About Gladys Berejiklian
Gladys Berejiklian (Armenian: Գլեդիս Բերեջիկլյան, romanized: Gledis Berejiklyan; born 22 September 1970) is an Australian businesswoman and former politician who served as the 45th premier of New South Wales and the leader of the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party from 2017 to 2021. Berejiklian currently works as an executive for the telecommunications company Optus. Berejiklian became a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly after winning the electoral district of Willoughby in the 2003 state election. She was given the roles of Treasurer and Minister for Industrial Relations in the second Baird government, and Minister for Transport in the O'Farrell and first Baird governments. She was also the deputy leader of the New South Wales Liberal Party between 2014 and 2017. She assumed the role of premier after Mike Baird's resignation in January 2017. She was re-elected after winning the 2019 state election. In her second term, she led New South Wales's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2021, Berejiklian announced her intention to resign as both premier and member for Willoughby after the start of an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) investigation to determine whether a "breach of public trust" had occurred, over her failure to disclose the secret relationship with Daryl Maguire when relevant to her ministerial duties, and her failure to report potentially corrupt statements Maguire made to her that were recorded in phone calls during the Maguire ICAC investigation. Berejiklian stayed on as premier until a replacement was elected at a party room meeting, held on 5 October 2021. Treasurer Dominic Perrottet succeeded Berejiklian as premier of New South Wales. In 2023 ICAC findings stated that Berejiklian engaged in "serious corrupt conduct" by refusing to report Maguire's corrupt statements to her, but did not recommend criminal charges against her as ICAC evidence is not admissible in criminal court due to the loss of the right to silence within hearings. Berejiklian won Liberal preselection for Willoughby in 2003 when former Opposition Leader Peter Collins, who had represented the Willoughby area since 1981, decided to retire. Ultimately, Berejiklian won by 144 votes, with the Liberals suffering a swing of 10.9 points.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.