The Hon Zoe Bettison MP

Minister for Tourism & Multicultural Affairs

Siggi Frede

Chair, Tourism Industry Council South Australia

Tim Jarvis AM

Environmental Scientist, Adventurer, Author, Film Maker

Tim Jarvis MSc, MEnvLaw is an environmental scientist, adventurer, author, public speaker and film maker with more than 30 years’ experience working in the sustainability field. He is committed to finding pragmatic solutions to major environmental issues related to climate change and biodiversity loss and uses his public speaking, films and books to progress thinking in these areas. Tim is currently partnering with Department for Environment and Water to champion the development of new legislation to protect and conserve biodiversity across South Australia.

Dianne Dredge

Director + Regenerative Tourism Lead, The Tourism Co-Lab

Dianne Dredge is a regenerative tourism practitioner, a creative systems thinker and community builder. In 2019 she founded the Tourism CoLab which has become a globally recognised innovation lighthouse and community of practice for regenerative tourism. She is an elected member of the International Academy for the Study of Tourism but finds her true sense of belonging working in regional and remote communities.

Patty Therrios

Head of Strategy and Sustainability, Adelaide Airport Limited

Patty Therrios has worked for Adelaide Airport Limited for more than 10 years. Her current role as Head of Strategy and Sustainability includes responsibility for executing strategy to achieve AAL’s sustainability targets as well as managing Adelaide Airport’s Aviation Fuel Business.

Kelly Kuhn

Master Juggler, Juggle House Experiences

Owner operator and Master Juggler, Kelly has worked in the South Australian tourism industry for 27 years, in private enterprise, not-for profit and more government departments than she cares to count. She is the winner of an ‘Inspirational Women of the World’ award in 2023, is a valued Board Member of the Murray River, Lakes and Coorong Tourism Alliance, founder and Secretary of her local Murray River Township Progress Association and past Deputy Mayor of Mid Murray Council.

Sam Palmer

GM Visitor Economy & Client Programs, Global D&I Champion, Austrade

Sam leads Australia’s tourism and visitor economy policy, programs and official statistics (TRA). She has enjoyed every one of her 1,135 days in the role so far collaborating with government agencies, jurisdictions, industry bodies and businesses to develop, update and drive delivery of the THRIVE 2030 national strategy. Having worked in her career across many of the sectors that comprise the Visitor Economy, Sam continues to be excited and inspired every day as she engages with industry including through important capability-building events like this.

Rhys Sandery

Chief Business Officer, Monkeystack

Rhys has over 25 years’ experience working in the creative industries. At Monkeystack, his role is to engage organisations in the application of current and emerging screen-based storytelling techniques in animation, experience and game development across industries including entertainment, health, education, manufacturing and defence. His forte lies in defining the relationship between physical and digital visitor experiences, and connecting audience to narrative.

Professor Anne Souvertjis

Professor of Marketing, University of South Australia – Ehrenberg-Bass Institute

Professor Anne Souvertjis is a Senior Marketing Scientist with the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute at the University of South Australia. All of Anne’s work has the common theme of applying marketing science knowledge to sustainable marketing. Anne has published over 60 refereed academic papers and book chapters and is a full member of The Research Society which is the peak body for the market research industry.

Peter Walker

Director / Principal Architect, Cumulus Studio

Cumulus Studio Director and Principal Architect Peter Walker believes that architecture is as much art and poetics as it is engineering and construction, and is inspired to create spaces that evoke an emotional response. Awarded nationally and internationally for his high profile tourism project portfolio, Peter’s work includes transforming sensitive sites like Pumphouse Point and The Apple Shed, as well as new projects such as Saffire and Devil’s Corner Winery. He is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Architects Dulux Study Tour program, and a past winner of the Timber Design Association’s Rising Star Award and the Tasmanian Emerging Architect Prize.

Wendy Bevan

CEO, KESAB environmental solutions

As CEO of KESAB since 2020 Wendy Bevan leads SA’s longest running environmental NGO and not-for-profit, working with schools, community, business and local government to deliver successful and impactful environmental and sustainability focussed education and behaviour change programs.

Prior to joining KESAB, Wendy spent more than twenty years in a range of roles involving government/stakeholder relations, advocacy, media, policy research/development and program delivery, including in member-based industry groups including RAA and the SA Hotels Association, the SA State Government and private enterprise.

James McIntyre

Senior Consultant, 2XE

James has been with 2XE for over a decade, collaborating with more than 200 businesses across various industries such as agriculture, food and beverage manufacturing, industrial services, technology and automation, and mineral processing. He has played a pivotal role in leading the rollout of several programs aimed at enhancing business sustainability. James possesses extensive expertise in process efficiency, with a skill set that includes team building, leadership, net zero strategies, business and sustainability leadership, energy management, lean manufacturing, data business intelligence, and process flow optimisation.

Tony Sharley

Managing Director, Murray River Trails

Proud and passionate Murray River advocate Tony Sharley started Murray River Walk in 2016. Murray River Walk and a new Murray River Safari tour are members of Tourism Australia’s Signature Experiences Program with Great Walks of Australia and Australian Wildlife Journeys respectively. The business has won 5 consecutive SA Tourism Awards in the Ecotourism category.

Hannah Statham

CEO, Media Mortar

Hannah might only just clear five foot, but she could easily enter herself into a heavy weight content marketing competition. Her signature move? Planting a target on your audience’s back and hitting them with bullseye accuracy. She’s first and foremost a content marketer, creating words, images and videos for clients, the kind of content that stops people in their thumb-scrolling tracks.

Peter O’Connor

Professor, University of South Australia

Dr. Peter O’Connor is Professor of Strategic Management and Co-Director of the Centre for Enterprise Dynamics in Global Economies (C-EDGE) at the University of South Australia. His primary research and teaching interests focus on the effect of digital on business, particularly hospitality, tourism, retailing and marketing.

Jamie Griego

Director – Account Management, Expedia Group

Jamie Griego leads Expedia Group’s Travel Partner Group Lodging teams in Australia, leveraging over 15 years of expertise in hospitality, with a focus on revenue management, distribution, and account management. Beyond this role, Jamie shares his knowledge as a Lecturer at the International College of Management, Sydney (ICMS) where he teaches Revenue Optimisation. Passionate about deciphering the dynamic landscape of customer buying behaviour in travel, Jamie is a believer in leveraging technology to revolutionise the industry and enhance the travel experience for all.

Renee Cornelissen

Group Manager – International Sales, Journey Beyond

Renee’s passion for travel and tourism began at a very young age. Her exposure to travel experiences throughout her childhood years’ ventured into formal tourism studies at Secondary School and University alike. Fast forward to today, where she has demonstrated through her passion, commitment, drive and expertise to be a key contributor to this robust industry with 20+ years experience working with one of Australia’s major Tour Operator’s, Journey Beyond. Her skills and experience are within Business and Product Development, Contract and Rate Negotiation, Event Management and most importantly Relationship building.

Tony Smith

Owner, Rawnsley Park Station

Tony Smith and his wife Julie are owners of Rawnsley Park Station in the Flinders Ranges and Barossa Shiraz Estate in the Barossa Valley. Both properties have a range of accommodation and visitor experiences for both domestic and international visitors. Tony has been involved in the tourism industry for over 40 years.

Marcus Rolfe

Director, URPS

Marcus is widely recognised for his expertise in development assessment and facilitation. He utilises his excellent understanding of the mechanics of development legislation and planning guidelines in his regular appearances before assessment panels and as an expert witness before various courts and tribunals.

Marcus also enjoys strategic thinking and policy development as part of urban
development strategies and master plans. This wide-ranging experience has
expanded his skills in consulting with public authorities, special interest groups
and the general community. He is actively involved with a number of professional associations, being a current member of the South Australian Heritage Council and the UDIA SA Planning Committee.

Justine Sinclair

Consultant, Sparrowly Group

Justine Sinclair has over 20 years experience in Marketing, Communications and Engagement. With over ten years of this experience in the Visitor Economy including multi council experience, experience leading and managing Visitor Information teams and their budgets, regional tourism marketing and extensive stakeholder engagement across a broad range of government and industry. Justine is passionate about all areas of developing stronger Visitor Economies from research, product development, marketing through to strategies. Her experience helps regions to get the best out their current staff and plans as well as look for pathways to develop into the future to be even stronger.

Jessie Smith

Senior Lecturer / Researcher, Purple Orange

Jessie works with the tourism industry, providing one-on-one business mentoring to guide them through inclusive recruitment with the aim of seeing more people with disabilities employed in the industry. Her favourite part of the job is using her lived experience of disability to enrich the mentoring and make a change for people just like her. Outside of work, she is a former registered elite athlete with the University of South Australia (graduated 2023 Bachelor of Human Movement / Bachelor of Psychology), as a national level Dressage and Show Horse rider.

Luke Tuckwell

Hotel Sales Manager, Tryp by Wyndham

Luke Tuckwell started in the hotel industry in banquet operations in Sydney rolling tables from function room to function room. 20 odd years later, back home in Adelaide after working in hotel sales for over a decade, he could not resist the opportunity to work in a brand-new property for the first time in his career. TRYP by Wyndham Pulteney Street Adelaide now feels very much like home.

Speaker announced soon

Office for Autism

TBC

Dr Skye Akbar

Enterprise Fellow, UniSA Business

As an Enterprise Fellow at UniSA Business, Skye applies her experience with focus on supporting the wellbeing of local peoples through improved understanding of how self-determined sustainable community economic development can be best achieved. She works to support evidence-based decision making that can nurture context and culturally informed local solutions to local problems.