Our Board

Sally Loane

Chairman

BA (English, Politics, Journalism)

Appointed 12 April 2018. Appointed as Chairman 7 November 2022.

Sally Loane is Chairman of Destination NSW, Chair of Ignition Advice and a director of Chubb Insurance Australia and the Garvan Medical Research Foundation. She is on the Advisory Board of Orizontas, a trustee for Sydney’s Hyde Park ANZAC Memorial, a global ambassador for Business Events Sydney and a member of Chief Executive Women.

Her early career was in the media, followed by an executive corporate career with Coca-Cola Amatil, then she was appointed CEO of the Financial Services Council.

Ms Loane is a community and charity advocate, Governor of the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation and patron of Lou’s Place, a women’s refuge. She mentors women through McCarthy Mentoring, the Minerva Network and the Superstars of STEM program, and has served on NSW Government advisory boards for women’s economic opportunities, as well as domestic and family violence and sexual assault.

Russell Balding AO

Deputy Chairman

BBus, DipTech (Comm), FCPA, MAICD, M.S.I.D.

Appointed 24 August 2011.

Russell Balding AO is currently a Non-Executive Director of ComfortDelGro Corporation Limited (Singapore) and Chairman of ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia Pty Ltd.

Previously, Mr Balding was Chairman of Racing New South Wales, a NonExecutive Director of the Trust Company (Sydney Airport) Limited, a Director of Racing Australia Limited and Chairman of Cabcharge Australia Limited.

Mr Balding also held the positions of Chief Executive Officer of Sydney Airport Corporation and Managing Director of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

In 2012, Mr Balding was appointed Chairman of the NSW Visitor Economy Taskforce, established by the NSW Government to develop a tourism and events strategy to double overnight visitor expenditure to NSW by 2020.

Mr Balding also served as a Board Member on the NSW Government’s former tourism body, Tourism NSW. Mr Balding was awarded an Order of Australia (AO) in January 2007.

Anne Loveridge AM

BA Joint Hons, FCA, GAICD

Appointed 2 August 2021.

Anne Loveridge is a highly experienced director and business leader with over 30 years’ experience. Over the last eight years, Ms Loveridge has served as a board member for ASX-listed organisations in financial services and health sectors, as well as at arts-related not-for-profit entities.

Ms Loveridge brings extensive experience in people leadership as well as audit, risk, regulatory compliance and finance skills to her governance roles. She is the Chair of the Destination NSW Audit and Risk Committee, a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia, a graduate of the Institute of Company Directors and a member of Chief Executive Women and of International Women’s Forum in Australia.

Ms Loveridge holds a Bachelor of Arts in French and Economics (joint honours) from the University of Reading (UK).

Rod McGeoch AO

LLB

Appointed 24 August 2011.

Rod McGeoch AO was the leader of Sydney’s successful Olympics 2000 bid. He is an Officer of the Order of Australia. He is also Chairman of Vantage Private Equity Growth Limited, Chairman of Chubb Insurance Australia Ltd, and Director of Corporacion America International S.A.R.L. He was appointed Chairman of Australia Media Co (AMC) in July 2020.

Mr McGeoch is a former Chairman of the Committee for Sydney and plays a leading role in a variety of cultural, community and welfare organisations. He was also President of the Law Society of New South Wales and Director of Ramsay Health Care Limited. He has published two bestselling books: McGeoch and The Bid.

The Hon. George Souris AM

BEc, Dip Fin Mangt, FAIM, FCPA

Appointed 12 April 2018.

George Souris is a former NSW Minister and has been responsible for a wide range of portfolios, including tourism, major events and liquor licensing and regulation.

In his former capacity as Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality, Racing and the Arts, Mr Souris was responsible for creating Destination NSW and establishing the Visitor Economy Taskforce. He was also tasked with developing a strategy to target the NSW visitor economy.

Mr Souris serves on Destination NSW’s Audit and Risk Committee and the Events Sub-Committee and is an honorary Director of the Board of Business Events Sydney Ltd (Destination NSW’s representative). He was made a Member of the Order of Australia in 2016.

Mr Souris retired from the NSW Parliament in 2015 after 27 years of representation. Mr Souris served two terms as Chair of the Hunter Valley Wine and Tourism Association and the Hunter Valley Tourism Task Force.

Emma Hogan

GAICD

Appointed 1 August 2022.

Emma Hogan joined the Destination NSW Board in 2022 when she was the Secretary of Digital and the NSW Department of Customer Service. More recently, Ms Hogan left the NSW Government to become the Group Executive Strategy and Corporate Affairs with Ventia.

Prior to joining the NSW Government in 2019, Ms Hogan had a 20-year career working with iconic Australian brands across hospitality, retail, aviation, media and entertainment. She is an experienced transformation leader across customer, digital, people, culture and communications, and has led teams of over 13,000 people in Australia and globally.

Ms Hogan holds postgraduate qualifications in HR and Business Management, is a graduate of the Stanford University Executive Program and holds an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. She is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors program and is the NSW Chapter Chair of Chief Executive Women.

Clark Webb

BA (Archaeology and Aboriginal Studies), GAICD

Appointed 13 February 2023.

Clark Webb is a Gumbaynggirr and Bundjalung man who lives in Garlambirla (Coffs Harbour) in the heart of Gumbaynggirr country.

Mr Webb has been a committed learner and active teacher of Gumbaynggirr language for 16 years and is the founder and CEO of Bularri Muurlay Nyanggan Aboriginal Corporation (BMNAC), which commenced its programs in 2010. BMNAC is the proprietor of Gumbaynggirr Giingana Freedom School (GGFS), which opened its doors to 14 students in 2022, growing to 52 students in 2023.

Mr Webb currently serves as a board member of the NSW Aboriginal Languages Trust and NSW Aboriginal Tourism Operators Council (NATOC). Mr Webb is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD).

As the Operator of Wajaana Yaam Gumbaynggirr Adventure Tours, Mr Webb is passionate about the growth of sustainable tourism and utilising tours as a vehicle to support cultural revitalisation and economic development in communities.

Anna Guillan AM

FAICD, MBA

Appointed 13 February 2023.

Ms Guillan is currently Chair of Regional Development Australia (Sydney), a member of the Destination NSW Audit and Risk Committee, and is also on the board of Hammons Holdings, and South Eastern Sydney Local Health District. On 2 January 2024, she was also appointed as trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust.

Ms Guillan has held previous board positions with Tourism Australia, Tourism and Events Queensland, and the Australian Tourism Export Council. She is a member of the Forum of Western Sydney Airport and was also part of a specialist industry taskforce established by the NSW Government to review the NSW Visitor Economy Strategy 2030, which informed the post-COVID-19 recovery plan for NSW.

Ms Guillan is the co-founder of cancer support charity The NELUNE Foundation and was acknowledged in the Australian Honours list in recognition of her service to the Australian tourism industry and to the community for her support of social welfare and health organisations.

Elizabeth Mildwater

Appointed 19 October 2022.

Elizabeth Mildwater was appointed Secretary of the Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade on 19 October 2022, which became the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism, Hospitality and Sport on 1 July 2024. She brings more than 25 years’ management experience across customer services, legal, company secretarial, compliance, risk, management, human resources and general operations.

Ms Mildwater is passionate about harnessing stakeholder and employee engagement and new technologies to achieve new levels of service. She serves as a NSW Council Member with the Institute of Public Administration Australia (IPAA) and was appointed a National Fellow of the IPAA in October 2022.

Ms Mildwater is also a member of Chief Executive Women.

Steve Cox

MBA

Appointed 4 May 2020.

Steve Cox is the Chief Executive Officer of Destination NSW, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency. Mr Cox is a passionate and energetic champion for Sydney and regional NSW. He drives the strategic direction of Destination NSW to ensure NSW is the premier visitor economy of the Asia Pacific.

Mr Cox is also a director on the boards of Business Events Sydney (BESydney) and the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse, and a member of the Australia Day Council of NSW.

Prior to joining Destination NSW in 2020, Mr Cox was the Managing Director of Dymocks for eight years. Before Dymocks, Mr Cox held senior roles with David Jones and the Specialty Fashion Group. He holds an MBA from Macquarie University.