Emerging Tourism Leaders Summit
From Learning to Leading
Full Program Coming Soon.
Felicia Mariani
CEO – VTIC
Felicia has had a long and accomplished career in the tourism, entertainment, and events sectors across both the USA and Australia. Commencing her Australian career in Melbourne in the early 90’s, Felicia joined the team at Tourism Victoria responsible for launching the highly successful and internationally lauded “You’ll Love Every Piece of Victoria” campaign. Felicia leads Victoria’s peak body for the tourism and events industry. She has held senior management roles in Tourism Victoria and Tourism NSW, is a former CEO of Tourism Tasmania, and was Managing Director of the Australian Tourism Export Council. Felicia is passionate about the power of tourism and events to drive regional economies.
Phillipa Harrison
Managing Director – Tourism Australia
Phillipa is the Managing Director of Tourism Australia and is responsible for driving Tourism Australia’s strategies to create sustainable demand for Australia’s tourism experiences internationally, and working with the tourism industry to support the sector’s recovery. Phillipa first joined Tourism Australia in February 2017 as Executive General Manager International, to lead the organisation’s international operations for Asia, the Americas, Europe and New Zealand as well as Global Distribution and Partnerships. Prior to joining Tourism Australia, Ms Harrison spent six years working for Hamilton Island Enterprises and before that held a variety of globally-focused senior sales, marketing and product roles across ecommerce, retail and wholesale tourism platforms, based in both London and Sydney.
Sara Quon
CEO – Sovereign Hill
Sara Quon has been the CEO of Ballarat’s Sovereign Hill Museums Association since 2019. Sara is passionate about the award-winning outdoor museum’s place in the cultural, economic and social fabric of Ballarat. She was the inaugural CEO of Tourism North East, the regional tourism board for the Victorian High Country and has worked in senior roles in major events, food export, innovation and strategy, both in Australia and internationally. Ms Quon sits on the board of the Committee for Ballarat and the Executive of the Council of Australasian Museum Directors. She was previously a board member of Outdoors Victoria and HotHouse Theatre and a member of the Federation University Business School Industry Advisory Group.
Kirsty Johansen
Tennis Australia
Kirsty – the MC of the Emerging Tourism Leaders Summit – is a Senior Media and PR leader and multi award-winning broadcast, digital and print journalist, specialising in communicating breaking human-interest news and translating complex issues into accessible materials for all audiences. She is currently working as a publicist with Tennis Australia and has previously worked with Visit Victoria, 2022 and 2026 Commonwealth Games as well as in broadcast for organisations including SBS, BBC and WIN Television.
Alex Dugdale
Director – Lift Up Leadership
Alex focuses on transforming frontline managers into effective leaders at his organisation LiftUp Leadership. Leveraging two decades of sales, customer success and leadership development experience, he supports people in defining and achieving their leadership goals while empowering their direct team to perform at their best. Alex has Global Fortune 500 Company experience, consulting C-Suite and has trained hundreds of leaders in more than 30 countries specialising in helping managers build and forge their leadership philosophy.
Matt Sykes
Founder and Chief Regen Officer – Regeneration Projects
Matt’s professional background includes business consultancy, landscape architecture, environmental advocacy and tourism development. He grew up at the intersection of Boonwurrung and Gunaikurnai Country in Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. Learning from First Nations Elders as well as Western eco-pioneers has shaped Matt’s unique approach to business. He has the ability to move between big systems-level thinking and grassroots localised action, always looking for a practical starting point and clearly communicating the steps forward.
Ebony Flett
Red Hill Candle Co
Over two decades of working in tourism, hospitality, and events lead Ebony Flett to establish Red Hill Candle Co in 2016. Ebony’s diverse professional background includes local council and private sector experience across multiple countries. A passionate advocate for the industry, Ebony is committed to inspiring future leaders through her journey of adaptability, resilience, and innovation.
Madeleine Sawyer
Tourism Midwest Victoria
As a proud advocate of tourism as a profession, Madeleine has taken on roles across the industry in the accommodation sector, the caravan and camping industry, in research and industry development. She is passionate about the important role that the visitor economy plays in telling the story of a region, culture and people, all the while enriching the lives of the community when developed and managed in a sustainable manner. In her current role at Tourism Midwest Victoria, she is working to empower and advocate these benefits for the Ballarat region through tourism product and industry development.
Izabelle So
Digital Marketing Officer – Bendigo Tourism
Since commencing work in the tourism industry in 2014, Izabelle has played a key role to help position Bendigo as a leader in regional Australia. Izzy has been integral in coordinating Bendigo’s digital promotions of its major events and exhibitions and has worked closely with local businesses to build the digital capacity for the region. Izzy has made a big impact across the Bendigo region by successfully project managing the region’s new website platform, developing six tourism websites. Izzy is the winner of 2019 VTIC Young Achievers Awards and has been a part of the multiple awards winning team in Bendigo.
More Speakers To Come.
Your Questions Answered
Yes! We are offering regional Victorian’s tickets at member prices. Get in touch with your local regional tourism board for the offer code.
You can also get in touch with us via info@youngtourismnetwork.com.au.
We’ve designed the pricing with students in mind so we don’t have a discount on the ticket price specifically for students.
If you’re a student with one of our education provider partners, we do offer a discount to sign up as a member. Talk to your education provider to see if they are a partner!
You heard right!
We’ll be holding an after party in the city following the conference and we’d love for you to come along. There will be entertainment, drinks, food and a chance to talk about what you learnt at the summit.
We’ll be announcing more details soon.
- Complimentary parking is available onsite.
- By tram – take route 57 tram and disembark at stop 32 (Showgrounds Village Shopping Centre)
- By bus – take bus no.472 or no.404
- Pop in for an hour or stay for a while – it’s free to attend.
Choose Tourism – an Australian Government initiative.
