Regional Advisory Board 

Raelene Barry
Executive Manager – Human Resources, Acting General Manager
Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre

Raelene Barry was appointed Executive Manager – Human Resources at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre since before the opening and also has the additional role of Acting General Manager.

Raelene has 23 years experience in the hospitality industry and promotes a strong consultative approach with staff believing that personal attention is the key to understanding the importance of each individual, and fostering their personal growth.

Karen Anne Bisdee
Director of Human Resources
Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific 

As Director of HR, Karen leads a team of 14 HR professionals. The HR team covers the entire suite of services including attraction and selection, learning and development, workplace health and safety, grievance management, management advice, workplace change, workforce planning and policy and procedure.

Karen has worked at Ascott Serviced Apartments in Singapore, the Landmark London Hotel and was HR Manager for Princess Cruises with 1300 employees for two years. Karen has completed a postgraduate degree in Australian Employment Relations as well as holding a Bachelor of Commerce in Hotel and Tourism Management and is a member of the Australian Human Resources Institute.

Neeraj Chadha
General Manager
Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa 

Neeraj Chadha is an alumni of the Institut Hôtelier “César Ritz” in Switzerland. During his stay in Switzerland, he worked at hotels like Noga Hilton, Geneva and Beau Rivage Palace, Lausanne.

In 1992 he joined the Sheraton Towers Southgate in Melbourne and later transferred to Sheraton On The Park, Sydney, when ITT Sheraton bought the hotel.

Neeraj thereafter worked for Radisson Resort on the Gold Coast and then moved internationally for 10 years, where he worked in countries such as India and Sri Lanka for Hilton and Marriott.

His last assignment before accepting the role of Director Australia for Marriott International and General Manager of Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa was with Hilton Worldwide where Neeraj was Regional General Manager, India. 

Jade Tamblyn
Project Manager- People Management Systems
IHG 

Jade commenced her career in hotels working as a Human Resources Coordinator with Marriott Hotels in 2007. In 2009, Jade joined InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) as the Human Resources Manager at Holiday Inn Surfers Paradise. During this time Jade maintained a strong focus on supporting career development opportunities for students dedicated to gaining exposure to the Industry.

Since January 2012 Jade has taken on a new role with IHG where she is now working as the Project Manager for their People Management System. 

Lindsay Wallace
Director – Corporate Relations and Destination Management
Gold Coast Tourism Corporation Ltd 

Lindsay Wallace is currently the Director of Corporate Relations & Destination Management at Gold Coast Tourism having previously served as Executive Director Marketing and Board Director. Ms Wallace has extensive experience in tourism and marketing as a Board Member of Events Queensland Gold Coast and former Marketing Manager of Mulpha Sanctuary Cove (Developments) Pty Limited and Palazzo Versace. Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Business in Hospitality Management at the University of Queensland and Visiting Teaching Fellow in Event Management at Bond University 

Peter Colahan
Chief Executive Officer
Business Tourism Australia

Peter has been involved in the tourist industry here on the Gold Coast for the past 25 years. Peter has his own business - Business Tourism Australia representing the Mice meetings. He is the Director of Weltravel a leading Inbound Tour Operator. He is also a Director of VFS Global a division of Kuoni Travel.

Peter Doggett
Pricipal
In 2 Tourism

Peter Doggett is one of the Gold Coast’s longest serving tourism pioneers with 33 years experience in the theme park/hotel business.

He has served on numerous industry boards and committees and is committed to industry training and education, and therefore welcomes the opportunity to sit on Bond University’s HRTM Regional Advisory Board.

Daniel Gschwind
CEO
Queensland Tourism Industry Council

Daniel is the CEO for the Queensland Tourism Industry Council (QTIC). QTIC is Queensland’s peak tourism industry body with more than 3,500 regional members.
Daniel is a board member of the National Tourism Alliance (NTA) and the Reef and Rainforest Research Centre (RRRC). He represents QTIC on various tourism committees, including the Tourism Forecasting Council, the Queensland Small Business Advisory Council and the tourism committees of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) and of the Wet Tropics Management Authority (WTMA). He is an Adjunct Professor to the School of Tourism at the University of Queensland. He is the Honorary Consul of Switzerland for Queensland.

Daniel holds an honours degree in economics from the University of Queensland and has worked as a senior economist with Queensland Treasury. He has previously run a yacht charter operation in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean for ten years.

Judy Hill
Accommodation Division Manager
Queensland Hotel Association
Regional Advisory Board (Chair)

Judy has significant years experience in the hotel, hospitality, travel and tourism industries holding senior management positions in several of these industries. As a past Board member of Women in Tourism (Gold Coast) Inc Strategic Management Committee and Ballina Shire Tourism Advisory Board together with the position of Executive Development Programs Manager at Southern Cross University has provided her with a broad understanding of the tourism sector and the importance of connecting with the industry.

For a number of years Judy was the President of Lennox Head Chamber of Commerce in Northern NSW and regularly is asked to be the Master of Ceremonies at many local, regional, state and interstate networking and Government functions including the Prime Minister’s dinner. She is the Director of her event management company Upfront Events and Marketing Pty Ltd.
Judy currently is the Accommodation Division Manager of Queensland Hotels Association where she provides specialist accommodation and tourism industry advice to their members. She has strong relationships with Tourism Queensland and Government ministers both at a State and Federal level.

Gerard Knight
General Manager,
Radisson Resort
Regional Advisory Board (Vice Chair)

Gerard was born and educated in the UK achieving a degree in Hospitality Management at University in Edinburgh and a post graduate Diploma in Marketing with the Chartered Institute of Marketing. After this Gerard worked with the Embassy Hotel Group and the Mount Charlotte Thistle Group before emigrating to Australia in 1991.

In Australia he studied once again, gaining a Master of Accounting at Macquarie University and then full Certified Practicing Accountant status. During his studies he managed a small conference centre on Sydney's Northern Beaches before joining Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific ten years ago. He has been General Manager of their Gold Coast Radisson property for the last six years.

Jonathan Fisher
CEO
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary

CEO, Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary with 20 years experience managing tourism businesses in sensitive environmental landscapes from the Lake District in the UK via the Hunter Valley to the Gold Coast. Originally qualified as a Chartered Surveyor, Jonathan holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Building Conservation and a Masters in Marketing Management. Jonathan is acutely aware of the impact of the human interaction in the environment and on wildlife from his time as Operations Manager at Taronga Zoo to his current role as CEO of Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary. Positioning Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary as the lead eco-tourism attraction on the Gold Coast, the Sanctuary has ventured into adventure tourism with the recent introduction of Adventure Parc Green Challenge High Ropes course whilst the opening of the Wildlife Hospital precinct to the public continues Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary’s renaissance as an iconic international tourism attraction

Cherie McGill
Group HR Manager
Mantra Group

Having held senior Human Resources positions with both Saville Hotel Group and P&O Australian Resorts, Cherie has been able to combine her 15 years of operational experience with her HR knowledge to ensure the ongoing development of Mantra Group’s work force. Cherie is responsible for the human resources practices for all brands. 

Gary Smith
Managing Director
Tourism Leisure Corporation and Kingfisher Bay Resort Group

Gary is currently Managing Director of Tourism Leisure Corporation and the Kingfisher Bay Resort Group of companies. Gary has been actively involved at director level in the Kingfisher Bay Resort & Village project on Fraser Island since its inception in 1987. Gary in March 1996 formed Tourism Leisure Corporation to expand his involvement in the tourism industry.

Today Tourism Leisure Corporation (TLC) directly and indirectly employs over 600 people. In addition to the KBRV Group of Companies, TLC operates the Undara Lava Lodge and tour operation in the Gulf Savannah region of Tropical North Queensland pursuant to a management agreement which commenced in December 1998. Undara has 28 Railway carriages converted into lodge rooms, camping ground, a bar/restaurant and sole rights to operate ranger guided tours into the Undara Lava Tubes. TLC also managed the Twin Waters Golf Club on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, an 18 hole resort course.

From 2003 to 2007, Gary was an independent director of the then publicly listed Tourism Company S8 Limited, which over that time grew to manage over 20,000 holiday letting apartments in Queensland, and acquired a number of Australian and New Zealand icon travel agencies- Harvey World travel, Travelscene American Express and Gullivers Travel (New Zealand). S8 was acquired in January 2007 by MFS Ltd. Gary was appointed to the Board of Flight Centre Limited in November 2007 as a non executive director.

Grant Hunt
Chairman
Anthology

Grant Hunt’s tourism career began in 1988 in management roles with Mirage Gold Coast Resort and Sanctuary Cove Resort. He then spent a decade as Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Voyages Hotels and Resorts before departing the company in April 2006. In this role, Mr Hunt was responsible for taking Voyages from a single resort operation to a company comprising 21 hotels across 16 destinations in some of the most ecologically and culturally sensitive locations in Australia. In particular, he is known for his visionary concept, Longitude 131, the country’s first true luxury tented wilderness camp. Mr Hunt has served on many boards and industry panels including Tourism Northern Territory, the Australian Tourism Export Council and Indigenous Tourism Australia (current). Mr Hunt is currently working on multiple projects related to tourism development, both nationally and internationally

Marion Charlton
General Manager Commercial and Terminals
Gold Coast Airport

Marion Charlton is the General Manager Commercial and Terminals at the Gold Coast Airport, one of Australia’s fastest growing airports . In addition to managing the airport terminal operations, Marion is responsible driving the revenue side of the business through its retail, property and ground transport portfolios. Marion’s first job was in Dublin with the Irish Airport Authority. She moved to Sydney in 1990 and took up a position with Sydney Airport. Marion worked in Atlanta Airport for the 1996 Olympic Games. The lessons she took back from Atlanta were put into a paper which formed the framework for the Sydney Airport 2000 Olympic Operating Plan which was a huge success. In 2008 Marion was awarded the International Woman’s Day Leadership Award for the Gold Coast.

Marcus Hanna
General Manager
Sofitel Gold Coast

Marcus Hanna began his hospitality career at the Regent Hotel in Sydney (now the Four Seasons) as a Banquet waiter whilst studying Hospitality Management at Ryde Catering College in Sydney, NSW.

Over the last 17 years, Marcus has worked in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Malta and San Francisco for a variety of hotels including the InterContinental Hotel Group, Accor and Sofitel.
Marcus joined Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach in his current role as General Manager in April 2011.