With a passion for people, a strategic sales leader with over 17 years cross sector experience. I am driven to lead and inspire teams across all areas of sales, proven track record in hospitality, events and venue sales, operations, account management and project management.  

Strengths include business events international and domestic insight, complex stakeholder relationship environments, business development, innovative thought leadership, good governance, and strong networks.  

Experienced Vice President of Sales with a demonstrated history of working in the leisure, travel & tourism industry. Skilled in Negotiation, Business Planning, Sales, Management, and Human Resources. Experience serving on various Boards and completing training courses from the Institute of Corporate Directors. Particularly interested in driving initiatives to promote Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the communities and organizations she serves in.  

Natalie is a dynamic leader with over 30 years’ experience driving change and growth in the organisations that she has led. Natalie has comprehensive experience in planning and implementing strategy, demonstrated high level negotiation and engagement skills across private and public sector together with exemplary communication skills that has secured many successful partnerships.  

Natalie is a popular leader taking pride in developing high performing teams to engage in the corporate vision and deliver strong results. She mentors many young people to achieve their full potential. She is a current Board Director of Melbourne Convention & Marketing Bureau and William Angliss TAFE College. Natalie has held Non Executive Director roles on Parks Victoria, People & Parks Foundation and the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation.   

Natalie is the former CEO of Food + Wine Victoria who produces Australia’s internationally acclaimed Melbourne Food & Wine Festival shining a light on Australian chefs, winemakers and producers positioning Melbourne globally. From 2019 to 2021 Natalie lead the visitor economy through post COVID recovery as CEO of Ballarat Regional Tourism and in 2022 took on the CEO role of Wine Victoria representing the Victorian Wine Sector domestically and in global trade markets. 

Jeremy Sampson is a globally recognized leader in sustainable tourism and CEO of The Travel Foundation, where he works with businesses, destinations, and key global entities to drive systemic change. He co-authored the Glasgow Declaration on Climate Action in Tourism, chaired the Future of Tourism Coalition, and is known for sharing insights that inspire industry stakeholders and move ideas forward. Jeremy is a sought-after keynote speaker, having delivered provocative yet practical talks at high-profile events such as ITB Berlin, the Scottish Tourism Alliance’s Signature Conference, and COP29.

Ia m a leader of people and processes with an emphasis on profitable returns, customer service and sustainable organisational growth. These career skills have been developed in International Hotels, Professional Services and Venue Management Industries. 

I am a dynamic and results-driven manager who sets high standards of performance and communicates these openly.  

My leadership demonstrates a proven ability to develop and maintain strong business relationships, backed by an Award winning track record that has been won by formulating marketing strategies that maximise outcomes for all key stakeholders. I also have extensive experience in managing multi-site operations. 

Eng. Said Al Shanfari is the Chief Executive Officer of the Oman Convention and Exhibition, the Sultanate premier events venue. An expert in the business event industry, Al Shanfari also represents the wider region as Chairman of the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) for the Middle East and Africa chapter. This regional perspective along with his achievements at the OCEC led him to be recognised by Forbes Middle East as one of the Top 100 Travel and Tourism Leaders in 2024.  

With over 25 years of global senior leadership and management experience, Anna is a trusted advisor with a practical approach to strategic growth. Her track record has delivered sustainable strategies that enhance competitive company positioning. With highly tuned commercial, sales and marketing instincts, she thrives on bringing transformation to organisations by taking advantage of new opportunities. Having acquired international experience in both government and private sectors, specialising in stakeholder engagement and business development, she brings global context and local best practice to her work. A well-regarded business leader, a clear thinker with an ambitious spirit, she makes an impact by bringing insight and inspiration to maximise results.  

A community minded corporate leader with an intuitive standard of excellence.   Top level executive with experience in supporting his organization with a full range of operational functions including Human Resources, Finance, Customer Service, Administration and Risk Management. Areas of Excellence Include: 

• Spearheading Change and Redesigning Business Practices 
• Growing Revenue and Fiscal Responsibility 
• Community and Stakeholder Relations 
• Forming Strategic Alliances 
• Leading and Developing Teams  
• Risk Assessment and Mitigation  

Carina Montagut, Events Director at Feria Valencia, has more than 20 years' experience in the meetings and events industry. She has held positions across multiple areas, including investment, development and events. She has taught postgraduate courses and is a frequent conference speaker and moderator. Carina is also a member of the ICCA Board of Directors.

Ana Isabel Sá is a Portuguese economist and researcher based in Porto. She holds a PhD in Economics and a master's degree in finance from the University of Porto. With more than a decade of experience in the banking sector — mainly in risk and regulatory compliance — she later transitioned to academia. Ana now works as a full-time researcher at CEF.UP and teaches at the University of Porto and Católica Porto Business School. Her academic focus lies in empirical banking, credit markets, and macroprudential regulation. Ana brings a unique blend of practical financial expertise and rigorous economic research to Portugal’s policy and academic spheres. 

Jessica Haire is a business development professional and co-founder of Connection Awaits, a regenerative tourism consultancy dedicated to sustainable and community-driven travel experiences. She is also the founder and Chief Fun Officer of Axis 360 Solutions, providing project management and optimisation services since 2018. Jessica previously worked with Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (formerly Explore Edmonton), where she developed strategic plans and research frameworks to grow Edmonton’s meetings, incentives, conferences, and events (MICE) sector. She collaborated with local stakeholders to set performance metrics and evaluate the impact of tourism initiatives. Passionate about authentic storytelling and sustainable tourism, Jessica helps communities and destinations thrive by connecting people to meaningful experiences while promoting environmental and cultural stewardship. 

Anna Look is a regenerative tourism consultant and co-owner of Rabbit Hill Snow Resort in Canada. She is also co-founder of Connection Awaits, an initiative that helps destinations adopt sustainable and community-driven models. Her approach combines heritage storytelling, local collaboration, and long-term planning. She has led creative projects to document local histories and embed them into tourism strategy, empowering communities to thrive through cultural preservation and ecological responsibility. Anna supports destinations that wish to move beyond extractive tourism and into deeper, place-based transformation.