Talking Tourism

Rachael Downie is business success mentor who works with a variety of individuals, businesses and CEOs both locally and internationally. For the past decade, she has worked with government, corporate teams and individuals, helping them to educate and set goals to make lasting changes, creating the results they want. Rachael began her career as a teacher with a background in agriculture and hospita...

As Co-CEO at LeaderLab , Linda Manaena is on a mission to amplify humanity in leadership. With more than 20 years of leadership experience, Linda works with leaders to help them create an inclusive environment to get the best out of their teams. She works with leaders and teams spanning 10 countries to build their level of psychological safety, emotional intelligence, resilience at work, compassio...

Jennifer Vandekreeke is Executive General Manager – Customer at NRMA Expeditions . Originally from the US, Jennifer moved her young family to Australia in 2011 to launch the Carnival Cruise Line brand down under. In 2021, she left the cruise industry to pursue her true passion – wilderness travel – and joined the NRMA Expeditions team leading the charge on all things commercial. Jennifer brings wi...

Kristin Dunne is Director of Destination Strategy at Miles Partnership , and a global authority on regenerative tourism. Kristin pioneered the application of regenerative tourism principles in destination planning. As CEO of Tapoi Te Moananui a Toi/ Tourism Bay of Plenty Regional Tourism in New Zealand, Kristin launched in 2019 Te Ha Tapoi/The Love of Tourism – a transformative approach to industr...

Dan Robertson-Jones is Partner and Culture, Forecasting and Futures lead for the APAC region at Kantar Consulting . He has over 20 years’ expertise in the fields of insight, strategy, design, cultural change, trend analysis and forecasting, having worked with and for businesses across the Americas, Europe, Africa and APAC. As part of the global team that pioneered Kantar’s global sustainability pr...

Emma Pethybridge is the Founder and CEO at Ethical Republic , a for-purpose company that supports the development of nature-based enterprises in and around protected areas. Emma grew up on the north-west coast of Tassie, and has worked throughout Australia, North America, the Asia-Pacific and the Middle East in sustainability, cultural and nature-based tourism, and conservation market development....

Rob Cameron is an Adviser at Collins SBA, where he provides business advisory services on performance improvement, turnaround of underperforming businesses, and succession planning. An experienced business manager, strategist and coach, Rob has worked with many business owners to help them craft a business succession plan that works for their individual situation, and has assisted on numerous busi...

Kym Goodes is the principal of 3P, and is recognised as one of the foremost public voices in Tasmania. She has over two decades of experience working in government and the not-for-profit sector in social and economic public policy fields as diverse as education, employment, transport, energy, digital inclusion, health, housing and human services. Kym and the 3P team specialise in social impact ass...

Despina Karatzias is the Chief Navigator at Navii Digital and Tourism Tribe, where she supports Australian tourism operators to learn how to run, market and get the best out of their small tourism businesses and convert them to even more effective and efficient tourism businesses. She is a digital tourism and packaging specialist, and has created and delivered a number of in-person and online trai...

Chris Davis is General Manager at The Van Diemen Project, a Launceston-based organisation that helps people, businesses and communities to start, scale and sustain businesses, through training, events, education, mentoring and business advice. In today's episode, TICT's Luke Martin steps into the client's chair with three different stages of tourism business. To start, Chris and Luk...

Dr Polly McGee is a leadership coach, author, speaker and strategist with over a decade working in business strategy, leadership program design and delivery to transform cultures. One of only 400 people globally selected to be trained and certified by Dr Brene Brown to deliver her Dare to Lead program, Polly specializes in trauma-informed leadership at the intersection of neuroscience, psychology...

Kate Rickwood is the Secretary at Young Tourism Network and the Coordinator of Insights and Communications at Victoria Tourism Industry Council (or VTIC). She is an experienced Communications Coordinator with a demonstrated history of working in local government and regional tourism organisations across Victoria, managing key projects in research, marketing, communications and industry development...

Kirsten Galliott is Head of Content, Travel & Luxury at Medium Rare Content Agency , and Editor in Chief at Qantas magazine and Travel Insider. She is a senior media executive with more than 20 years’ experience in newspapers, magazines, television and radio. Her impressive career includes three years as Editor for much-loved fashion magazine InStyle fashion, 10 years at Fairfax Media, and a p...

Jessica Richmond is CEO at Local Carbon and Partner at Ellis Richmond , Tasmanian-based consultancies that specialise in carbon accounting and advising businesses on carbon accounting opportunities. Jess’s background is in commercial law in the energy and resources sector, with strong senior management experience in the mining industry. She has a strong understanding of the requirements of industr...

Rob Dougan is the Executive General Manager - Strategy and Research at Tourism Australia. In his role with TA, Rob is tasked with setting the organisation’s objectives, devising strategies to help achieve them, and ensuring that Tourism Australia and the tourism industry have the right data to make those decisions and understand their impacts. In today's episode, Destination Southern Tasmania...

Having grown up in the tourism and hospitality industry, Stacey Joseph has spent in excess of 20 years in people-facing roles. Now, in her role with the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Stacey brings extensive experience in human resources and workforce development. Stacey has supported multiple businesses to become Employers of Choice as well as to implement practices that create a wor...

Sam Reid has a background in the corporate environment spanning 15 years and three continents, working in senior marketing and innovation roles. Here in Tassie, he is co-founder of Willie Smith's Cider Makers, which has grown rapidly to become one of Australia's leading craft cider companies and the most awarded cider company in Australia. And, more recently, Sam became the Managing Dire...

Charlie Knaggs leads the Climate Change and Energy teams at Point Advisory, where he works with corporate and government clients to help find and implement decarbonisation solutions that are economically sensible and environmentally robust. He specialises in greenhouse gas measurement, management, reporting and auditing, and was recently engaged by TICT to undertake a report that would provide ins...

Alicia Peardon is one half of the husband-and-wife duo behind Tassie's Ghost Rock Wines, where she oversees the customer-facing side of the business, encompassing all things tourism, hospitality and events.  In this episode, TICT's Emma Azon-Jacometti chats with Alicia about the growth of Ghost Rock since she and husband Justin moved to north-west Tasmania seven years ago. With a backgro...

Joe Pickett is the General Manager at Spring Bay Mill, a 43-hectare waterfront site that is being managed by a group of bright sparks intent on charting a sustainable path. Spring Bay Mill is an events and functions space, accommodation facility, and even the site of an up-cycled amphitheatre, but it's the regenerative focus of the business that provides a fascinating case study into how Tasm...

Catherine Stark is Managing Director and Co-Owner of Seven Sheds Brewery, a truly authentic agritourism offering that still operates out of its original backyard premises, where visitors can meet the brewers, see hops growing and (of course!) taste the delicious brews. Catherine has also been instrumental in the development of the Cradle to Coast Tasting Trail, a food and drink trail in the state&...

Nathan Darke has been in the travel and tourism industry for over 20 years. Formerly part-owner and Director of Andrew Jones Travel, he now leads Federal Group’s Sales and Distribution team.  In today’s episode, West by North West’s Tom Wootton picks Nathan's brains about all things distribution. Often overlooked in favour of its big brother marketing, distribution is a critical element in th...

Marta Dusseldorp is a multi-award-winning Australian actress who has worked extensively in theatre, film and television for over 30 years. Amongst many other credits, Marta featured in Wentworth for FOXTEL and the ABC mini-series Stateless opposite Cate Blanchett, and was most recently nominated for Most Popular Actress at the 2019 Logie Awards. So, what does Marta have to do with Tasmanian touris...

If you’re a Tasmanian, you’re probably familiar with today’s guest. Mitch McPherson is the founder of Speak Up! Stay ChatTY, a mental health awareness organisation inspired by the loss of his younger brother Ty to suicide in 2013. Since then, the organisation has delivered programs into workplaces, community groups, schools and sporting clubs to encourage people to speak up about mental health and...

Dr. Allison Anderson is a data queen with an impressive list of experience in tourism development and marketing. Formerly the Head of Research & Insights at Tourism Tasmania, Alli now connects heart, art and science to produce informed strategy as Founder of Episteme Consulting.  In today’s episode, TICT’s Luke Martin plays right into Alli’s wheelhouse, by asking her to use all of the research...