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Tourism Dunedin launches new look team
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
The new face of Tourism Dunedin launched this week, with the appointment of four key roles to the team that takes Dunedin to the world. CEO, Hamish Saxton says the restructure is a response to opportunities in the marketplace and shows Dunedin is stepping up to meet new demands in the visitor economy.
Read ODT news story here
“Terrific opportunities have arisen out of the development of the new Forsyth Barr Stadium, the growth of the Chinese visitor market, advancement in digital technologies including web and mobile applications, and also as a result of the Christchurch earthquake.I am really excited about our enthusiastic, positive and experienced team who will be focused on building our vision for the visitor economy in Dunedin. The team will be sharing it’s enthusiasm with the wider tourism industry, and is eager to place Dunedin firmly on the map with exciting initiatives planned for the future.”
The new employees join the existing Tourism Dunedin team of Hamish Saxton, Josh Jenkins and Suzanne Arthur.
Justin Cashell has been appointed to the role of tactical branding and marketing at Tourism Dunedin, bringing to the team his comprehensive set of strategising and branding skills from his eleven years experience in marketing and communications. Justin was the publications manager for the Marketing and Communications division at the University of Otago, and was primarily responsible for the major flagship undergraduate publications, brand development and strategy, and managed the extensive image library. Justin has lived with his young family in Dunedin for 15 years, has a passion for photography and imagery and enjoys the experiences that travelling within New Zealand and globally provides. He is also the co-founder of the recently launched ‘38mm’ table tennis club which proudly holds this seasons regional championship title.
Bree Jones is in charge of business tourism events and development with Tourism Dunedin. Bree has moved into this new role after recently holding the position of Marketing Coordinator for Rugby World Cup at Tourism Dunedin, which provided her with many new contacts and business opportunities within the tourism industry. Prior to this she was sales manager at Rydges Christchurch and also spent four years as business development executive responsible for the management of meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) for the Hotel Grand Chancellor, which was the largest in-house conference facility in the South Island. Bree has returned to Dunedin to live with her partner, and is an avid domestic and national cricket supporter, with a reignited passion for rugby after working with the Rugby World Cup event.
Long-time tourism industry member, Gil Abercrombie has taken the position of travel trade sales and marketing at Tourism Dunedin. Gil has recently relocated to Dunedin after spending time working with All Ways Pacific Travel based in the UK as Operations Manager. After many years in the in-bound industry with THL Marketing/Southern World Vacations, and Tourmasters, Gil is looking forward to utilising her background in product development, tour operations and sales and marketing to provide and expand the knowledge of Dunedin amongst the international and domestic travel trade. With steadfast commitment to her much-loved Crusaders rugby team, Gil is trying to work out how she can share her loyalties with the Highlanders, but the new Forsyth-Barr Stadium is proving to tip the balance!
Sharon O’Loughlin has been appointed to the role of public relations and communications for Tourism Dunedin. Sharon has worked in the public relations and communications domain for the past six years, managing relationships with, and promoting New Zealand brands to national and international media. Sharon looks forward to delivering Dunedin’s unique stories to the media and our visitors . Bringing to the team experience from the fashion and IT industries she is delighted to be returning to the travel and tourism industry after many years away. Sharon recently relocated with her family to Dunedin and is greatly enjoying being part of the team that promotes the wonderful city that she now lives in. A passionate and vociferous supporter New Zealand designers and the arts in our community, Sharon is a great admirer of Dunedin’s enviable heritage and remarkable landscapes.
