Brendan Carter is an entrepreneur and innovator shaping the future of the Australian wine and spirits industry. He is the founder of acclaimed brands including Unico Zelo, winner of the Young Gun of Wine’s People’s Choice award, the multi-gold medaled Applewood Distillery, and Økar (amaro). This portfolio became the first B-Corp certified winery and distillery in Australia, cementing its dedication to ethical and sustainable business practices.

Building on this foundation, Brendan has evolved into a leading cultural communicator. Through his dynamic media platform, Bottle Shock, he has cultivated a global audience of over 250,000, which now connects in person at the brand’s home in Gumeracha.

His vision for the future is taking root in the Adelaide Hills at a new 50-acre vineyard in Forest Range. There, he is pioneering challenging viticultural techniques like dry-farming and advanced mycorrhizal management to plant the ‘new classics’ of Australian wine, directly influencing a style that reflects the nation’s diverse and evolving palate.

Phil Lockyer is a Noongar man from Western Australia with 25 years of experience working in Indigenous Affairs across government, community organisations, employment, and corporate sector.

His career focus is creating meaningful opportunities for First Nations people businesses, and communities, and is one of Australia’s leading practitioners of the Reconciliation Action Plan Program which strengthens relationships between First Nations people and the broader community.

Since February 2021 he has been Head of Indigenous Affairs at Tourism Australia where he is focused on ensuring the diversity, warmth and humour of First Nations people is central to Australia’s tourism narrative.

Jessica Adamson is a presenter, facilitator and one of South Australia’s most sought after MC’s.

Jess forged a reputation as one of the state’s finest journalists after 24 years in television news.

Jess is a board member of the Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation and the Adelaide Crows Foundation.

She’s also a passionate ambassador for CanTeen – the Australian organisation for young people living with cancer, and the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

Nick Baker is an experienced travel and technology CEO with a passion for nature and sustainability. He is the CEO of Reflections Holiday Parks, a leading nature-driven escapes organisation and the largest holiday park operator in New South Wales, welcoming 2.1 million visitors each year to its 40 coastal and inland parks, camping grounds and unique properties.

Prior to joining Reflections in July, 2021, Nick was CEO at Outdoria and Red Balloon and Chief Marketing Officer at Tourism Australia.

Nick’s global tourism expertise encompasses parks, hotels, restaurants and camps in the UK, USA, Asia and Australia.

Nick is a Director the Caravan and Camping Industry Association (CCIA) NSW.

It’s safe to say Nick is happiest when he’s camping, fishing or hiking in nature with his family.

Alex Brown is a tourism development consultant, marketing advisory and content writing service. Alex’s experience is diverse and exciting after working with urban and regional destinations, leisure attractions, retail precincts, start-ups, small and big business on tourism development and marketing initiatives.

Alex knows what it takes to align and pitch projects to specific grant programs from her experience securing funding, sitting on State and local funding panels and administering grant funding for infrastructure and experiences projects. Alex has written grant applications for community, local, State and Federal funding programs across a variety of industry sectors including tourism, arts and cultural, entertainment, food, wine and export programs.

Futurist, Strategist and Researcher Carolyn Childs’ passion is empowering travel organisations to thrive into the future. Her career spans more than 35 years & nearly 40 countries with roles at Travel Research Centre, the International Air Transport Association & TNS (now Kantsr).  She is a top-rated speaker and published author on travel markets, sectors and trends. In 2025 she will be joining place-making consultancy SHP as Director of Tourism. She is a Certified Market Research Practitioner and winner of the Sue Beeton Award for services to tourism research.  A proud ART board member she looks after the Regional Tourism Ambassador Programme and is one herself.

Peter Clay is a tourism and research specialist with over 25 years’ experience across cruise, aviation, and destination development, including projects with the UNWTO and UNESCO. He is General Manager of Insights at the Caravan Industry Association of Australia, lectures at Monash University in the Graduate Tourism program, is completing a PhD on tourism in regional smart economies, and sits on Tourism Research Australia’s forecasting advisory panel.

Shaun de Bruyn is the CEO of the Tourism Industry Council of South Australia (TiCSA) and a dedicated industry advocate with 20 years’ experience delivering strong outcomes across the leisure, travel and tourism industry within South Australia.

Peter Freeman is the Managing Director of WOOF Media and ART Ambassador. Passionate about

regions and the wonderful lifestyle that they provide, Peter firmly believes the visitor economy is an

opportunity for regions to solve many of their long term economic challenges, but to do so in a

sustainable way.

Peter brings unique insights informed from more than a decade supporting the marketing needs of

clients in remote and regional locations like South Australia’s remote outback, Queensland’s

coastal playgrounds, Tasmania’s murky wilds, and the barely touched wilderness of Northwestern

Ontario in Canada.

Dr Sarah Gardiner is the Director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism and a Professor in Tourism. She brings a wealth of experience in the tourism industry and has worked in the Australian tourism sector for over 20 years. Her research explores travel consumer behaviour, experience design, and innovation and she often works closely with businesses and destinations to design new experiences for new markets. Sarah is a sought-after speaker, consultant, and trainer, frequently engaging with government and industry to share her expertise. In addition to her academic and professional roles, Sarah serves as a Non-Executive Director on the boards of Australian Regional Tourism and Basketball Australia.

Bianca Gilmore is the Section Manager of Marketing and Visitor Economy at Central Coast Council, leading promotion and strategic growth for an ecotourism‑certified, globally award‑winning destination.

With more than 20 years’ experience in destination marketing, stakeholder engagement and strategic planning, Bianca blends commercial acumen with a deep commitment to sustainable tourism.

Previously Bianca was Manager, Local Government at Destination NSW, where she established cross‑council engagement groups across Greater Sydney. At Lake Macquarie City Council she created and led the inaugural Arts, Culture and Tourism marketing team.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) and industry certifications in digital and direct marketing and project management, and is known for building high‑performing teams and turning strategy into measurable outcomes.

At Central Coast Council Bianca champions the region’s eco‑credentials—promoting low‑impact experiences and strengthening local operator capacity. She advocates joined‑up destination planning, strong local government–industry partnerships and pragmatic, scalable solutions that grow visitor value and long‑term resilience.

Dr Paul Grimes brings diverse public sector experience to his role as the Chief
Executive Officer of Austrade, spanning senior appointments across state, territory and
federal levels of government.
In addition to previously serving as Secretary of the NSW Department of Treasury, and
NSW Coordinator-General for Environment, Energy and Science, he is a former
Secretary of the Australian Government Department of Sustainability, Environment,
Water, Population and Communities, and Secretary of the Australian Government
Department of Agriculture.
Earlier, Dr Grimes was Associate Secretary in the Department of the Prime Minister and
Cabinet, and Deputy Secretary (Budget Group) in the Australian Department of Finance.
He has also served as Chief Executive of the ACT Department of Treasury and as Deputy
Under Treasurer (Deputy Secretary) in the South Australian Department of Treasury and
Finance. Before joining the South Australian public service, he led the Budget Policy
Division in the Australian Treasury.
Dr Grimes is a former Chair of the NSW Net Zero Commission and National Archives of
Australia Advisory Council. He has served on numerous boards, most recently as
Deputy Chair of the NSW Treasury Corporation (TCorp), as a member of the
Infrastructure NSW Board, and the Greater Cities Commission.
In 2010, Dr Grimes was awarded the Australian Public Service Medal. He holds PhD and
Masters degrees in economics from the Australian National University.

John Hart is Executive Chair of Australian Chamber – Tourism, Chair of Australian Grape and Wine, Tourism Training Australia, Capacity Optimisation Group, Ondeen, Restaurant & Catering Australia and on the Board of Food Standards Australia and New Zealand and Rangelands NRM.

He was Chief Executive of Restaurant & Catering Australia between 1999 and 2017. John holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Business Law), a Master of Business Law and was awarded an Order of Australia Medal in 2021 for service to tourism.

John also served as Chair of the Commonwealth Vocational Education and Training Advisory Board and was previously on the Prime Ministers Business Advisory Council.

Megan Harvie is a respected leader in South Australian regional tourism and currently serves as the Regional Tourism Manager for Kangaroo Island Tourism Alliance (KITA). She brings a deep understanding of sustainable destination development, having navigated the region through significant recovery and resilience-building efforts following the 2019–20 bushfires and ongoing environmental and economic challenges.

With a strong background in agriculture and the food and beverage sector, Megan combines practical industry knowledge with extensive experience in strategic planning, marketing, visitor economy development, and stakeholder collaboration. Her work with KITA focuses on fostering sustainable economic outcomes, supporting industry capacity, and delivering targeted marketing initiatives to promote Kangaroo Island’s unique natural and cultural assets.

Megan is passionate about environmental stewardship and industry advocacy. She plays a key role in shaping regional policy, leading crisis response strategies, and facilitating partnerships that ensure the long-term resilience of Kangaroo Island’s tourism, food, wine, and beverage sectors.

Ryley Heap is an experienced economic development professional, specialising in regional and remote tourism development and economic diversification. Through his role at the Town of Port Hedland as Principal Economic Development, Ryley is responsible for working collaboratively with the government, industry and community stakeholders to improve liveability and economic diversification in one of Australia’s largest regional economies.

Ryley was appointed Deputy Chair of Regional Development Australia (RDA) Pilbara in July 2025, having served on the board since November 2023. He holds a Master of Tourism, Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing), Grad. Cert. in Data Science, Grad. Cert. in Business (Behavioural Economics) and is currently studying towards a Master of Economics.

In 2020, Ryley was awarded the Economic Development Rising Star Leadership Award by Economic Development Australia for supporting post-mining futures in East Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, through tourism development.

​With a passion for promoting and facilitating sustainable economic development, Ryley is dedicated to fostering equitable prosperity throughout regional Australia through innovation, collaboration and a deep understanding of the unique challenges and opportunities facing regional economies.

Dave Hockly is the founder of Data Story, a digital agency based in Queenstown, New Zealand, that helps tourism brands grow by using data to drive smarter marketing and better customer experiences. He’s worked with many of New Zealand and Australia’s leading tourism operators — including Destination Queenstown, RealNZ, Lake Wānaka Tourism, Cardrona Alpine Resort, Ultimate Hikes, the Tasmanian Walking Company, and the West Coast Wilderness Railway — contributing to hundreds of millions in attributable tourism revenue through data-led digital strategy.

Dave played a key role in helping Destination Queenstown pioneer its approach to regenerative tourism, aligning data, brand, and impact to support a more sustainable visitor economy. Back for his second time speaking at the Australian Regional Tourism Convention, Dave brings sharp insights, clear takeaways, and a passion for helping regional destinations thrive in a fast-changing digital world.

Inspired by Jurlique’s unique brand story, Adelaide Hills born and bred Tourism and Farm Manager Cherie Hutchinson’s affiliation with Jurlique has spanned more than a decade. What started as a Production Manager position then transitioned into the role of Farm Manager at Jurlique’s Biodynamic Farm in the Adelaide Hills. After a decade at the helm as Farm Manager, and 12 years within the Jurlique business, 2024 saw Cherie step into the newly created position of Tourism and Farm Manager. This pivotal role for the Jurlique business spans both local and global tourism opportunities, education, Brand Ambassadorship and stakeholder engagement across sponsorship, partnerships and collaborations.

Cherie enjoys nothing more than sharing Jurlique’s biodynamic farming practises with visitors at the farm, stretching back to our ancestors and the deep connections to what each season brought. Being able to represent Jurlique in the area of education, from healing herbs to biodynamic and organic farming techniques, sustainability, organic composting, and soil enrichment without the use of chemicals, and with a shared goal to be the worldwide leader in natural skincare, Cherie is proud to work for a skincare company that own each part of their process, or as Jurlique refer to it, the seed to skin journey.

Outside of The Farm, Cherie is a Mum of two young boys and her interests include keeping fit – Cherie is a keen lacrosse player, visits the gym regularly and enjoys mediative walks in nature.

Despina Karatzias, a certified trainer, business coach, and author of Adventures of a Balloon Girl, has over two decades of experience driving innovation in tourism and small business operations. As founder of the Institute of Excellence, she has transformed industry training since 2014, specialising in areas like customer experience excellence, business and product development, partnership marketing, crisis preparation, leadership, social media and and digital marketing to name a few. Her leadership roles at Navii Digital, Tourism Tribe, and Global Ballooning Australia highlight her expertise, earning her the ‘Outstanding Contribution by an Individual’ award at the 2022 Victorian Tourism Awards. Currently pursuing a Master’s in Digital and Social Media, Despina continues to inspire excellence through her dynamic programs, including the current VTIC Quality Tourism Business Program and growing catalogue of online self-paced learning experiences to make continual learning and development accessible to all small business leaders across Australia.

As the CEO of Ecotourism Australia, Elissa leads a team of dedicated professionals supporting some 2500 certified tourism operators across Australia, who are committed to protecting our natural environment, promoting our culture and heritage, and implementing sustainable tourism practices.  Building on the globally recognised ECO Certification for nature-based tourism operators, in late 2022 Ecotourism Australia launched a new Sustainable Tourism program to support all tourism operators across the country on their sustainability journey.  Elissa is the Chair of the international Tourism Sustainability Certifications Alliance, a not-for-profit association established by the world’s leading tourism certification bodies to set and maintain global best practice sustainability standards. A passionate advocate for wildlife, marine and environmental conservation, Elissa is on the Board of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA); has been a member of the Australian Tourism Awards Judging Panel; and is a Judge in the international Green Destinations Top 100 Stories awards. Elissa also champions female representation in leadership and is a mentor and former Corporate Executive Board Member with Women in Aviation International and a mentor in the Australian Tourism Export Council Elite Program supporting young professionals in tourism. Elissa has vast executive experience within the tourism, aviation, government, corporate, and peak body sectors.

Deborah Kingsbury is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Ondeen, an award-winning epicurean destination in the Adelaide Hills. With decades of experience in business and marketing strategy in the international wine, spirits, arts and tourism fields, she has helped shape Ondeen into a regional success story where provenance, people, place and local culture come together through immersive culinary experiences that celebrate South Australia’s producers and landscapes.