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Staff

Evan Hall

Chief Executive Officer

Evan is an economist with extensive experience in federal and state advocacy. A recognised tourism industry leader, Evan joined Tourism Council WA in May 2011 following five years at the Tourism & Transport Forum as National Policy Director.

Evan was previously an elected official with the Community & Public Sector Union, directing federal advocacy campaigns on immigration, customs and quarantine issues and in the commercial broadcasting and telecommunications sectors.

Leslee Hall

Leslee Ireland

Chief Operating Officer

Leslee is an award-winning and experienced communications professional, specialising in media relations, writing and copy editing, and social media management. Before joining Tourism Council WA in 2014 as Communications Manager, her roles included Communications Officer for an agricultural advocacy group and journalist for a major regional newspaper. Leslee holds a Bachelor of Arts with Honours from UWA as well as a Graduate Diploma in Journalism from Curtin University. As Chief Operating Officer, Leslee is responsible for the planning and implementation of Tourism Council WA’s operational, communications, media, public relations, event and marketing activities.

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Caitlin Rule

Communications Officer

Prior to joining Tourism Council WA, Caitlin spent 20 years working within the tourism and hospitality sector in a variety of roles including travel consultancy, venue management, event management, and B2B beverage sales. During this time, she completed a Certificate IV in Tourism and a Certificate III in Hospitality. Caitlin joined Tourism Council WA after graduating from Griffith University in 2022 with a Bachelor of Communication majoring in Journalism and Media Studies.

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Clare Symonds

Membership Officer

Clare joined Tourism Council WA in 2022 after graduating from The University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Public Relations and Marketing. Prior to graduating, Clare gained experience working with a marketing agency and balanced her schooling with 5 years of customer service and administration work.

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Jess Monaghan

Membership Officer

Jess graduated from Curtin University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Public Relations. After working in the hospitality industry for 7 years, Jess joined Tourism Council WA in 2022. During her time off, Jess loves to explore regional WA and has a strong interest in WA’s cultural events industry.

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Chloe Watts

Events and Awards Officer

Prior to joining Tourism Council WA, Chloe spent 14 years focusing her hospitality career on staff and event management. This led to Chloe working on some of Western Australia’s best festivals including Fringe Festival, Perth Festival, Day On The Green, and Perth Upmarket. Chloe grew up on vineyards in the Manjimup/Pemberton region, where she found a passion for WA’s regional food and wine industry.

Kristy Bailey

Trainer

Kristy has more than 20 years’ experience in strategic marketing, communications and PR within the tourism industry and continues this industry involvement as Director of both Swan River Seaplanes and One Eighty Marketing. She holds a range of qualifications including a Diploma in Tourism and a Masters in Marketing and additionally holds membership with several professional organisations including the Australian Marketing Institute where she is a recognised Certified Practicing Marketer (CPM). Throughout her career she has represented businesses from all aspects of the tourism industry including retail and wholesale travel companies, conference and incentive houses, cruise operators, tour operators and luxury resorts.

Amanda Kendle

Trainer

Amanda Kendle combines work in social media and blogging with her love of travel: she has run a consultancy teaching and training small business owners how to use social media and other online technologies for promotions since 2010, does regular public speaking on social media and travel topics and teaches undergraduates at Murdoch University how to run their own business.

Amanda's travel blog at NotABallerina.com has been online since 2005 and she has run The Thoughtful Travel Podcast since 2016, with episodes now being downloaded thousands of times each week. She's a member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers and is writing a book on thoughtful travel.

Tracy Zhang

Trainer

Tracy Zhang is a PhD candidate and holds an MA in Education and International Relations. Her current PhD research at Edith Cowan University focusses on international education and globalized education policy. She has extensive experience in developing and delivering corporate training programs for private, government and education sectors in both Australia and China. Tracy’s working areas focus on intercultural understanding, relationship building and the impact of the international mobility on tourism. Working closely with Tourism Council WA, Tracy has developed and delivered the China Ready Workshop since 2011, assisting more than 800 WA tourism industry personnel to gain a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and China market.

Craig Wells

Trainer

Craig Wells from WellStrategic isn’t quite your average photographer. He specialises in premium virtual tours and photography for the tourism industry. He maintains a broad list of clients from casinos, airports and remote eco resorts to luxury charter vessels and adventure companies. He has also worked in the advertising and branding industry as a Director of Strategy working directly with clients. This role was heavily engaged in TV and radio commercials, media budgets, SEO, digital campaigns, company rebrands, web development/design and more. Craig also has over 15 years of B2B Sales and Marketing experience and is a fully certified “Google Trusted Photographer”.