The resignation of the most powerful person in Western Australia triggered big changes in this year's Power 500 publication, and it all started the day it went to print.
You’d expect there to be a few last-minute changes in compiling a publication that seeks to name the most influential people in the state.
But the resignation of then-premier Mark McGowan had not been on Business News’ list of contingencies.
Celebrations associated with sending off this mammoth six-month editorial and production effort to the printers on Monday May 29 were extremely short-lived, as rumours of Mr McGowan's exit quickly firmed into truth not hours after.
As well as staying across the shock decision - arguably the biggest news story of the year so far - the editorial team’s attention had to quickly pivot to Power 500.
Who would replace Mr McGowan? And what did that mean for those who were in Power 500 because of their link to him? Not to mention how his exit might shift the standing of those at the top end of the business hierachy.
Ultimately, it prompted a serendipitous reminder of the fleeting nature of power.
A man who had run the state with an unprecedented mandate for six years was considered - for the purposes of this publication - out of a job.
What also became apparent very quickly was the leverage even just one connection to a powerful person could bring.
Business News subscribers - Click here to read Power 500 2023
In the throes of a major political upheaval, there was no shortage of speculation as to who the state’s next premier, deputy premier and treasurer would be, but the editorial team needed to make definitive choices.
Some might recall there was a point where Health Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson looked almost certain to vault into the premier's office.
But a surprise factional rift then seemingly cleared the way for then-deputy premier Roger Cook to secure the backing he needed.
Our printers - who received three iterations of the Power 500 before we landed on a final version during this frantic back-and-forth – arguably deserve a medal for their patience.
Of course, there were still no guarantees and Business News had to hedge our bets using the information we had at the time; a factor that should be considered in reading Power 500 2023.
Time will tell as to whether Mr Cook, who we now know is WA's 31st premier, will forge the same presence as his predecessor.
As we learned from our inaugural publication, and even more so in the second, compiling a list of the most powerful people in the state is a testing exercise that requires scrutiny of each individual being considered.
It is pleasing to see this year’s book reflect a state with a stronger representation of women than last year, even though gender and racial disparity still remains.
Business News has been true to its editorial charter in selecting this year’s cohort, though that’s not to say we don’t expect there to be differing opinions regarding our selection.
Whatever you take from the Power 500, we have strived to lift the lid on where real power lies in WA; a journalistic exercise we believe is well worthwhile.
