Howard Collins OBE

Chief Executive, Sydney Trains & NSW TrainLink

Howard Collins is the Chief Executive of Sydney Trains.  Previously the Chief Operating Officer of the London Underground, he had a 35-year career with London transport. Since Howard’s appointment as Chief Executive of Sydney Trains in 2013, the network has seen major patronage growth, record breaking customer satisfaction rates, a reduction in peak incidents and safety performance now better than most benchmarked operators in Australia. Howard is a board member of Transport Heritage NSW, the Australasian Railway Association, Passenger Transport Group, and TrackSAFE. In 2013, Howard was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of his success as the Lead Director for the London Underground and London Rail for the 2012 Olympic Games and for services to Public Transport. Howard is a keen media spokesperson for a wide range of transport issues and a keynote speaker at many national and international events. In March 2017, Howard was appointed as Acting Chief Executive, NSW TrainLink, responsible for intercity and regional train and coach services.

Hon Andrew Constance MP

NSW Minister for Transport and Infrastructure

Andrew Constance was elected to the NSW Parliament as the Member for Bega in 2003. Following the election of the Liberal National Government in NSW in 2011, he was sworn in as the Minister for Ageing and Disability Services, where he championed the person-centred reforms which were necessary steps towards the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). In 2013, he became the Minister for Finance & Services with responsibility for many areas across government such as Workcover, Compulsory Third Party, Sydney Water, Government Property, Office of State Revenue, Lands and Property and IT. His reform agenda included the decade of decentralisation, better utilisation of government property and assets, implementing the government’s IT strategy and involving the private sector in service provision to improve efficiencies and savings to the NSW taxpayer. In April 2014, Andrew was sworn in as Treasurer and added Industrial Relations to his responsibilities the following month. He handed down the 2014-15 State Budget that delivered increased funding for infrastructure and child protection, and oversaw the scoping study for the ‘poles and wires’ transaction. Following the election of the Baird Government in 2015, he was sworn in as Minister for Transport and Infrastructure. He oversees some of the biggest infrastructure projects in the country, including Sydney Light Rail, Parramatta Light Rail and Newcastle Light Rail. He is responsible for delivering the biggest public transport project in Australia, Sydney Metro that covers the North West, City, South West and Western Sydney. It will see the construction of a second harbour rail crossing, delivering more trains and faster services for the entire city. The first stage of Sydney Metro opens in the North West in the first half of 2019. Andrew was also responsible for the delivery of International Convention Centre (ICC) Sydney – a new convention and exhibition centre opened in December 2016 that forms part of the revitalisation of Darling Harbour. Most recently, Andrew has launched a new program of work titled Future Transport, which has triggered a new stream of innovative partnerships to ensure NSW is prepared for a new wave of transport driven by technology. He began the program in 2016 to get ahead of the curb and set the groundwork for new generation systems like contactless payments, on-demand transport and driverless vehicles that are now knocking on our doorstep.

Luke Foley MP

Leader of the Opposition; Shadow Minister for Western Sydney

Born in 1970, Luke grew up in Sydney with his mother and sister. Luke joined the Labor Party in 1988 and entered the Legislative Council of NSW in 2010 where he served as Leader of the Opposition in the NSW Legislative Council. During his time in the NSW Legislative Council Luke served in the shadow portfolios of Special Minister of State 2011; Water 2011-12; Energy 2011-12; Planning 2012-2015 and the Environment and Climate Change 2011-2015. In 2015, Luke was elected Leader of the NSW Labor Party.  In the same year, Luke was elected to the NSW Legislative Assembly as the member for Auburn. He is also the Shadow Minister for Western Sydney. Luke is married to Edel and they have three young children. He is a keen reader and student of history. He has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of New South Wales.

Katie Lahey AM

Chairman | Tourism & Transport Forum

Katie Lahey is the Chairman of the Tourism & Transport Forum and Executive Chairman, Australasia for Korn Ferry. She is on the boards of the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, the NSW Export and Investment Advisory Board, and Echo Entertainment. Katie is a former Chairman of Carnival Australia, member of the David Jones Board, Australia Council Major Performing Arts Board, Director of Australia Post, Hills Motorway and the Garvan Research Foundation. Before leading Korn Ferry, she was Chief Executive of The Business Council of Australia (BCA) for ten years and, prior to BCA, she was the Chief Executive of the State Chamber of Commerce (NSW), Chief Executive of the Sydney City Council and Chairman and Chief Executive of the Victorian Tourism Commission. In June 2013, Katie was awarded an Officer of the Order of Australia for her services to business and the arts. Katie was awarded a Centenary Medal in 2003 for her contribution to Australian Society in the area of Business Leadership. She earned a master of business administration degree and a bachelor of arts (first class honours) degree from the University of Melbourne, and was awarded the prize for top student in the master of business administration program for her year.

Hon Adam Marshall MP

NSW Minister for Tourism and Major Events; Assistant Minister for Skills

Adam Marshall is the Minister for Tourism and Major Events and Assistant Minister for Skills and proudly represents his local community as the Member for Northern Tablelands in the NSW Parliament. Having grown up of a farming property near Gunnedah, in the state’s North West, Adam is proud to have always lived and worked in country NSW. He attended Gunnedah South Public School then Farrer Memorial Agricultural High School in Tamworth. Completing school, Adam returned home to help manage his family’s farming enterprises. He became a journalist, during which time he was elected to Gunnedah Shire Council, at the age of 19, in 2004. Adam was elected Deputy Mayor in 2007 and then, at the age of 23, Mayor in 2008, a position he held until he stepped down from local government in 2012 to move to Armidale to study at the University of New England. During his time in local government, Adam also served as Chairman of the Namoi Regional Organisation of Councils (NamoiROC), Chairman of the NSW Country Mayors Association and Senior Vice President of Local Government NSW. Elected to the NSW Parliament in 2013, Adam has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary for Renewable Energy and Northern NSW, before his elevation to Cabinet in January this year. Adam recognises the important contribution made to our state by way of tourism and major events, and in particular regional communities, and looks forward to championing them on a larger scale.

Jodi McKay MP

Shadow Minister for Transport; Shadow Minister for Roads, Maritime & Freight

Jodi McKay is the NSW Member for Strathfield, Shadow Minister for Transport, and Shadow Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight. Born in the regional NSW town of Gloucester, Jodi began her career as a journalist. She has also held several executive and non-executive roles in leading non-for-profit health, science and research organisations. Jodi was the Member for Newcastle between 2007 and 2011, and held eight Ministerial portfolios during her time in Parliament, including Tourism, Small Business, Women, Science and Medical Research, Commerce and Minister Assisting the Minister for Health (Cancer). Her achievements include appointing the first ever NSW Chief Scientist, strengthening the State’s domestic violence framework, championing the world renowned Sydney Vivid light festival, as well as hosting Oprah Winfrey’s first ever visit to Australia. Following the 2011 election, Jodi relocated to Sydney and began working as an executive for a leading not for profit health organisation. She was elected Member for Strathfield in 2015. Jodi has a Master of Public Administration from the University of Sydney.

Margy Osmond

Chief Executive Officer | Tourism & Transport Forum

Margy Osmond is the Chief Executive Officer of the Tourism & Transport Forum, assuming the role on 1 October 2014. Margy has extensive experience in policy development and advocacy, politics, membership organisations, management, media and public relations. Before joining TTF, Margy was the inaugural CEO of ANRA which was established in 2006 as a lobby and research organisation to be the voice of the large national retailers in Australia. Prior to this, Margy was the CEO of the State and Sydney Chambers of Commerce in NSW for five years. Margy has a wide range of Board experience having been Chair of the NSW TAFE Commission Board and Chair of the Australian Sports Foundation, Deputy Chair of Tourism NSW, and served on the boards of the Australian Sports Commission, Bell Shakespeare, the Retail Employees Superannuation Trust, NSW Major Events, the NSW Police Minister’s Advisory Board and NSW State Transit Authority. Margy also chaired the bid and official Organising Committee for the largest non-elite sporting event in the world, the International World Masters Games, held in Sydney in 2009.

Hon Melinda Pavey MP

NSW Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight

Melinda Jane Pavey is the New South Wales Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight. She is the first woman to hold this Ministerial position, sworn in during January 2017 under the Berejiklian-Barilaro Government. She has been a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly since 2015, representing the seat of Oxley for The Nationals. Melinda’s career began in radio journalism at 2UW in Sydney. In 1988, she moved into politics as a media officer for Matt Singleton, the then-NSW Minister for Administrative Services. Over the next decade, she worked for a number of MPs, including Deputy Premier Wal Murray (1990–1993), Minister for Consumer Affairs Wendy Machin (1993–1994) and National Party leader Ian Armstrong (1994–1997). In her political career, Melinda has served on the Parliamentary Committee on Children and Young People and the Health Care Complaints Commission. Having served as the Shadow spokesperson for Emergency Services and the Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Health. Melinda grew up on a dairy farm in regional Victoria. She has two children and enjoys surf lifesaving, netball and bike riding. As a country girl, Melinda is passionate about advocating for rural communities and issues that matter to families across the state.

Michael Pratt AM

Secretary of the NSW Treasury

Michael Pratt was appointed as the 27th Secretary of NSW Treasury and NSW Industrial Relations on 1 August 2017. The Treasury Cluster includes NSW Treasury, NSW Treasury Corporation, NSW Industrial Relations, icare (Insurance & Care NSW) and SAS Trustee Corporation. As Secretary, Michael is responsible for strategic management of the entirety of the State’s finances, budget, assets, liabilities and financial risk management framework and transformation. Prior to his role with Treasury, Michael was the NSW Customer Service Commissioner, where he revolutionised the way the Government delivers services - putting the people of NSW at the heart of service delivery. He led major service reform across the NSW Government, chairing the NSW Customer Advisory Board - the responsible governance entity for the delivery of State Government services to the citizens of NSW. Michael Pratt was honoured as a Member of the Order of Australia (AM) in the Queen’s Birthday 2016 Honours List. Michael was recognised as a role model for Australian society for providing significant service to public administration through reforms in customer service and communication and to the finance and banking industry. Prior to his role as Customer Service Commissioner Michael was CEO of Consumer and SME Banking, North East Asia, with Standard Chartered Bank. He is a former President of the Australian Institute of Banking & Finance and was the inaugural Joint President of Finsia. Michael’s previous roles also include senior executive positions as Group Executive of Westpac Business & Consumer Banking, CEO of National Australia Bank in Australia, CEO of Bank of New Zealand and CEO of Bank of Melbourne. Michael was also Deputy Chancellor of Western Sydney University. Michael's prior directorships include Non-Executive Director roles at TAL Dai-ichi Life Australia and Credit Union Australia where he chaired their respective risk committees; MasterCard International Inc New York; MasterCard Asia Pacific; BT Financial Services; Chairman of Bennelong Funds Management; Chairman of Shenzen Credit Corporation; and Executive Director of Standard Chartered Bank Hong Kong and China.

Michael Rose AM

Chairman | Committee for Sydney

Michael is the Chairman of the Committee for Sydney, an independent think tank that provides research, thought leadership and advocacy on a range of economic, social, cultural and environmental issues relevant to Sydney's livability and global competitiveness. Michael is also the Chairman of a number of Government, arts and non for profit organisations including Sydney Living Museums, ChildFund Alliance and the Institute for Global Development at the University of New South Wales. He is active in Indigenous Affairs having been a member of the Referendum Council on Constitutional Recognition and the Chairman of the Indigenous Engagement Task Force of the Business Council of Australia. He is a Special Advisor at KPMG and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors

Hon Penny Sharpe MLC

Shadow Minister for the Environment and Heritage; Shadow Minister for Trade, Tourism and Major Events

Penny has been a Labor Member of the NSW Legislative Council since 2005 and became Labor’s Shadow Minister for the Environment, Heritage, Trade, Tourism and Major Events in 2015. Previously, Penny was the Shadow Minister for Planning and Transport. Since holding the portfolios of Tourism and Major Events, Penny has engaged with stakeholders across the tourism sector and given bipartisan support for growing tourism both in Sydney and in Regional NSW, while holding the Government to account when communities have spoken up to request support. With her dual role as Shadow Environment Minister, Penny has a keen interest in nature-based tourism and understands the strength of our spectacular nature and wildlife as drawcards for visitors. Penny has spent considerable time travelling across NSW, with visits to the far west and all the way up and down the NSW coast speaking to communities, local organisations and businesses about how to build the tourism industry to create more jobs and support economic growth, and conserve the environment for future generations.