink, CABiT, Ride247 and P2P Transport.[1][2]

Early life and education

Harry Katsiabanis attended Melbourne High School and La Trobe University. He worked as a real estate agent for a decade before deciding to enter the taxicab industry. He began driving taxi cabs in 1988, and bought his first taxi license at the age of 21. Katsiabanis attended Swinburne University of Technology from 2011 to 2013, and graduated with a master's degree.[3]

Career

TaxiLink, TaxiEpay, Greek immigration

Katsiabanis founded the Melbourne-based taxi network Taxi Link in 2003[4] and is the company's executive director.[5] e also created TaxiEpay, an EFTPOS system, that same year. Katsiabanis is the spokesperson for Taxi Industry Stakeholders Victoria, and became known for opposing Allan Fels' position in the 2011 Taxi Industry Inquiry, and protesting government plans to reduce the value of taxi licenses.[6][7]

In 2012, Katsiabanis started an initiative to encourage Greeks to immigrate to Australia and work as taxi drivers in the Melbourne-area during the Greek financial crisis.[8] The initiative was motivated by changes in Australian immigration laws which reduced immigration from India, thereby creating a shortage of taxi cab drivers in Australia.[9] That same year, Katsiabanis founded the Australian Taxi Academy, offering free training and seminars to Greeks who enrolled in the program.[10] In June 2012, Katsiabanis he a series of seminars about the initiative in Athens.[11]

In May 2013, it was reported Katsiabanis and two other taxi operators bought the rights to Taxiplon, a Greek taxi-booking app.[12]

In November 2013, Katsiabanis announced his plans to launch Taxi Link Pink, a pink fleet of cabs driven by women for female passengers.[13] He stated that the initiative was inspired by an article in The Age, which reported on sexual harassment by cab drivers in Victoria.[14]

CABiT

In 2014, Katsiabanis founded CABiT, an Australian vehicle for hire service that combined the fleets of Taxi Link, Ambassador, Cabways, and Kensington Taxis.[15] Katsiabanis has stated that the company was modelled after the Indonesian taxi group Blue Bird.[16] On August 24, 2015, CABiT launched a fleet of green-painted, hybrid cars.[17]

P2P, Ride247

Katsiabanis co-founded P2P Transport, a vehicle rental company, in 2017.[2] He initially raised $30 million in funding for the company with a group of investors in mid-2017, and the company opened on the Australian Securities Exchange in December.[18]

In 2018, Katsiabanis announced plans to launch Ride247, a mobile phone app which would allow users to book taxis, rideshare cars, and limousines.[2]

StorageX

Katsiabanis is currently the director of StorageX, an Australian self storage company based in Huntingdale, Victoria, which he founded in 2022 with his family.[19] In 2023, he appeared on Swinburne University's Innovation and Ideas series where he discussed his decision to found StorageX after COVID-19 pandemic impacted the taxi industry.[20] It won the Rising Star Award at the Monash Business Awards in 2023.[21]

Personal life

Harry Katsiabanis is an Australian of Greek descent.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Hatch, Patrick (23 August 2015). "CABiT signals clean, green turn for Melbourne taxis". The Age. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 Jacks, Timna (10 February 2018). "Taxi driver turned entrepreneur launches 'iTunes for transport'". The Age. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  3. ↑ "Harry Katsiabanis | Alumni profiles | Swinburne University | Melbourne". www.swinburne.edu.au. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  4. ↑ "Urgent call for Irish cabbies in Australia". herald. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  5. ↑ Lucas, Clay (9 February 2011). "Driver shortage for taxis as Indian student numbers fall". The Age. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  6. ↑ Carey, Adam (4 January 2013). "Secret world of our taxi titans". The Age. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  7. ↑ Cook, Henrietta (19 October 2012). "Taxi owners take a hammer to proposed licence changes". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  8. ↑ "GREEK RECRUITS TO DRIVE MELBOURNE CABS". www.heraldsun.com.au. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  9. 1 2 Sweet, Mike (17 March 2012). "Greek cabbies hail taxi plan". NEOS KOSMOS. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  10. ↑ Kotseli, Areti (13 March 2012). "Up to 1000 Greek Taxi Drivers Will be Hired to Ease Melbourne's Cabbie ShortageGreek Reporter Australia | Greek Reporter Australia". Greekreporter.com. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  11. ↑ "Greek drivers join the ranks". NEOS KOSMOS. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Carey, Adam (24 May 2013). "Your taxis at work: the big three to keep tabs on cabs". The Age. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  13. ↑ Pearlman, Jonathan (14 November 2013). "'Pink taxis' for women introduced in Melbourne". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  14. ↑ Bird, Adam Carey, Dylan (14 November 2013). "Women-only pink taxis on the way". The Age. Retrieved 30 April 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ "$20m taxi rank shake-up". www.heraldsun.com.au. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  16. ↑ "Lessons from Jakarta". VicTaxi. December 2015. p. 13.
  17. ↑ "Catch a free green cab, if you can". www.heraldsun.com.au. 23 August 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  18. ↑ "P2P Transport embraces Uber, Taxify after modest ASX debut". Australian Financial Review. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 30 April 2020.
  19. ↑ "29. Harry Katsiabanis - Taxi Link journey". Spreaker. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  20. ↑ "Harry Katsiabanis (Innovation and Ideas Series)". Swinburne University. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  21. ↑ "StorageX Clinches Rising Star Award at the Prestigious Monash Business Awards". The Business Times Australia. Retrieved 28 August 2023.

https://www.storagex.com.au

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