Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau Welcomes New Board
The Sydney Convention and Visitors Bureau has announced the results of its 2007 board elections, the first under new Chairman Col Hughes.
Mr Hughes was announced as the NSW Government nominee on the SCVB board in August by the Minister for Tourism Matt Brown, bringing one of the Australian aviation and travel industry’s most respected figures to the head of the board.
He replaced previous Chairman Maurice Newman who stepped down to concentrate on other roles including his chairmanship of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
In the 2007 board elections, Accor Asia Pacific Regional General Manager NSW and ACT Mark Ronfeldt has been elected to represent the accommodation category, replacing Nigel Corne of Tourism Hotels & Leisure.
Re-elected are Todd Coates of Bridgeclimb, Bryan Holliday of ICMS Australasia, Jim Delahunty of Exhibition Hire Services and Robert Lang of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority.
The election results follow the August appointment of Australian International Hospitality Managing Director Rodger Powell to represent the restaurant category, replacing Sarah Langley of Nick’s Restaurant Group who stepped down.
SCVB Managing Director Jon Hutchison welcomed the new board and said the bureau could look to the future with a strong team at its helm.
“Our board members bring a wealth of experience to the SCVB and are all very highly regarded, not just within Sydney’s business events community but across the Australian travel sector,” Mr Hutchison said. “We’re particularly pleased to have Col Hughes as Chairman, given the standing he has in the travel and aviation industries and the stature he brings to the role.”
Mr Hutchison paid tribute to Maurice Newman, Nigel Corne and Sarah Langley, whose dedication to the SCVB had been invaluable.
“Sydney’s success in the business events sector stems largely from the expertise of our industry members and this is especially apparent in the voluntary work of our board members, we’re very grateful for their efforts,” Mr Hutchison said.
The SCVB board now comprises:
Col Hughes, Chairman; Ton van Amerongen, Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre and SCVB Deputy Chairman; Brian Newman, Sydney Olympic Park Authority; John O’Neill, Tourism NSW; Ray Stone, Accor Asia Pacific; Rodger Powell, Australian International Hospitality Pty Ltd (restaurant category); Jim Hawkesford, The Hawkesford Group (transport); Robert Lang, Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority (retail); Bryan Holliday, ICMS Australasia (convention); Jim Delahunty, Exhibition Hire Services (exhibition); Mark Ronfeldt, Accor Asia Pacific (accommodation); Todd Coates, BridgeClimb (attractions); Jon Hutchison, SCVB.
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