2024 Brolga Awards independent judging panel

Chair of Judges 

Jodie Summers
Jodie is a descendant of the Mamu people of the Innisfail region in Queensland and has lived in Alice Springs for 25 years. Life in the Northern Territory has offered a rewarding career in senior leadership positions across several industries including tourism and hospitality and the not-for-profit sector. Most recently Jodie has worked in local government and is now the Associate Vice-Chancellor Central Australia for Charles Darwin University. 

Auditor 

Suzanne Archbold 
Suzanne Archbold is the Managing Director of Advisory HQ Pty Ltd and has been auditor of the Brolga Awards since 2014. Suzanne was born and raised in Darwin and has spent her professional career providing accounting, taxation and advisory services to her clients across the Northern Territory in all sectors, including the tourism and hospitality industry.

Abbie Northwood 
Abbie is the Director of The Aware Advisors, a Darwin based advisory firm focused on delivering meaningful tourism engagements. Abbie is a tourism specialist with a particular passion for Aboriginal business and experience development. As a highly skilled tourism professional, Abbie has experience working in all areas of the industry, including Manager of an iconic Melbourne tourist attraction, business events, destination management, trade, and marketing. Since moving to the NT Abbie has focused her skills on assisting tourism businesses and organisations develop and delivering NT wide tourism strategies and projects.

Claire George 
Claire is an experienced senior public servant with expertise in economic development, investment attraction and project facilitation.  Claire an Executive Director in the Northern Territory Government’s Investment Territory team and is responsible for facilitating the development of significant private sector investment projects that will help deliver the Territory’s economic growth goals. Prior to this, Claire held roles in both the Northern Territory and Australian public service focused on the development of a range of industries.
Claire holds a Batchelor of Business, a Graduate Certificate in Online Marketing and a Masters of Marketing.  She is also a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. In her spare time, Claire volunteers for multiple roles focused at growing participation in the awesome sport of rope skipping; a sport in which her children have represented Australia.

Claire McCollum
Claire is Tourism Tribe’s Coach and Digital Strategist. She has extensive experience in the tourism industry working for tour and accommodation operators in guiding and marketing roles and now provides confidence and capability building to tourism operators through training and coaching. A major part of Claire’s role is to work with clients to develop content marketing strategies, blog updates and social media plans. Claire is well-travelled, exploring both foreign destinations and various regions within Australia, residing in all states except South Australia and Tasmania. 

Daniel Hall 
Daniel started his career as a newspaper journalist, working for titles including the Australian Financial Review and Business Review Weekly. He has worked for the Queensland, Northern Territory and Commonwealth governments in a range of senior policy, external relations and corporate communications roles. Daniel is the Northern Territory lead for the Australian Government's international trade promotion and investment attraction agency, Austrade.

Fionn Griffin 
Fionn Griffin is the Managing Director of Remote Strategy Plus, a majority Aboriginal-owned consulting business set up in 2020, owned by Fionn and her husband Darryl Griffin. She is also a Director of Centred Solutions, a separate consulting business set up in 2021.. Fionn is a long term Central Australian resident, with many years of experience in senior roles across all levels of Government, non-government, not-for-profit and private sectors. As a consultant she has worked across multiple sectors with diverse stakeholder groups, leading complex projects, crisis management and organisational reviews. Fionn’s passion is working with Aboriginal businesses and communities, supporting them to identify priorities and areas for growth and improvement, and then developing and guiding realistic and sustainable approaches for implementation.

Gaby Bennett 
As a Principal Mentor for Remote Schools with the Northern Territory Department of Education, Gaby is dedicated to enhancing educational outcomes for students across Central Australia. With experience in educational leadership and a deep commitment to remote and Indigenous communities, Gaby plays a pivotal role in supporting and guiding principals in remote schools. By focusing on tailored development, innovative improvement strategies, and community engagement, Gaby aims to bridge educational gaps and foster a supportive learning environment. Her work ensures that remote students in the region receive quality education and opportunities for success, reflecting a steadfast dedication to improving educational equity and excellence in Central Australia. 

Grant Whan
Grant boasts over 35 years of tourism experience in Central Australia, including 22 years in commercial business management. At 19, he started his own tour operation in Alice Springs and for the past 15 years, he has worked in tourism business advisory and industry development roles with Tourism NT and the Department of Business. For the last 8 years, Grant has been a Business Mentor at the Business Enterprise Centre NT. He has written multiple winning Brolga submissions and in 2019 was the proud recipient of the George Dunne Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual. He served 12 years on the Tourism Central Australia Board and currently sits on the NT Chamber of Commerce's Regional Committee for Central Australia.

Ingrid Stonhill 
Ingrid Stonhill grew up in New Zealand and has lived in Fiji, England (London), and the U.S.A. (California). She has worked in and visited Australia numerous times but immigrated permanently to Australia in 2008 and in 2017 she moved to the Northern Territory where she was immersed in the Top End experience, spending four years in remote Maningrida in West Arnhem Land. There as CEO of the Bawinanga Aboriginal Corporation she helped develop industry, cafes, cultural experiences, and a fashion scene. Ingrid is now CEO of Katherine Town Council, which oversees the only council-run Visitor Information Centre and the only civil regional airport within a defence base in the NT. Ingrid is experienced in transformation and economic development.

Jake Quinlivan
Jake’s diverse work history in the NT across two decades makes him one of the Territory’s most valuable regional advocates with his extensive knowledge of people, place and culture.  Currently based in Katherine, Jake is actively involved in tourism drivers for the region, including as a member of the Nitmiluk National Park and Nitmiluk Tours boards. A former Director of the Katherine Regional Cultural Precinct and a seasoned Brolga Awards judge, Jake’s experience provides a valuable contribution to the panel.

Jordan Tuit 
With over 15 years of experience in the superannuation and financial advice sectors, Jordan is dedicated to providing comprehensive financial advice and education. As Territory Manager at Hostplus, a profit to member industry super fund with 1.9 million members and $116 Billion Funds Under Management, she oversees a portfolio of 70 NT employers across various industries and regions, supporting the financial well-being of more than 34,000 members. Armed with a double degree in Business (Finance and Management) from the University of South Australia, an Advanced Diploma of Financial Planning, accreditation as an Aged Care Specialist, and a financial planning licence, Jordan is all about making financial futures brighter and better for Territorians.

Kathryn Stenson
Kathryn has been the Chief Executive Officer of GTNT Group for over 13 years. Kathryn’s passion for empowering people through employment and training has seen the organisation develop in many different directions to become a holistic provider of both fundamentals. Kathryn works to bring the unique Northern Territory perspective to the national stage through her Board positions on the NAAA, NAEN, AENQLDNT and YouthWorX NT.

Liz Ward 
Liz has over 25 years’ experience specialising in marketing and technology for tourism, blending her knowledge and expertise for the benefit of regions across Australia and the world. She is an innovator and creator of break-through strategies, including creating Queensland’s first destination websites and starting up the Australian Tourism Data Warehouse and being its CEO for over ten years.  Liz is co-founder of the award-winning online learning platform TourismTribe.com, helping thousands of tourism operators to navigate the quickly changing digital marketing environment.

Lydia Gresham
Lydia is Fiji born, residing and calling Alice Springs home for 15 years. Lydia has worked across a number of industries throughout the years; hotel industry in Victoria and NT and the not-for profit sectors; World Vision and YMCA; and is an advocate for women and children who have experienced sexual assault. Lydia has for the past 8 years worked for the NT Parks & Wildlife Commission. Lydia is also a passionate competitive bodybuilder when she is not juggling work and kids. 

Megan Aston
Megan's love of travel and a last-minute holiday to the NT has led to an exciting and rewarding career in tourism. Her experience covers a variety of roles domestically and abroad, covering group touring, operations, business development, mentorship and training. Megan is a Tourism Lecturer at Charles Darwin University in Alice Springs.

Molly Dobbins 
Having completed a dual degree in Business Management and International Hotel and Tourism Management, Molly’s enthusiasm for tourism ignited at a young age. With a deep passion for the ever-evolving tourism industry, Molly currently works as a Travel Administrator at Fun Over 50 Holidays. Her role allows her to blend her passion for business, with her love for travel and crafting memorable experiences for guests. Her commitment to enhancing the tourism sector is evident in her proactive approach to finding new opportunities, driving success for emerging ventures and bringing to light topics that affect the industry.

Molly Upstill 
Molly is a successful podcaster and MC who moved to the Territory in 2016 as a newspaper journalist with the NT News and more recently, was the General Manager of the Darwin City Retailers Association. Her role was to advocate for the health and vibrancy of Darwin’s CBD, working with major stakeholders to ensure Darwin is an enjoyable, safe, and vibrant shopping and dining destination for tourists and locals alike. 

Nicole Battle 
Originally from Victoria, Nicole has spent the last 2 years in Alice Springs working as the Director for Community Development within the Alice Springs Town Council. Previous to this Nicole spent 12 years working across various local government councils and not-for-profits organisations, working alongside refugees, asylum seekers and survivors of gender-based violence.  Nicole holds an undergraduate degree in Social Work, a Masters Degree in Public Policy and Management and is currently undertaking a PhD in Community Governance. Nicole is committed to her new home of Alice Springs and values the important role that tourism plays in ensuring that all Australians have the opportunity to come and experience it for themselves.

Sarah Andrews 
With over 10 years at Hospitality NT, Sarah has been a leading advocate for the Northern Territory’s hospitality and tourism sectors. She specialises in guiding businesses through complex compliance requirements, creating practical resources, and managing stakeholder engagement, government relations, funding grants, and media. Her expertise extends to international migration delegations and strategic communications, including weekly e-newsletters and annual reports. Sarah drives professional development through Hospitality NT’s Upskill and Development Fund, enabling staff to excel with accredited industry training. A born and bred Territorian who loves the outdoors, sports and our amazing NT lifestyle!

Tracey Diddams 
Tracey has worked in the tourism industry for the past 25 years. Starting her tourism journey as a Central Australian tour guide with Adventure Tours Australia and later become the South Australian Assistant Business Manager, Yulara and Kings Canyon Operations Manager and Tasmanian Regional Business Manager. Tracey then moved into the public sector spending five years as the Tourism and Visitor Services Manager for Kakadu National Park. Over the past seven years, Tracey has worked as the Director for her own tourism, business and strategic communications consultancy, an Independent Auditor for Ecotourism Australia and a Senior Consultant with TRC Tourism. Now based in Mpartnwe/Alice Springs with TRC Tourism, Tracey works closely on a range of projects across the NT and beyond, specialising in strategic planning, business planning and Aboriginal tourism.