2026 SPEAKERS

Emma Hynes is Director of Operations – Australasia & Pacific for IHG Hotels & Resorts, responsible for the performance of more than 40 hotels across Australia, including the Luxury & Lifestyle portfolio. Appointed in 2022, she leads hotel operations with a focus on performance, owner...

Deputy Editor at Travel Weekly Australia and writer and speaker on authentic voice for women. With 7+ years’ experience as a B2B journalist across travel, media, insurance and finance, I specialise in sharp, story-led coverage and industry insight.

David Brook is the General Manager of Paradise Resort Gold Coast and a 40-year hospitality veteran, with senior roles across Australia, the UK and the South Pacific with major hotel groups including Hilton, Accor and Carlson. Over the past 15 years, he has led the resort’s transformation into one...

With a career spanning over 16 years in the accommodation industry, Lisa Gallagher has cultivated a rare, 360-degree perspective of the hospitality sector. Her professional journey is defined by a versatile ability to pivot across key operational pillars—seamlessly transitioning between front...

Ravi Kalvakuntla is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Prompt Hospitality Tech (PHT), a Sydney-based boutique ICT consultancy and managed service provider built specifically for hotel and hospitality operators across Australia and New Zealand. Before founding PHT, Ravi spent years working...

Mehwish Kazim is an Interior Designer and Design Director with over 16 years of international experience delivering hospitality, residential and commercial projects across Australia, the Middle East and the USA. Her work focuses on creating thoughtful, experience-driven interiors that balance...

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. ...

Helen, Partner at FK, is a highly respected architect with over 20 years of place-making experience locally and globally. She specialises in affordable accommodation and managed asset classes, including co-living, build-to-rent, and student accommodation. Helen brings deep expertise in...

Gareth has an extensive background in operations, having led hotels, portfolios and regions for IHG Hotels & Resorts over a period spanning more than two decades. Prior to joining Axsia HTL as Head of Asset Management, Gareth oversaw IHG’s luxury & lifestyle portfolio of hotels across...

I’m David Stubbs and I own + operate The Berry View, a boutique motel inspired more by Palm Springs than the traditional Aussie roadside stop. My background’s in property development, typically the duplex, townhouses or small apartment space. What interested me about this project is how you can...

Timo Lorenzen is a hospitality leader, General Manager, and community builder with over two decades of experience across lifestyle hotels, food & beverage, and hotel pre-openings in Australia. Currently the lyf Champion (General Manager) for Ascott's lyf Bondi Junction Sydney Timo is known...

With over 40 years of experience, Founding Director David Madden anchors the creation of client value in stakeholder collaboration throughout entire project lifecycles. David established MBM in 2002 following 18 years of engagement in the construction industry. Delivering technical expertise...

Cushla McFadden, director of Tom Mark Henry brings her adept creativity and systematic delivery approach to design that sees unique design resolutions realised with each project. She gains a great deal of satisfaction when a project is truly collaborative and a number of factors contribute to its...

Guy is a former Australian Army Officer, where he led other Commissioned Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers in both strategic headquarter environments and various deployed operational roles. During the course of Guy’s Defence career he received many medals and awards in recognition of his...

Su-Lin Tan is a Sydney-based senior journalist with Green Street News. Most recently, she was a correspondent at the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and Singapore where she covered trade, business and geopolitics. Before that, she was at the Australian Financial Review (AFR), covering real...

Emily Stephens is the founder of The Accommodation Project, where she helps accommodation owners and managers build simple, practical systems that improve profitability, strengthen operations, and make running a property more manageable. With more than 25 years' experience across motel, hotel...

Callie van der Merwe is a registered Architect specialising in Interior design, specifically in the application of neurodesign and neuroarchitecture as a meaningfull performance enhancers of people and place. Within COOOP.co they have developed a methodology called Envirohacking as a strategic...

Alicia Szerszyn is a seasoned hospitality professional with over 25 years of experience across Food & Beverage, Sales, and Marketing. Her career began internationally with a winter season at Mammoth Mountain, California (2000–2001), before returning to Australia to join Accor at Mercure Resort...

David Thompson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Myma.ai,a global AI platform purpose-built for the hospitality industry. With more than 30 years of hotel and tourism experience, David has held leadership roles with major hotel brands before founding Myma.ai in 2019. Under his leadership, the platform...

Anna Verghese is the Founding Director of Cerulean, an independent, client-side development, programme and project management consultancy devoted to the realisation of exceptional built spaces. With over 20 years of international experience across Australia, APAC, EMEA and the USA, Anna has led...

Trevor Rawnsley is the Chief Executive Officer and Company Secretary of the Australian Resident Accomodation Managers Association. ARAMA is the peak body for the Management & Letting Rights industry. As CEO Trevor advocates for and represents the entire MLR Industry across Australia and along...

Sundip Mace is the founder of Sun Maison, a brand advisory dedicated to building the kinds of places people want to belong to. She works with hotel owners, investors, and developers across luxury, wellness, and lifestyle to build brands that strengthen asset value, command a premium, and earn...

Julianne Bagnato is Co-Founder and Operations Manager at Brae - a renowned restaurant, farm & luxury accommodation experience in regional Victoria, known for its exceptional food, service and unique guest experience.  Julianne's expertise lies in optimizing operational...

With more than 35 years of executive leadership in hospitality, Kylie Lukic has built a distinguished career leading multi-property hotel portfolios across Internationally recognised hotel brands, boutique accommodation groups and independent hospitality businesses. Renowned for delivering...

Mel Porter is a third-generation publican and operator of Porters Plainland Hotel, located in Plainland, in Queensland’s Lockyer Valley, west of Brisbane. This year marks a significant milestone for the business, celebrating 80 years of ownership by the Porter family and a proud legacy of...

Sharon CauldwellArea Director, Sales & Distribution — Crystalbrook Collection Sharon Cauldwell has spent more than three decades in upper upscale and luxury hotels and resorts — from capital cities and regional centres to leisure destinations. She has a strong track record of improving revenue ...

Gina McNamara is a Director of Billé Group and Co-Founder of The Tamborine Boutique Hotel in Queensland's Scenic Rim, as well as the Founder of Cassis Red Hill Luxury Villas on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula. Gina ignited her passion for curating unique guest experiences in the hospitality...

Now based in his native Melbourne, Joe heads up the firm’s drive into the Asia-Pacific region while leading the creative direction of all our projects worldwide. Previously, he spent some 20 years in London, working at senior level with two highly respected design studios, before joining shortly...

Pip is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Campus Living Villages. She has a background and a Masters degree in sustainability in the built environment. Pip has spent the last 15 years working across the private and public sectors to develop, influence and implement policy, strategy and programs...