Tom Baum is a Professor of Tourism Employment and formerly Head of the Department of Work, Employment and Organisation (2014 - 2019) in the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. He is internationally recognized as a specialist in social dimensions of tourism work and employment, including labour mobility and migration. He has taught and written in the area of human resource management for wellness tourism. 

Tom studied social sciences as an undergraduate and holds BA (Hons) and MA degrees from the University of Wales, an MPhil in Educational Development from Nottingham Trent University and two doctorates (PhD and DLitt) in tourism/hospitality employment policy studies from the University of Strathclyde. He has worked in about 50 countries as researcher, teacher and consultant and has completed projects funded by key international agencies including COMCEC, the World Bank, ILO, UNICEF, UNWTO, UNDP, EU and ADB. Tom has supervised about 40 PhD students to completion and examined over 100 doctoral theses. He currently holds visiting professorial appoints with universities in Malaysia, New Zealand, South Africa and Wales. Tom will bring his expertise to our symposium to discuss international perspectives about the future of tourism workforce post -COVID-19.

Ina Reichenberger, Head of Tourism Management, Victoria University of Wellington

Ina Reichenberger is Head of Tourism Management at Victoria University of Wellington. Since the onset of Covid-19, she has expanded her previous focus on tourist behavior to examine tourism career and employment perspectives, including exploring the career perceptions and strategies of tertiary tourism management students, and the role and reputation of tourism within secondary school career advisory practice

Angela Wong, Ritz-Carlton

Angela Wong has been with The Ritz-Carlton for over 16 years, starting her career as a Front Office trainee with The Ritz-Carlton, Singapore. She then worked in Reservations, Catering Sales and Conference Services before having the opportunity to transfer into Training followed by Human Resources with The Ritz-Carlton in the Middle East (Bahrain and Dubai) and China (Sanya). Angela participated in several hotel openings worldwide with The Ritz-Carlton, and was part of the pre-opening team at Mayfair Hotel in Adelaide before being relocated to Perth to open the 100th Ritz-Carlton in the world–The Ritz-Carlton, Perth as Director of Human Resources.

Mark Adams, Managing Director, Executive Compass

Mark Adams is the Managing Director of Executive Compass, a specialist consultancy firm in the fields of Hospitality & Tourism, Sporting & Recreation. With a career spanning over three decades, Mark has navigated a pathway around some of Australia’s most recognized destinations. From remote outback and island isolation to corporate CBD’s and regional hubs, Mark has worked with global groups, franchise brands, not for profit and independents. With 10-years as General Manager with Accor Hotels, 3-years as State Manager Sport Services with Delaware North and multiple years managing facilities in Broome, East Kimberley, Palm Cove, Whitsundays, Bunbury/ Margaret River and his hometown of Perth. Mark now shares his knowledge and expertise with companies lookingfor guidance in strategy, operational audits and multi scale hospitality and tourism developments.

Ryan Mossny, Founder, Owner and Operator of Two Feet& a Heartbeat

Ryan Mossny is Co-founder, Owner and Operator of the Perth based walking tours Two Feet & a Heartbeat which have been running since 2008. He describes himself as a “tourism entrepreneur in WA'' as he is involved in several different tourism businesses as well as in the broader tourism industry at board level with several and not-for-profits. Ryan Mossny co-owns and operates the Matagarup Zip+Climb, he has a tourism and technology business called iVenture Card WA which develops digital passes for travellers, and he also has a tourism/heritage consultancy. He is a former board member of Business Events Perth, sits on the Visit Mandurah Board as Deputy Chair, is the Chair of the Forum Advocating Cultural and Ecotourism (FACET), and is also a founding member of the Museum of Perthwhere he currently sits on the Board.

Marianna Sigala, Professor at the University of Piraeus, Greece

Marianna Sigala is Professor at the University of Piraeus, Greece. She previously held the position of the Professor of Tourism and the Director of the Centre for Tourism & Leisure Management at the University of South Australia (2015–2021). Her interests include services and experience management, Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in tourism and hospitality, as well as wine tourism. She is a past President of Euro CHRIE and a past member of the executive board of ICHRIE and IFITT. She currently serves at the executive board of CAUTHE. She is the co-editor of the Journal of Service Theory & Practice, and the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management. In 2016, she has been awarded the prestigious Euro CHRIE Presidents’ Award for her lifetime contributions and achievements to tourism and hospitality education. Since 2020, Professor Sigala is also appointed as Research Fellow of CAUTHE.

Carolyn Turnbull, Managing Director at Tourism WA 

Carolyn Turnbull is the Managing Director at Tourism WA and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the agency including the promotion of WA as an incredible tourism destination,working with industry and government to improve access, accommodation and tourism experiences and delivering a world-class events calendar.Carolyn has more than 20 years of international leadership experience in the tourism, hospitality and aviation industry and most recently, she spearheaded the development of the western gateway as Chief Aviation Development Officer at Perth Airport. Carolyn is a graduate of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration Advanced Management Programme and holds an Executive MBA in Hospitality Management through Nanyang Business School, Singapore. She is also a graduate of the of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Loretta De Stefani

Loretta’s professional experience extends across a range of portfolios including leisure and business tourism, international trade, and international education sectors and is now responsible for managing the Tourism WA Workforce Development Program. Loretta has extensive experience working in international markets which can be attributed to a range of roles including Export Advisor Europe with Austrade, managing Tourism WA UK/Europe operations, and Partnership Development Management, Tourism Australia, Italy. Additionally, she has worked as a consultant, undertaking various project management contracts in the tourism industry, including managing a program of grant funded initiatives for Study Perth.

David Solnet

David Solnet is a Professor of service management at the University of Queensland Business School.He comes from a restaurant background, with over 18 years’ experience including senior managementroles in the USA and Australia. He is recognized internationally for his research, teaching andconsulting focused on managing and leading service organization, has published over 50 peer-reviewed academic journal articles with over 6000 citations and has led numerous funded research and consulting projects

Carla Giuca Head Visitor Economy, Capability, Workforce and EMDG Policy

Carla Giuca has responsibility for coordinating implementation of the THRIVE 2030 visitor economy strategy and building visitor economy workforce and business capability. Prior to commencing this role, Carla was head of secretariat for the independent Reimagining the Visitor Economy report and led the development of THRIVE 2030. Prior to joining Austrade, Carla work on traveller policy and the establishment of new international airports at the Department of Home Affairs, and at Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, where she had postings to Myanmar and Singapore.