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New Chair and Vice Chair for ATIA

The ATIA board has elected Christian Hunter as Chair, and Laura Ruffles has been elected Vice Chair alongside Graham Turner, who is returning as Vice Chair.

QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO INCOMING ATIA CHAIR CHRISTIAN HUNTER:

“It is a great honour and privilege to be elected as ATIA’s Chair and lead such an esteemed Board. I’d like to acknowledge outgoing Chair, Tom Manwaring, for his outstanding leadership throughout some extremely challenging circumstances.”
 
“Tom’s dedication and vision have left an indelible mark on the ATIA and the broader Travel industry. We extend our deepest gratitude to Tom for his exceptional service and leadership. His contributions have been invaluable, and his impact will be felt for many years to come.”
 
“We are delighted to have such passionate and experienced industry leaders in the form of Brett, Gai, and Rohan join the Board. Our new Directors all love the industry and are eager to share their expertise and contribute.”
 
“While we’re proud of our successful first 12 months as ATIA, I’m excited about what our new Board will deliver for Members moving forward.”
 
“Our new Directors bring their experiences from decades working in travel across different sectors, and each reflects the vibrant mix of businesses that form our Membership base. While we are proud of our Member retention, we’re hitting the ground running, united in our aim to further support members by continuing to elevate our engagement and advocacy work.”
 
QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO INCOMING ATIA VICE CHAIR LAURA RUFFLES:
“It’s my immense privilege to represent our strong and tight-knit Member community as Vice Chair of such an impactful industry body in ATIA.”
 
“ATIA Members are a dynamic mix of incredibly talented, experienced, and innovative individuals and travel businesses that power a vitally important economic ecosystem for Australia and work hard every day to provide essential and professional services for all Australian travellers.”
 
“I’m passionate about inspiring the next generation and igniting interest in travel careers. This industry has provided me with some incredible opportunities as a working mum, and I am committed to raising awareness around the life-changing experiences you can have in travel.”
 
“My goal is to continue ensuring all ATIA stakeholders shape the work we do in maintaining a unified front to best serve the needs of our industry and membership base. This approach secures our future by reinforcing ATIA’s position as the trusted industry body that is able to hold itself accountable to the highest standards — both for consumers and our loyal members.”
 
QUOTES ATTRIBUTABLE TO ATIA VICE CHAIR GRAHAM TURNER:
“Working with Christian, Laura, and my fellow ATIA Directors to shape the strategic direction of the Board is my first priority as we continue to set our Member businesses up for success.”  
 
“My belief has always been that working together for the good of the Travel Industry benefits everyone — from intermediaries to operators, inbound, outbound, and domestically.”
 
“I will continue identifying where Member businesses are facing challenges and working together with my industry peers to secure the future prosperity of the Australian travel sector. Having a united peak industry body in ATIA is crucial to deliver maximum benefits for Members, the wider industry, and the travelling public in terms of choice, quality of service, and price.”