ARTN - Committee

Wayne Kayler-Thompson (AGIT, CPA, AMAMI)

Chief Executive Officer – VECCI. Chief Executive Officer – Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC). Chief Executive Offer – Victoria Events Industry Council (VEIC)

Wayne Kayler-Thomson is the Chief Executive Officer of VECCI, Australia’s largest Chamber of Commerce. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of the Victoria Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) and the Victoria Events Industry Council (VEIC) Victoria’s peak industry organisations which provide advocacy, representation and industry development services for the tourism and events industry.

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Bindi Gove

Bindi's single greatest extravagence is her T-Mobile, carbon- fibre Giant Dura Ace road bike and the time she steals to ride it 240kms a week.

As the Head of VECCI's newly formed Tourism and Events Industry Division, that means a lot of riding in the dark. The Division provides management services to the Victoria Tourism Industry Council, the Victoria Events Industry Council, the Hotel Motel Accommodation Association and the Backpacker Operators Alliance of Victoria. Prior to her appointment with the Victorian Employers' Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VECCI) Bindi was the Deputy CEO at Tourism Alliance Victoria.

For more than 15 years, Bindi has worked in strategy, policy development, planning, management and marketing of domestic tourism and economic development in both NSW and Victoria.

She is a frequent presenter at conferences, think tanks, seminars and lectures associated with the future of Australia’s tourism industry. She has written a series of fact sheets, discussion papers and reports covering the areas of planning, visitor servicing, sustainability, research, business excellence and skills. 

She is a Board member of the Australian Regional Tourism Research Centre, the Deputy Chair of the Australian Regional Tourism Network and a board member of the Monash University Tourism Research Advisory Board and Victoria’s Tourism Excellence Program. She is entering her second year as a Judge in the Melbourne Airport Victorian Tourism Awards.

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Rod Caldicott

Rod has had 20 years in the tourism industry and is currently the Tourism Manager in Casino, working in local government for the Richmond Valley Council. He has previous experience with the private sector in Queensland through the caravan, camping and 4x4 touring industry and more recently in tourism planning and marketing. He remains interested in education and research and enjoys a close relationship with Southern Cross University and the Australian Regional Tourism Research Centre.

Rod achieved a Bachelor of Business (Tourism) in 1994 and a Diploma of Journalism in 1995. In 2000 he was recognised by his peers for his outstanding contribution to Regional Tourism in the Northern Rivers.

He is an immediate past Director of the NSW Council of Tourist Associations (CTA) and currently holds office as NSW Vice President for the  Australian Institute of Tourism Officers (AITO), Secretary of the Australian Regional Tourism Network (ARTN) and a Board member of the Northern Region Community Advisory Committee for the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service. Rod is keen to see the professional development and member/community benefit aspects of these organisations grow stronger.

Rod feels that it is very important that a professional association represents both the individual needs of members and also their position requirements in terms of industry developments. He believes that as a Director he can be an effective mentor to new people coming into our industry and sees such associations as the nucleus of a “family” of professionals in the tourism industry.

Often, new entrants to our industry can feel isolated in regional areas and the network of member councils and associations represented can be a lifeline for support, answers to questions, general guidance or advice on specific issues.  Weather it is through formal or informal contact, Rod is always available to assist others in overcoming the challenges in their associations or simply in their day-to-day work.

On behalf of members, Rod feels that an association’s role is to tackle some of the big issues that effect individual organisations at a local level but are outside the scope of a local organisation or individual to resolve.  Collectively, we have a stronger voice on these occasions and he encourages members to stay in regular contact with their organisation and use the resources of it wherever possible.

In this regard, either as a Director of any of the above associations or simply as a fellow Tourism Manager with a few years experience under his belt, Rod’s door is always open.

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