Our team

Paul Victory

Paul Victory is the Interim Chief Executive Officer of the Future Tourism CRC. Paul has worked in a variety of professional tourism roles across Australia and has 20 years of experience with ASX-Listed Kelsian Group (SeaLink) including 10 years as General Manager on SeaLink’s Executive team. He was awarded the 2017 Richard Power Award for Outstanding Contribution to the tourism industry of North Queensland and is also Chairman of the Underwater Art Museum in Townsville, Queensland.

Prof Kirsten Holmes

Kirsten Holmes is Professor of Tourism at Curtin University and also Immediate Past Chair of the Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education, which represents institutions that teach and research tourism, hospitality and events in Australia and New Zealand. An experienced project manager with over 20 years’ experience delivering outcomes for industry, government and the community, Kirsten’s expertise is in events and festivals - both large scale mega events and smaller community events; and issues related to sustainability, event volunteer programs and event legacies.

Professor Kirsten Holmes is the Research Chair of the Future Tourism CRC.

Prof Billy Sung

Dr Billy Sung is a Professor at the School of Management and Marketing, Curtin University. He specialises in digital marketing and consumer psychology, consulting for many local, international, and multinational industry partners. His research to date has been based on the study of emotion and the application of psychophysiological methodology in multiple disciplines including psychology, marketing, tourism, health, nursing, and robotics. He also leads the Consumer Research Lab at Curtin University, which specialise in the use biometric measures such as eye tracking, facial expression, and brainwave analyses to conduct consumer research.

Professor Billy Sung is the Lead for Research Program 1: Data Futures

Prof Siggi Gudergan

Siggi Gudergan is known for his work on business innovation, transformation and performance, an area of expertise that he leads as Professor of Strategy within James Cook University in Australia. He also is a Visiting Distinguished Professor at Aalto University in Finland, Visiting Professor at Vienna University of Economics and Business (WU Wien) in Austria, and Emeritus Professor at the University of Waikato in New Zealand. He holds various board and professional roles, and has consulted to or worked with a broad range of organisations, from start-ups to large multinational companies. He research has been published in leading management, marketing and tourism journals.

Professor Siggi Gudergan is the Co-Lead for Research Program 2: Regenerative Futures

Dr Gareth Butler

Gareth Butler is a Senior Lecturer in Tourism and Events with a background in Human Geography. His research interests include sustainable tourism development, community engagement strategies, the impacts of tourism development in regional areas, and tourist mobilities. Prior to his role at Flinders University, Gareth worked for universities in the UK, Malaysia and South Africa. Gareth has also worked in collaboration with a range of public stakeholders on tourism projects, including South Africa National Parks, the Department for Environment and Water (DEW), and the Department of Industry, Science and Resources. He is a Senior Research Affiliate at the University of Johannesburg and currently serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Heritage Tourism.

Dr Gareth Butler is the Co-Lead for Research Program 2: Regenerative Futures

Prof Naomi Dale

Dr Naomi Dale is a Professor of Management in the Faculty of Business, Government and Law at the University of Canberra. She is CEO of the Canberra Region Tourism Industry Council, co-ordinator of the Visitor Research Forum and a mentor for the Indigenous Marathon Foundation. Naomi’s research incorporates the specific areas of Indigenous tourism, educational tourism, policy impacts of curriculum, and visitor research and evaluation at cultural institutions and national capital attractions. Emerging research interests are in the application of social media, and strategies for engagement through e-platforms (in teaching, tourism and events). Other key areas are around sustainability, service channels, consumer behaviour and marketing.

Professor Naomi Dale is the Co-Lead for Research Program 3: Competitive Futures

Prof Sarah Gardiner

Dr Sarah Gardiner has over 25 years of experience in the tourism industry and a PhD in Marketing. She is the Director of the Griffith Institute for Tourism and a Professor in Tourism at Griffith University. She is an expert in travel consumer behaviour, travel trends, experience design and innovation. She regularly delivers presentations, consultancies and training for government and industry in these areas and has published in leading tourism journals. She is often asked to provide expert comments to the media on tourism issues and thought-leadership to government and industry.

Professor Sarah Gardiner is the Co-Lead for Research Program 3: Competitive Futures