On Tuesday, 22 November the official Board of Directors were formally sworn-in at the Meetings and Events Australia (MEA) AGM held in Tasmania.
As the decision makers for management, strategy and the direction of MEA’s business plans the Board is the foundation for building and strengthening the organisation in the events industry.
“We are delighted to welcome the Board of Directors to MEA and with such a wealth of knowledge and experience in the events industry we look forward to a prosperous 2012,” proclaimed Linda Gaunt, Chief Executive Officer of Meetings & Events Australia.
2012 Board of Directors
- Rhona Walker AFMEA, Managing Director - Solution RED – Chair of the Board
- Simon Baggs AFMEA, CEO & Creative Director - Lateral Marketing and Management Pty Ltd – Vice Chair
- Phil Holmes AMM, AFMEA, Director - Convention Wise Pty Ltd – Treasurer
- Anne Jamieson, Director of Sales and Marketing – Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
- Susan Ryman-Kiernan AFMEA, Managing Director – Wise Connections
The new directors have strong strategic experience and practical know-how in the events industry, with a combined background encompassing venues, event management, AV, hospitality and marketing.
Rhona Walker comes to MEA as Chair of the Board with a strong events background and over 20 years of experience in the hospitality and venue environment. Rhona is the owner operator of Solution RED and Avantage, a TAFE mentor for students entering the meetings and events industry, and was named Industry Person of the Year, Asia Pacific in 2009.
“MEA is all about providing excellence and professionalism in events and giving the people involved in the industry an opportunity to be part of a wider business community. I am thrilled to be reappointed Chair of the Board and look forward to implementing new and existing strategies which will benefit MEA members and the events industry,” shared Rhona.
Simon Baggs, MEA Vice Chair, brings over 25 years of experience in upscale event management, working with corporates, prestigious brands and prominent public events.
“The CEO, staff, board and elected council of MEA are an extremely driven, capable and passionate group of professionals, and it is my pleasure to work as a part of the team to realise MEA’s goals. The results of all the hard work MEA has undertaken over the last few years are about to come to fruition, so I am excited about the year ahead,” said Simon.
Linda Gaunt commented, “2012 is going to be a challenging year for us all and we look forward to grasping the opportunities to benefit all our members in the meetings and events industry.”
Board members are elected for a two year term, with a number of positions being vacated each year on rotation.
The MEA Electoral Council which consists of representatives from each state/territory and member elected representatives, chooses the board members from amongst its ranks.
