Board nominations 2024

My passion, energy, and deep cultural understanding of our region are unwavering. I am committed to actively advocating for all it offers and will continue to do so enthusiastically.

With over 35 years in travel, tourism, and hospitality, including 17 years in the airline industry, I have built extensive relationships across local, national, and international tourism sectors. I have worked across retail, wholesale, and global corporate travel, managing portfolios such as mining and the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

As a local tourism business owner, I have cultivated strong connections with stakeholders, including wineries, microbreweries, distilleries, and artisan producers. I am proud to have successfully facilitated partnerships for local producers with major venues like the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre and Day on the Green.

I believe in positioning our region as a world-class destination by fostering collaboration, including promoting Avalon International Airport in destination packages.

My involvement with the Young Tourism Network (YTN), securing Intrepid Travel as a partner, and mentoring students at William Angliss, Vic Uni, and The Gordon TAFE demonstrate my commitment to developing future tourism leaders.

I am confident my experience, skills, and passion will significantly contribute to the board’s success and benefit our tourism industry.

With over 20 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry, I have become an accomplished, curious, empathetic, and results-driven leader. I have led teams, operations, and strategies to deliver outstanding results to all business stakeholders.

I am skilled in establishing and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the success of the business and initiatives. Throughout my life journey, I have advocated for sustainable tourism practices that protect natural resources, minimize ecological impact and promote programs that educate tourists and locals about responsible tourism practices and conservation efforts.

I am passionate about establishing connections with local businesses, government agencies, and non-profits to foster a unified approach to tourism development, ensuring that diverse community voices are represented in tourism planning and decision-making. Being a tourism board member allows me to contribute to a thriving, sustainable tourism industry that prioritizes community well-being and delivers measurable success. My leadership experience, strategic vision, community focus, and commitment to excellence make me an ideal candidate for this important role.

Helen Meikle is the Founder and Director of the Artisans of Australia gallery and restaurant, situated in Curlewis on the Bellarine Peninsula. Since 2019, she has been a resident and entrepreneur in the Bellarine, fuelled by a desire to enhance tourism through collaboration and connection with both residents and visitors. Prior to her move to Australia in 2011, Helen worked at the House of Commons in the UK, where she assisted Members of Parliament with planning-focused research. She was subsequently recruited by Deakin University as part of the Vision 2 Geelong redevelopment initiative.

Helen holds a BSc Psychology (Hons) and a MSc Community Development. Her extensive experience traverses hospitality, healthcare, education, and most recently, the arts sector. Helen established the Bellarine Peninsula Arts Association Inc. in 2022, formed a committee, and coordinates the highly successful annual North Bellarine Arts Trail.

Eager to promote tourism in the region, Helen is particularly interested in collaborative opportunities, cross sector networking, and promoting The Bellarine region to a wider Australian audience; and seeks to create opportunities for direct connections between artists, the hospitality industry, and local producers.

She believes that simple problems require straightforward solutions, achievable through effective communication, honesty and collaboration.

Having worked in the accommodation sector for over 25 years, and with a passion for tourism, I believe I can bring valuable insights, ideas and industry knowledge to the TGGB board.

My role as GM with Rydges Geelong over the last 4 years has given me the opportunity to understand the social, environmental and financial impacts of tourism and recognize the demand drivers unique to our region.

I have a strong background in inbound sales having worked as National Manager-Inbound, across AU & NZ. This involved working with key stakeholders, ITO’s and state tourism bodies to deliver mutually beneficial partnerships. I have experience in corporate travel, MICE and revenue management. I have coordinated multiple famils and trade shows, including ATE & TreNZ.

I hold a Bachelor of Commerce and was involved in the education industry as a tutor for Griffith University’s Bachelor of Tourism – developing the next generation of tourism professionals is a role that I feel very grateful to have been involved with.

With my knowledge of the tourism industry, and strategic sales background, I believe I am a strong candidate for this position, and I would be delighted to work alongside TGGB advocating for our region.

I have over 20 years of public service experience including the delivery of projects relating to community and tourism outcomes. I possess strong existing multi-sector networks and the ability to leverage relationships to support the work of the Board and to successfully achieve its organisational outcomes. I bring a reputation for successful collaboration, brokering and partnership development including with Traditional Owners.
Excelling in facilitating prosperous communities through driving community connectedness.

Throughout my career, my accomplishments have occurred in highly complex and challenging environments and exemplify my values-based leadership and my strong people management skills, along with my ability to influence and show initiative.

QUALIFICATIONS AND TRAINING
Certificate of Governance and Risk Management-Governance Institute of Australia
Graduate Certificate in Business-AIB
Ethical Cities- RMIT
Prosperity Beyond GDP-University College, London
Performance Measurement in Government-ANZOG
Strategy and Collaboration in the Public Sector -ANZSOG
IAP2 Community Engagement Training
IAP2 Standing in the Fire – Transforming Conflict Through Collaboration
DeBono Six Hats and Thinking Systems Facilitators Training
Strategic Leadership Program
Effective Strategic Planning

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Current member, Queenscliffe Maritime Museum
Served as a Local Government Councilor and Mayor ( 1990 – 1999)
Queenscliff Music Festival inaugural Board member
Osbourne Park Association – Member (past)

While undertaking a Bachelor of Commerce here in Geelong at Deakin University, I fell in love with the hospitality industry and started working in our local restaurant and wine scene. After completing the degree, I gained experience across many facets of our industry from working in service and management roles based in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and London. Since returning to Geelong a decade ago, I’ve launched and operated (then sold) successful hospitality venues, first with CENTRA in 2015, and then Westend in 2019.

After opening CENTRA in old run-down pub, the venue received numerous accolades including ‘Pub of Year’ in 2017 (state winner) and I was named ‘Young Restaurateur of Year’ (national winner) in 2018, amongst other favourable reviews in The Age Good Food Guide, The Australian, and Herald Sun. I established many community connections during my tenure here, as I started to building strong relationships with hospitality organisations like Wine Geelong, Tourism Geelong and Bellarine, Business Events Victoria, The Gordon, and The Geelong Wine and Food Society (as well as local industry events like Tastes of Central Geelong and The Geelong Wine Show)

Launching a new venue (Westend) just prior to the pandemic proved challenging, but thankfully was able to survive this period and see the business grow. During this time, I was twice named as finalist in the ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ category of the Geelong Business Awards, and was chair of the ‘Little Malop Street Trader’s Association ‘ which help look after the combined interested of business owners in that precinct. Seeing this business develop and survive through the pandemic remains my proudest achievement to date.

Currently, I work with Deakin University’s hospitality arm, whilst also enjoying being part of the small team at Brae Restaurant in Birregurra (3 Hats and our country’s ‘Regional restaurant of the Year’).  I’m passionate about seeing our local hospitality and tourism industry thrive, and do my best to promote Geelong venues and events through my weekly column, ‘The Geelong Palate’, that I write for the Times News Group.  I am also invested in the care and development our boarder community, sitting on the board of Hope Bereavement Care, as well as helping fundraise for some smaller organisations.

I have extensive experience spanning 16 years in business development, communications and brand management, stakeholder relations, partnership and membership growth, domestic and international marketing, industry development, business and leisure events marketing. Including ten years experience in a strategic senior leadership position within Tourism Greater Geelong and The Bellarine. During this time, I held the position of Business Events & International Manager.

Throughout my career I have worked successfully in a number of large hotels, including high-profile international hotel chains across Australia. I am currently the Director of Sales & Marketing for Bayside Geelong Hotel and Apartments.

I hold a Master of Marketing obtained from Deakin University completed in 2020 and have extensive experience on boards and committees, including;

1. Four consecutive years, I held the position of Chairman of Business Events Victoria, a $1.7m state government-funded Regional Victoria Events Program.

2. Past member of the Visitor Economy Recovery Taskforce, a group of key industry leaders from across Victoria convened by the Victorian Tourism Industry Council (VTIC) in 2020 to articulate the needs of the sector.

3. Past member of the newly formed VTIC Events Sector Roundtable committee.

4. Victorian Branch Committee member for Meetings Events Australia.