Hon. Dan Tehan MP

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment

The Hon Dan Tehan MP is the Member for Wannon in Victoria. He is Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment and was sworn in on 22 December 2020.

Mr Tehan served as Minister for Education from 28 August 2018. Prior to this, he was the Minister for Social Services, and preceding this, the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Minister for Defence Personnel, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Cyber Security and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Centenary of Anzac.

Mr Tehan was elected to Federal Parliament in 2010 and has held positions including as the Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security; Co-Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Youth Mental Health, and; Chair of the Coalition Friends of Tourism.

Prior to entering Parliament, Mr Tehan worked in agriculture in Australia and overseas. He worked in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade where he held various roles, including as a diplomat at the Australian Embassy in Mexico. Mr Tehan also worked at senior levels of the Howard Government, and as the Director of Trade Policy and International Affairs at the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Mr Tehan has Masters Degrees in International Relations and Foreign Affairs and Trade.

He is married and lives in Hamilton. He is a passionate supporter of the Richmond Football Club and enjoys spending time outdoors with his family.

Hon. Gabriel Eshaghian

Commissioner | Los Angeles World Airports

Commissioner Gabriel L. Eshaghian is an experienced global business leader, senior-level executive and political appointee with a 23-year career in the aviation (airline/airports) and real estate industries.

Since his initial August 2013 appointment, he is currently serving his third term as Commissioner and Member of the Board of Directors for Los Angeles World Airports, the municipal authority that owns and operates Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), as well as Van Nuys and Palmdale Airports. In his role as Commissioner, he and his colleagues oversee the leadership team of the airports group and is responsible for policy, strategy, capital and financial planning, corporate real estate, operations, government relations, and construction management for all three airports. LAX is the second largest airport in the United States and the fourth largest globally by passenger volume, with ~89.5 million passengers per year and a budget of $1.5 billion per annum*.

Before joining Los Angeles World Airports and Somerset, he spent more than 10 years in various executive positions within the travel and transportation industries, most recently with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, one of the world’s largest professional services firms. He spent over four years as their U.S.-based Global Travel Manager, followed by two years as a Director with its United Kingdom affiliate Nyras (now Nyras PA Consulting), focusing on turnaround, strategy consulting and investment banking transaction services to the global airline and transportation sector. Prior to that, he held commercial management and business development positions in the airline industry, both at Swissair and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

*pre covid

Hon. Bruce Baird AM

Chairman | Tourism & Transport Forum

Bruce Baird’s professional career has spanned the Australian Trade Commission service and the NSW and Federal Parliaments. He was a Federal member for Cook for nine years and during that time he was Chairman of both the Trade Committee and the House Standing Committee on Economics. He previously held roles as NSW Minister for Transport, Tourism, Roads and Minister for Sydney’s Olympic Bid. Prior to this he was Australia’s Assistant Trade Commissioner in Germany and Trade Commissioner in New York. Prior Board positions include Chair of the National Rail Corporation, Chair of the Tourism and Transport Forum, Chair of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator and Board Member of Sydney Theatre Company.

Bruce is currently Chair of BE Sydney, Trustee of Sydney Opera House, Chair of Advisory Board of Screen Producers Australia, Chair of Kamay Project, Heart Research Institute Board and Member of International Advisory Board of Cubic Transportation Systems.

Ken Conway

Head of Environment & Sustainability | Airbiz

When airports pledge to become the most sustainable, they turn to Ken – the leader of Airbiz’ Sustainable Aviation team.  Ken has helped airports around the world strengthen their sustainability performance, bringing ideas into reality through evidence-based planning and a focus on efficiency.

He frequently speaks and keynotes at aviation conferences worldwide.  Ken currently serves on the ACI Asia-Pacific Regional Environment Committee and previously served on the ACI Europe Environment Strategy Committee (2013-2015).

Outside Airbiz, Ken enjoys time with his family, loves to travel and is a rabid sports fan – a rugby and cricket tragic.

Russel Howcroft

Broadcaster | Chairman of AFTRS and The Grid | TV | Author | Brand design advisor with Sayers Group

Over a long career in media and marketing, Russel has been one of the most prominent voices for the power and cultural/economic importance of advertising, particularly through his role as a panellist on the ABC’s Gruen program and fronting the documentary series How Australia Got Its Mojo.

His current roles include being a presenter on Melbourne’s no.1 rated 3AW radio breakfast program, chair of the Australian Film Television and Radio School and the cofounder The Grid Melbourne, a festival designed to bring entrepreneurs and innovators together. He has held multiple senior roles across the industry having served as the PwC’s Chief Creative Officer, Executive General Manager of Network 10, served as a board director on the ASX listed Enero and as CEO of one of Australia’s leading creative agencies Y&R Brands.

Russel has also chaired or sat on the boards of a number of key advertising, film and television industry bodies including ThinkTV, the Australian Film Institute, the Screen Forever Advisory Board and the AFA. He has written/co-written three best-selling books, with his most recent book Right Brain Workout II now being published throughout the world. He is also a founding partner and brand consultant to Sayers Group.

Jayne Hrdlicka

Chief Executive Officer | Virgin Australia

Jayne has over 20 years of leadership experience in the consumer, industrial and aviation sectors, and prior to her appointment with the Virgin Australia Group, Jayne was formerly Chief Executive Officer of a2 Milk Company.

Jayne also held various leadership roles at Qantas Group for nearly a decade. She was instrumental in the design of Qantas’ loyalty program and was Chief Executive Officer of Qantas Loyalty and Digital Ventures, as well as Chief Executive Officer of Jetstar Group.

Jayne is a former senior partner with Bain & Company in the firm’s Customer Strategy and Marketing Practice and also led Bain’s Customer Practice for the Asia region.

Jayne serves as Chair of Tennis Australia and is a member of the Hawaiian Airlines’ Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Sydney Medical School’s Advisory Board, and a member of Chief Executive Women.

David Mann

Chief Economist Asia Pacific and Middle East Africa | Mastercard Economic Institute

As Chief Economist AP| MEA David’s responsibilities include development and delivery of differentiated economic, financial, policy and market thought leadership for customers, Mastercard and public policy.

David comes to Mastercard with over 20 years of experience at Standard Chartered Bank having worked in different roles at the bank, including Asia Chief Economist, and most recently Global Chief Economist. Prior to this he was responsible for coverage of the US economy and also covered Latin America providing clients with the bank’s view on Asia in the US time zone. David also worked as a Senior FX Strategist based in London and Hong Kong with the bank. David has won numerous awards for his outstanding work including being the top ranked Asia macro research team among investors in the AsiaMoney poll and the Rybczynski Young Economist Price for work on the Malaysian ringgit Barometer. David appears regularly on CNN, CNBC, BBC World, and Bloomberg for his macroeconomic insights.

David is a global citizen worked and lived in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, New York, and now Singapore.

David holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Warwick and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.

Blainey North

Managing Director | Blainey North & Associates

Blainey North is renowned globally for her modern, visionary approach, which is matched by a profound knowledge of design, craft and Interior Architecture. Blainey North’s eponymous Interior and Architecture studio, Blainey North & Associates has, over the twenty years of its operation, forged a distinctive place in the Australian and International design establishment. The Studio has worked across a swathe of different projects from prestigious residences for A-list celebrities and captains of industry, to mega yachts, restaurants, and the walls tallest residential tower in New York.

While North’s signature style denotes luxury, it is always married with a rigour, a deep delve into the history of a project. Hence the sweep of gran architectural gestures and the over-arching concept is always matched by the intensity of the detailing and the relevance of the context.

Awards and recognition in prestigious journals have followed. Most recently North made International Headlines winning the International Design and Architecture Awards in London for the Best Residence over £40M and the Best Residential Interior over £15m. Blainey has also been the winner of the Society of British and International Design (SBID) Excellence Award and was published in the Andrew Martin International Interior Design Review. She has been selected this year as one of the World’s Leading Design Names featuring the Twenty best Architects and Interior Designers worldwide.

Over the last decade Blainey has been designing and retailing Furniture and Lighting through the Blainey North Collection. Her offices and showrooms are based in Sydney, London and New York.

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

Tony Ryan

Principal | Ryan Capital

Tony Ryan is the Principal of Ryan Capital Advisors and a Director of TTF Australia. Between 2015 and 2020, Tony led the Global Mergers and Acquisitions team of JLL Hotels & Hospitality based in Singapore and London combining investment banking skills with specialist property expertise. Mr Ryan has almost 30 years of experience providing commercial and legal advice to the real estate, hotel, and tourism industries and in 1992 established Australia’s first integrated tourism and hospitality legal practice .Tony was the Chairman of the Centennial and Moore Park Trust from 2013 to 2019. Tony holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney and Bachelor of Arts. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Hotel School, Cornell University, New York, USA.

Michael Stott

Director City Strategy and Place | Urbis

Michael is an urban designer and strategic planner who has spent the last 20+ years working on projects around the world, with extended periods in Australia, Asia, Canada, Europe and the Middle East. Michael’s diverse professional experience includes working for several leading, globally recognised consultancies and government entities at the forefront of changing how cities are designed and planned.

In his practice, Michael focuses on creating compelling, place-led design solutions and delivering projects that work to increase the quality of life of community residents, whether through strategic planning and policy development, individual site design or large-scale master plans, urban design for new transportation corridors, or the design of a community park or intimate urban plaza.

As an accomplished facilitator and speaker, Michael regularly presents and consults internationally on issues related to placemaking, urban renewal and creating healthy cities. He has also contributed to numerous publications, summer schools, urban design master classes, and placemaking seminars.

Maureen Thurston

Chief Experience Officer | Aurecon

Maureen’s 40-year career as an industrial designer has spanned the globe, multiple industries and creative disciplines. Her diverse background as an entrepreneur, educator and consultant has manifested itself into her current role as the world’s first Chief Experience Officer (CXO) for an engineering firm – quite possibly the first CXO in any of the big-4 professional service firms today.

Maureen has been with AsiaPac based Engineering and Advisory company Aurecon, since 2015. Before being promoted to CXO Maureen, she led the company’s Design to Innovate program – part of Aurecon’s Future Ready, by design strategy – by embedding the mindset and methods of design as a catalyst to foster innovation, reframe culture transformation and reinforce Aurecon’s brand promise to ‘Bring ideas to life’.

Maureen joined Aurecon from Deloitte where she implemented design principles and practices to help transform the traditional, Australian audit/accounting firm into an award-winning innovator. She is Chair of Good Design Australia Council. GDA is Australia’s peak body promoting excellence in design-led innovation since 1958 and an affiliate member of the World Design Organization. Maureen’s professional journey continues to be guided by her absolute belief in the strategic business value of design as a means to unlock innovation, creativity and sustainable growth.