Our people

Di Bain is the Chair of Tourism Western Australia and a marketing and communications professional with more than two decades' experience in the sector.  Following on from her career with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Ms Bain founded media and marketing agency Bain Media, which focused on developing creative marketing campaigns and delivering strategic media advice to a range of businesses, from mining to tourism and cyber-security.  

Ms Bain is also the Chair of Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) and sits on the Philanthropy Advisory Board of the Black Swan State Theatre Company. In her spare time Ms Bain is a private pilot who enjoys flying helicopters and planes around Western Australia, discovering new and old stories. Ms Bain's current term as Chair commenced on 1 July 2021.

Manny Papadoulis has served on the board since July 2017. He is the immediate past Chair of Australia's Coral Coast regional tourism organisation and the current Executive Director of Icon Tourism Consulting, which specialises in strategic tourism management. Mr. Papadoulis is the past President of the Tourism Council WA and has served as Deputy Chair of the Perth Convention Bureau, President of the Australian Tourism Export Council (WA), and the Bus and Coach Association of WA. Mr. Papadoulis' current term commenced on 1 July 2021. Over 40 years, Manny Papadoulis' career has covered all aspects of tourism, working in many different areas including operations, marketing, and strategy. He was one of the first to pioneer food tourism with his brand Epicurean Tours as well as MD of his family touring business which operated throughout WA for over 30 years. His destination marketing and development skills have been honed over 40 years with practical hands-on experience. In his spare time, he loves to cook with fire and is a keen musician.

Iain Grandage was Artistic Director of the Perth Festival from 2020-2024, where has was celebrated for bringing a sweeping sense of place to the Festivals he curated, with a strong commitment to Noongar artists and stories standing alongside events of scale like Highway to Hell.  His career spans the creation and curation of large and small scale festivals, music direction for works in theatres and stadiums, alongside composing, conducting and performance.  Over his 30 year career, Mr Grandage has become one of Australia's most highly regarded collaborative artists.  He has been music director for large scale events for Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide Festivals, and has an extensive track record of collaboration with Indigenous artists across the country.  Mr Grandage has previously been Composer-in-Residence with the WA Symphony Orchestra, received the prestigious Sidney Myer Performing Arts Award, was the 2023 West Australian of the Year for Culture & the Arts, and been awarded an Honorary Doctorate from UWA. He has been a Commissioner on the Board of Tourism WA since May 2023.

Janelle Marr is an experienced company director and a leading strategic advisor with over 25 years in strategy, governance and transformation programs across Asia, Europe and Australia.  For the last 15 years Ms Marr has been the Managing Director of StepBeyond Strategy, a boutique strategy consultancy she founded in 2007, working across ASX listed, private, government and NFPs in multiple sectors.  Prior to this Ms Marr held senior positions in the advisory arms of both KPMG Melbourne and EY Perth.  She is a Fellow Australian Institute of Company Directors, Fellow Governance Institute of Australia and is both a Telstra Business Award and WA Business News 40Under40 Award Winner.  Ms Marr currently serves as Deputy Chair, Arts and Culture Trust and Councillor, Charles Darwin University – former roles include Councillor Edith Cowan University, Chair Screenwest and Deputy Chair Ability WA.  Ms Marr's term commenced on 1 July 2021, and she Chairs the Audit and Risk Committee.

Christina Matthews was the Chief Executive Officer of WA Cricket and a former Australian cricketer. She is Australia's most capped female Test player and holds the record for the most dismissals in Test cricket by an Australian wicketkeeper. Ms Matthews is a well-respected voice within the Australian cricket community, with strong leadership qualities and 35 years' experience in various management, coaching and development roles within cricket, hockey and Australian rules football. After becoming CEO in 2012, Ms Matthews redefined the way WA Cricket approaches its business, introducing a strong strategic focus, commitment to community engagement, restructuring to ensure resourcing aligns with strategic objectives and managing change to ensure a successful future for the organisation. Ms Matthews also sits on the CEOs for Gender Equality Board, Youth Focus Board, the Board of Leadership WA and is the Convenor for the Champions for Change National 2021 Group (mining and construction). In addition, Ms Matthews is the WA Chapter lead for the Minerva Network, a pro bono mentoring organisation for elite female athletes; the 2022 WA Sports Administrator of the Year; and was selected in 2022 as one of WA's most influential individuals. Ms Matthews' term commenced on 21 February 2023.

Rosanna Angus is a Bardi Jawi woman from Sunday Island on Western Australia’s Dampier Peninsula and is a seasoned tour operator and owner of Oolin Sunday Island Cultural Tours. Ms Angus holds numerous qualifications including a Bachelor of Applied Science in Indigenous Community Health and Community Management, and a degree in Indigenous Health. In 2023, Ms Angus won the Top Tour Guide category in the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards, recognised for her work at Oolin Sunday Island Cultural Tours and contribution to the Tourism industry. Ms Angus was also recognized for her valued input on the Board of the Western Australian Indigenous Tourism Council (WAITOC), where she was a member from 2017 to 2023. She has also served her community as the Corporate Director of the Bardi and Jawi Prescribed Body since 2008, and as a board member of the Kooljaman Land Aboriginal Corporation since 2007.

Kristy Bailey is both the Director of Swan River Seaplanes and the Managing Director of One Eighty Marketing, where she has worked with various clients from the tourism industry. Ms Bailey has also contributed to meaningful and sustainable tourism developments in Western Australia as a Board Director on the Tourism Council of Western Australia, where she served from 2017 to May 2024. She holds a Master of Marketing and has previously been a Tourism Lecturer at Challenger Institute of Technology. Ms Bailey has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of strategic marketing, communications and PR within the tourism sector. Through this experience she has worked with all aspects of the tourism industry, including retail and wholesale travel companies, conference and cruise operators and luxury resorts.

Andrew Lane is currently on a leave of absence. He is the Western Australia Group General Manager for the Kelsian Group, Australia’s largest land and marine transport service provider with brands including SeaLink WA. Mr Lane has extensive experience in the tourism industry in Western Australia, having commenced his tourism career in 1993 with the Western Australian Tourism Commission (now operating as Tourism WA). In 1999, he established the first SeaLink WA commercial ferry service to Rottnest Island. SeaLink WA won the Gold Medal at the WA Tourism Awards in 2022, also taking home the Sir David Brand Award that year, before winning gold at the 2022 National Tourism Awards. Since 2017, Mr Lane has held previous Board member positions at the Tourism Council of Western Australia and the Rottnest Island Chamber of Commerce.

Caroline Taylor is a television presenter, communications professional and hospitality consultant with 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry. She has been passionate about tourism since her youth, having been nominated as Vice President of the Swan Valley Tourism Council at just 21 years old. Ms Taylor is a presenter on the nationally aired ‘Our State on a Plate’ and is a regular contributor to ABC Radio and 6PR, aiming to lift the profile of Western Australian farmers and producers. As a promotional Chef, Ms Taylor has featured at Perth Garden Festival, Good Food and Wine Show, WA Day, Parliament House – Canberra, Swan Valley Expo – Singapore, Gourmet Escape and the Gascoyne Food Festival. Currently, she works in a communications and administration role for Wines of Western Australia, offering additional support to the Blackwood Valley and Geographe Wine Industry Associations.

Jason Waters was appointed the Perth Airport Chief Executive Officer in 2023 and held CEO roles with the Perth Mint, Synergy and Verve Energy before taking up his current position. Mr Waters also held senior positions at Western Power as Chief Commercial Officer and has a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from Curtin University of Technology, a Diploma of Business, and attended the Harvard Business School’s Program for Leadership. Working as a mechanical engineer in his early career, Mr Waters later transitioned into corporate leadership roles. Mr Waters has over 20 years of experience in guiding companies towards strategic goals, transformative projects and a strong commitment to people and culture.

Rebecca commenced as Director General of the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation (JTSI) in September 2018. In this role, she is also Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Western Australia.  Rebecca has overseen significant changes across JTSI to position the agency as critical to advancing the State Government's key policy agendas, including growing local jobs, diversifying the state's industry base and export potential and continuing to leverage the broader research, science and innovation community to advance outcomes for Western Australia. She was appointed Acting Director General of the Department of the Premier and Cabinet from March 2020 to May 2021 to support the State Government's early response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Rebecca returned to her role as Director General of JTSI in June 2021. She has worked across both Federal and State Government agencies in a range of senior roles across revenue and economic policy, social policy, resourcing and performance. Rebecca has held senior positions at both WA Treasury and the WA Department of the Premier and Cabinet, where she oversaw key reforms between the public and non-profit community sectors. 

Steph Underwood is the Acting 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, and working with industry and government to improve access, accommodation and tourism experiences, while delivering a world-class events calendar. Steph has 10 years’ experience in the public sector in roles focusing on cross-government coordination, delivery, and continual improvement, with previous positions held at the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation, and the Department of Fire and Emergency Services. Steph is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has held volunteer board positions.

Renato is responsible for our financial and accounting services and ensuring the agency's compliance with financial matters. Renato has more than 25 years' experience working in finance-related positions within the WA Public Sector. Previous agencies include the Department of Culture and the Arts, where he held Chief Financial Officer roles at the Art Gallery of WA and the WA Museum, the Department for Planning and Infrastructure, and the Department of Racing, Gaming and Liquor. Renato joined Tourism WA in 2012 and is also currently the Chief Finance Officer for the Department of Jobs, Tourism, Science and Innovation and the Anzac Day Trust.

Scott leads the Corporate Services team which supports the agency by providing financial services, legal, risk management, human resources management, information management, ICT and procurement/contract services.  With over 25 years of broad international management and leadership experience across both the public and private sectors, Scott has joined the agency on secondment from the Department of Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety where he has led functions including business innovation, licensing services and regulatory reform.

Melissa and her team focus on implementing our marketing strategy in Australia and our key international markets, leading the WA tourism brand strategy and the development and implementation of destination marketing campaigns.  The division oversees trade partnerships, media buying, brand and creative, digital platforms, data strategy, social content, public relations, and familiarisations, and management of Tourism WA’s 11 global marketing offices.  Melissa has nearly 20 years of brand and marketing experience, leading teams across the government, hospitality and travel sectors, including destination marketing projects at the City of Perth, and overseeing public relations at Voyages Hotels and Resorts, based at Ayers Rock. 

Anna leads the Tourism WA Events division, which develops, sponsors, markets and promotes a diverse calendar of sporting, cultural, arts and culinary events that showcase Western Australia and give visitors a time-specific reason to visit the state. This includes support for major and regional events through the Tourism WA Major Events Fund, Regional Events Program and Regional Events Scheme. Anna joined Tourism WA in 2021, with over a decade of experience in partnerships, media and communications, having worked internationally in London and in Melbourne and Perth. Most recently, Anna managed the Corporate Partnerships team at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne.

Renata leads the Destination Development division, which focuses on the supply-side of tourism, working with the public and private sectors to encourage the development of incredible tourism experiences and destinations that create memorable holidays. The division is responsible for Aboriginal tourism, workforce development, cruise tourism attraction, policy and planning and destination development, and includes a case management team to help significant private sector developments navigate planning approvals. Renata has around 30 years' experience in the tourism industry working in visitor servicing, marketing and destination development.  She is a past CEO of Australia’s Golden Outback regional tourism organisation, interim CEO of the WA Indigenous Tourism Operators Council, and was Tourism Policy Advisor for former State Tourism Ministers. She joined Tourism WA in 2009.

Hannah has been in the public sector for more than 15 years and joins us from the Department of Premier and Cabinet, where she was the Executive Manager for Aboriginal Engagement for more than two years. Hannah has had many roles in her career, including within the Department of Communities, the Department of Justice (working in the Commissioner of Corrective Services' office), and working for the Standing Committee on Estimates and Financial Operations at Parliament House. Hannah has a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and Public Relations, and brings a great wealth of experience in Ministerial processes and protocol, governance, and budget management to the agency.

Kate leads the Corporate Communications team within the broader Strategy and Engagement division. The Corporate Communications team is responsible for promoting the work of the agency to the WA tourism industry, domestic news media and the wider community. The team focuses on strategic communications, media relations, speech writing, digital communications and print publications, as well as internal communications and events for the agency. Kate has more than a decade of media and communications experience across a range of diverse industries including journalism, business, industry advocacy and local government, with more than five years’ experience in the Australian tourism sector, having joined Tourism WA in 2022 after working for Tourism Australia.