Our Board

Bob Annells

Bob Annells is the current Chairman of the Tourism Tasmania Board of Directors and is a Director on the Tasmanian Development Board. He is also Chairman of the recently formed Events Committee for the Tourism Tasmania Board. 

He has held a number of other senior positions in Tasmania including Director General of the Lands Department and Secretary of the Department of Tourism, Sport and Recreation. He has held senior positions in the tourism industry including Chief Executive of Tourism Victoria, Chairman of the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Trust, Chair of the Northern Territory Tourist Commission, Chairman of the Australian Standing Committee on Tourism (twice), and Board Member of the former Australian Tourist Commission. Bob brings marketing, events, public and private sector tourism experience at the highest level, as well as issues and strategic management.

He was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2001 and a Centenary of Federation Medal. He was inducted into the National Tourism Hall of Fame in 2004 and awarded the ‘Outstanding Contribution by an Individual’ award at the 2005 Victorian Tourism Awards.

Felicia Mariani

Felicia Mariani is CEO of Tourism Tasmania. Her experience in the public and private sectors spans everything from family businesses to multi-national corporations. Her last role was with Tourism New South Wales, where she was Director of Marketing. Felicia has spent the past 15 years working in key marketing and communications roles in the tourism, leisure and entertainment industries.

She introduced ground-breaking campaigns in Sydney and regional New South Wales, and orchestrated the establishment of the Olympic Media Servicing Unit in the leadup to the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Her earlier background includes major branding, marketing and public relations roles with Connex Group Australia and orchestrating senior marketing and communications projects for major Australian domestic tourism initiatives.

Mark Kelleher

Mark Kelleher is Secretary, Department of Economic Development Tourism and the Arts.Mark was appointed to the position in May 2009. This is a business focussed Tasmanian Government Agency covering wide ranging functions across export and trade facilitation, investment attraction, industry development, tourism, the arts and sport and recreation.

As part of the role, Mr Kelleher is the Chief Executive of the Tasmanian Development Board and a member of the Tourism Tasmania Board. He is also a member of the Ten Days on the Island Board and the Tasmanian Renewable Energy Industry Development Board.

Preceding his appointment to the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts, Mr Kelleher was Managing Director of Roaring 40s, a leading Australian based renewable energy company developing and operating wind farms in Australia, China and India, from September 2005 until May 2009. During this time he was also a board member of the Australian Clean Energy Council.

Previously, Mr Kelleher was with Hydro Tasmania for approximately 12 years during which time he held a number of senior positions including General Manager Business Development and General Manager Corporate, and had lead roles in major projects such as electricity industry restructure, Basslink and entry into the National Electricity Market. Prior to this, Mr Kelleher was with Telstra, where he held a number of key positions in financial and strategy areas, and was the Tasmanian Financial Controller at the time of leaving to join Hydro Tasmania.

Mr Kelleher was also Chair of Tasdance from 2005 to 2009.

Mr Kelleher has a Bachelor of Commerce (University of Tasmania) and a Fellow of the Institute of Company Directors. He is also a graduate of the senior executive program at London Business School.

Simon Currant

Simon Currant is Chairman of the Tourism Industry Council Tasmania, a Director of TT-Line, and leading developer and operator of tourism infrastructure. He is also a member of the Events Committee for the Tourism Tasmania Board.

Simon has also been appointed as the first Chair of the Tourism Quality Council of Australia, a new national body.

His past and present developments - among them Cradle Mountain Lodge, Franklin Manor, Strahan Village, Peppermint Bay and Hobart Cruises - have won 11 State and nine national tourism awards. In addition to his current ventures of Peppermint Bay and Hobart Cruises, he is developing the World Heritage Area site of Pumphouse Point, at Lake St Clair.

He also runs a tourism consultancy specialising in remote and natural area tourism. Simon has won national and state Best Small Business awards, a Churchill Fellowship, was state winner and national finalist in the 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year, and was the 2004 Tasmanian of the Year. In 2006 Simon was honoured with a Member of the Order of Australia Award, for service to the community and the Tasmanian tourism industry.

Kimberly Seagram

Kimberly Seagram is co-owner and co-developer of the award-winning Stillwater River Café, Restaurant and Wine Bar in Launceston and Black Cow Bistro. She is currently Deputy Chair of Brand Tasmania, and Chair of the Launceston, Tamar and the North Zone Marketing Group. Prior to Stillwater, Kim and her husband owned and operated Lalla Gully Vineyard and Ripples Café in the Pipers River region of north-east Tasmania.

In 1997, Kim was elected to the Vineyards Association of Tasmania Committee of Management and she continues a high level of involvement with the wine industry, where she has made a significant contribution to strategy and marketing development. Prior to living in Tasmania, Kim held a number of positions in the Canadian tourism industry in operations, sales and promotion.

Alison Stubbs

Alison Stubbs is co-founder and General Manager of the award-winning Freycinet Adventures with business partner and husband, Simon. They established Freycinet Adventures with a passion for delivering exceptional service and their achievements have been recognised with two Telstra Tasmanian Small Business Awards and seven Tasmanian Tourism Awards (including the induction into the Awards Hall of Fame in 2004 for Adventure Tourism). Alison was awarded the 2005 Minister’s Young Achiever Award at the Tasmanian Tourism Awards and the Tasmanian Telstra Young Business Woman of the Year in 2003.

Alison is a member of the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee for the Tourism Tasmania Board and is also a Director of the Marine and Safety Tasmania Board.

Wayne Kirkpatrick

Wayne Kirkpatrick has extensive business, financial, marketing, sales, tourism, resort management and property development experience. As Managing Director / CEO he has successfully led some of Australia’s most significant resorts over the past 25 years, among them Thredbo Alpine Resort, the two Mirage Resorts in Qld, Ayers Rock Resort and Hamilton Island. He has been a Commissioner of the Northern Territory Tourist Commission, a Director of the Central Australian Tourist Industry Association and past Chairman of Tourism Whitsundays. He was a Director of the Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators (Great Barrier Reef), a member of the Tourism Recreation and Reef Advisory Committee and the National Oceans Advisory Group.

He has served as Chairman of Tourism Council Australia, a Director of Tourism Task Force and Tourism Australia. In 2003, the Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) recognised Wayne’s contribution to the Australian tourism industry with an award, namely Outstanding Contribution to the Industry by an Individual, for Excellence in Exporting the Australian Tourism Experience to the World. Tourism Whitsundays also recognised his work in growing the success of Hamilton Island and the Whitsundays generally, with a similar Outstanding Contribution by an Individual Award.

Wayne is Chairman of Tourism Tasmania’s Audit, Finance and Risk Committee. Wayne also presently runs his own tourism and business advisory practice with a number of select clients one of which is Delaware North Australia Parks & Resorts, which recently acquired Lizard, Heron and Wilson Islands along the Great Barrier Reef, Qld, Kings Canyon Resort in the Red Centre, NT and El Questro Station, Homestead & Emma Gorge in the East Kimberley, WA.