Jan Fitzgerald has been elected chair of Destination Gippsland.
Ms Fitzgerald succeeds Nick Murray, who retired from the board after serving a three-year term as chair.
Despite a challenging environment for the visitor economy, 2021/22 was a year of achievement for Destination Gippsland.
During the past 12 months, it was awarded Gold in the Victorian Tourism Awards and the Australian Tourism Awards for Destination Marketing, and won the prestigious Australian Marketing Institute National Award for Brand Revitalisation.
During 2022, Gippsland showed strong signs of recovery by attracting the most visitors of any region in Victoria, and expenditure hit an all-time high with more than $1.5 billion spent by visitors.
Ms Fitzgerald, who was elected chair of Destination Gippsland at its recent annual meeting, has been the chair of the Destination Gippsland audit, risk, finance and governance committee, and is an experienced executive leader and non-executive director.
She has diverse experience across corporate, not-for-profit and government sectors, with particular skills in governance, strategy, sustainability, finance and retail.
Ms Fitzgerland is also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and CPA Australia.
“I have a long connection to Gippsland through family, work and holidays, and am a frequent visitor to beautiful Metung where I have a small property,” she said.
“I am passionate about the opportunity to make a difference in the lives and livelihoods of the people of Gippsland.
“I want to thank the board for their support in electing me, and look forward to continuing the work we do to support the tourism industry.
“I especially want to acknowledge the tremendous contribution made by Nick Murray, who led the organisation through a very challenging period since 2019, and to board director Michelle Dickson, who retired after five years of terrific service on the board.”
Josh Singh, General manager of Mansi on Raymond – a premium accommodation property in Sale, has also joined Destination Gippsland.
Destination Gippsland is the regional tourism board, owned by the six local governments in Gippsland.
Destination Gippsland is governed by a board of directors including Jan Fitzgerald, Neil Travers, Nicola Pero, Andrew Clarke, Josh Singh, Anthony Basford, Kerryn Ellis, Steve Piasente, David Morcom, Ali Wastie and Mark Dupe.
Its role is to inspire, influence and lead positive tourism outcomes through partnerships across Gippsland.
