NTIA Custodians

The NTIA Custodians represent different segments of the travel industry. They will be involved as advisors in lending their expertise and skills to inform the NTIA Awards Program, including categories, questions and overall judging process. This input will allow ATIA to preserve the integrity of the NTIAs while continuing to evolve the process of recognising and rewarding excellence in Australia's travel sector.

	Retail Agency - Ann-Catherine Jones, The Little Travel Boutique After twenty-five years as a frontline advisor and business leader for a large travel company, Anne-Catherine had developed such a spectacular client list of movers and shakers, that she was compelled to open her own business, The Little Travel Boutique. Her consultancy focuses solely on crafting clients’ travel plans with the support of the SmartFlyer Australia platform to further deepen her connections within the industry.

	Corporate - Barbara Whitten, Managing Director, Anywhere Travel Barbara is an established and respected veteran of the travel industry, and a key member of various professional bodies and affiliations. For 45 years, she has been the driving force of the development of Anywhere Travel. She has a vast network of contacts and an extensive knowledge of the workings of the travel industry. Her ‘one stop shop’ approach guarantees exceptional attention to detail and personalised handling of every customer’s travel plans.

	Online Travel Agency - Tony Gothard, Chief Commercial Officer, Luxury Escapes A sales, revenue & distribution and marketing professional, Tony Gothard is a certified online travel guru with many years’ experience in the industry. He was drawn to this career path when he decided to follow his passion for tourism as a student, and has since developed an impressive portfolio in both international and domestic tourism. As CCO at Luxury Escapes, Tony’s vision is centred on developing and driving a sales growth strategy and setting the direction and plan for a differentiated and sustainable value proposition.

	Retail Agency - Jean Summers, Director of Product and Marketing, HR and Recruitment, GlobeNet Travel / Clean Cruising A travel industry veteran of 25 years, Jean experienced first-hand the difficulties college graduates face in landing their first job in Tourism. Jean’s solution is the Globonet Travel/ Clean Cruising graduate program, which has transformed jobseekers into accomplished consultants and won national recognition. In addition to fostering a culture of excellence at Clean Cruising, Jean also oversees the marketing, procurement and contracting of all Cruise, Land and Air products.

	Supplier - Cruise / Air - Damian Borg, Director of Sales Strategy & Operations Asia Pacific, Norwegian Cruise Line Damian Borg is the Director of Sales Strategy & Operations Asia Pacific for Norwegian Cruise Line, successfully managing the overall commercial strategy and trade partnerships while guiding the brand through the last 5 years. Over the last three decades Damian has held senior roles within the travel industry at APT, Globus Family of Brands, Club Med and Virgin Australia. Damian and his team of talented sales professionals continue to deliver significant growth for NCL as they implement winning strategies to ensure the company and its partners capitalise on the post pandemic resurgence in cruise travel.

	Tour Operator - Dick Webster, Co-Founder, Journey Earth Born and raised on an outback sheep and cattle station near Goondiwindi in Queensland, Dick then spent 20 years in Sydney, leading American and Asian global commodity teams. World travel brought to Dick an expanded perspective on the importance of sharing culture, and of having local support in your country of destination. Dick is a self-confessed people person and thrives on hand-crafting itineraries for his clients, which combine the iconic highlights of his magnificent country and its neighbours, with unique local experiences and personal recommendations.

	Wholesaler - Chris Fundell, Head of Marketing – Australasia, Globus Family of Brands Chris Fundell is a well-known figure in the travel industry with more than 25 years of travel marketing experience in the UK and across Australasia. Chris has worked for small independent and large multi-national travel companies, which has allowed him the knowledge and confidence to be innovative and bold with his marketing campaigns in his current role at the Globus family of brands. Working across leading tour operators - Globus, Cosmos and Avalon Waterways - Chris is a firm believer that the travel industry must develop with the ever changing needs of the consumers - brands must transition to a multi-faceted approach that integrates retail environments as well engaging branded content through to the consumer. Chris has played a major role in taking Globus family of brands’ marketing from a traditional structure and delivery to a data driven, customer-centric environment. As Head of Marketing for Australasia, implementing long term strategies to increase brand awareness and engagement, whilst delivering short and long term growth, has been one of Chris’ achievements to date.