Mark joined Mantra Group in September 2006 as Group General Manager, Mantra Resorts, Hotels & Apartments. Up until most recently (Jan 2021) his role was Senior Vice President Operations, encompassed full operational responsibility across all four brands under the Accor Hotels Apartments & Leases banner across 140 properties and was a member on the groups’ Pacific Executive Committee. This includes the Art Series,Peppers ,Mantra & BreakFree resort & Hotel portfolios.

Since the acquisition of Mantra Group by Accor Hospitality in May 2018, Mark continued his senior leadership role reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, Accor Pacific up until January 2021 where he has left to establish his own advisory and consulting business (Principal -Hodge & Co ,Tourism & Hospitality management).

With over 30 years in the tourism and hospitality industry, Mark has applied superior leadership and management skills to drive operations ,accelerates growth and boosts profits within the hospitality and tourism sector .He has extensive experience in hotel operations management including a thorough understanding of both strata and typical hotel ownership models. Mark’s background includes leadership roles at the highest levels that include Chief Executive Officer ,Senior Vice President and Group General Manager across singular and multiple corporate and resort style hotels. He is commercially astute with a strategic approach and recognised as a business driver and a trusted board and C-Suite asset .He excels at transforming and shaping operations to deliver agreed business objectives, confidently lead commercially restructures and acquisitions and consistently deliver improvements in employee sentiment, margins and profit.

John joined Minor Hotels as the Head of Commercial for Australia and New Zealand in November 2018. His role sees him responsible for leading the company’s business growth and commercial strategy in these key markets where it currently operates over 60 properties as well as driving key executive projects.

John is a dyed-in-the-wool commercial hotelier having has spent more than 20 years in the hospitality sector holding leadership positions for global hotel brands including Hilton and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

John has a reputation as a savvy and respected commercial director having also owned and operated a successful consultancy business, where he provided bespoke commercial solutions through consultancy, training and coaching to leading organisations within the hospitality industry.

As the Vice President of Operations for Accor Queensland and Northern Territory, David has overall responsibility for 32 hotels and resorts with a total of 4,688 rooms and an employee base of over 4,600. 

Originally, from New Zealand, David studied at the Victoria University Management School in Wellington NZ, where he attained a commerce degree in Industrial Relations, Human Resources and Management. David has attained a wealth of commercial Human Resources experience over the past 15+ years working both domestically and internationally (New Zealand, South Africa, the Philippines and the United Kingdom). During this time, David has built a depth of experience in Mergers/Acquisitions, Industrial Relations, Change Management, and Work Health and Safety across various industries, including Entertainment, Telecommunications, Outsourcing, Financial Services, Television and Government.

Since joining Accor in 2018, David has tackled and led many key projects on behalf of the Pacific Executive Team. During this time David also steered numerous business improvement reviews at Accor Vacation Club, played a critical role in the Pacific Taskforce, and provided Operations Support and Project Management throughout the Mantra Integration.
 

With 36 years experience in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry, Nick actively enjoys engaging and contributing to the shaping of our industry, to benefit all stakeholders. 

Having owned and managed Comfort Resort Blue Pacific, with his wife Cath, for the past 18 years and having worked in Airline, Coach, Accommodation and Restaurant businesses has given Nick a very broad industry knowledge. Nick has experience in Company and Industry Boards and currently a Director, Company Secretary and Audit Chair on the Mackay Tourism Ltd Board, a position held on and off for 14 years. Nick is also a State Co-op Leader, representing the Qld Franchisees, with Choice Hotels Asia-Pac.  

As one of two Directors of Revenue for TFE Hotels, Amanda is responsible for maximising top line revenues, optimising hotel performance and building knowledge across 35 hotels (Adina Apartment Hotels, Vibe Hotels, Quincy Hotels, Rendezvous, Collection by TFE Hotels and Travelodge Hotels brands) in 14 different markets.   Backed by more than 15 years of experience in the field, along with substantial operational knowledge, Amanda and her team continually strive to generate above market results across the portfolio. 

Amanda’s career in revenue management started in 2007 at Hilton Brisbane. A passionate all-rounder, Amanda has also worked across banquets, conference sales, front office and reservations which has given her a deep understanding of operations, the various hotel and resort revenue streams and solid cost control.  Despite a deep passion for the industry, Amanda believes that the only thing better than revenue management is farming, and she aspires to own and operate her own winery.

Liz Collinson is Senior Vice President Legal and Compliance for Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific, a business division of Travel + Leisure Co (NYSE: TNL) – the world’s leading membership and leisure travel company, with a portfolio of nearly 20 resort, travel club, and lifestyle travel brands. Liz joined the company in June 2017 and leads a legal and compliance team based in Australia, Singapore and China.

Liz has over 30 years’ experience as a hospitality lawyer and is responsible for ensuring compliance with regulatory obligations, mergers and acquisitions, dispute resolution and employment and industrial relations matters across all Asia Pacific jurisdictions. Liz joined Wyndham after almost three years as principal of her own firm.  Prior to that she spent 12 years living in Singapore, with more than 10 years as Senior Vice President Legal and General Counsel of InterContinental Hotels Group Asia Pacific. 

Liz is admitted to practice as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria and has been accredited as a specialist in Property Law.  She is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD) and an alternate director on the board of the Asia Pacific Resort Development Organisation (APRDO). She is also an executive member of the Travel + Leisure Co. Diversity Review Group, Women in Travel.

Todd Hunter is General Manager for Ayers Rock Resort’s flagship property Sails in the Desert hotel and the Lost Camel Hotel. 
 
Todd has over 20 years of strategic hotel operation management experience across the tourism and hospitality sectors in Australia and the Middle East. He has managed full service as well as select-service properties in almost every sector of the business – corporate, leisure, franchised, experienced based destination and remote. He is a zealous advocate for the industry with active involvement in tourism and industry associations.
 

Zac is a passionate hotelier with more than 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. He has a deep passion for Hotel Operations with a background in improving operational efficiency and is a team player who effectively motivates personnel to provide superior customer service.

Zac joined IHG Hotels and Resorts in 2019 as General Manager of voco Gold Coast. Prior to this, he has held General Manager Positions with Shangri La Hotels & Resorts, Accor & Mirvac Hotels & Resorts.

Scott has an extensive background of over 20 year’s multi brand, International hospitality experience.

As an inaugural scholarship recipient which started his early career in Europe, he has both breadth and depth of experience in the full service sector with the major brands Hyatt, IHG and Hilton. His extensive background includes hotel Finance, Operations and Business Development, through the Pacific, Middle East, and for most of his career Asia, before returning to Australia. These have encompassed preopening, open site refurbishment, and conversion rebranding in corporate and leisure properties in both city and resort destinations.

Scott also sits on the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) North Queensland committee.

Laura has a business background in membership organisations in Australia and Britain. Laura has a Master of Business administration from Griffith University and a Bachelor of Arts from University of Southern Queensland and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Laura is the Chair of the Surfers Paradise Alliance; Board member and Chair of the QTIC Associations Council and Deputy President of the Gold Coast Central Chamber of Commerce.