Sophie Cotsis

Who is Sophie Cotsis?

Sophie Cotsis MLC, is an Australian politician. She is a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council since 7 September 2010, representing the Australian Labor Party.

The daughter of Greek migrants, Cotsis grew up in the St George district together with her brother. She was educated at Canterbury South Public School and at Kingsgrove High School before matriculating to Macquarie University where Cotsis became a member of the University's Hellenic Studies Foundation and established a program that preserved the Greek language and Hellenic heritage at the University. Graduating with a Bachelor of Arts from Macquarie University, Cotsis later completed a Master of Legal Studies at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Prior to entering Parliament, Cotsis was a hospitality worker at Sydney Airport, later becoming an official with the Labor Council of New South Wales and subsequently the Liquor, Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union. Costsis joined the Labor Party in 1993, partly inspired by Paul Keating. She later became an adviser to former New South Wales Treasurer Michael Costa until March 2008, when she became an adviser to the infrastructure company Parsons Brinckerhoff.