OUR PEOPLE

Since founding THSA in 2005, Rodger has assembled a formidable group of seasoned professionals and broken the mainstream ‘consulting and advisory’ mould reshaping it into a distinctive and energetic advisory and project management collective.

Regarded by his peers as a passionate hotel and tourism professional, Rodger is known to be generous with his knowledge and his enviable AustralAsian and international connections. He has an uncanny ability to distil complex matters into simple communicable ideas, to sell a vision and generate buy-in both internally and externally, a talent that underpins much of THSA’s work.

Rodger is also a highly credentialed chairman and non-executive director of multiple hotel, tourism and leisure companies.

Ruwan is an experienced hotel leader with proven expertise in managing hospitality enterprises across diverse global regions. His achievements include elevating revenue and delivering sustainable financial outcomes. Possessing a wealth of experience, encompassing senior executive positions at major multinational corporations such as ACCOR, Marriott, and IHG, he has consistently demonstrated a history of success within the luxury, upscale, and mid-scale hospitality brands. He is renowned for his expertise at navigating intricate challenges to secure mutually beneficial solutions.

Ruwan is a trusted advisor to many clients whom he collaborates with to ensure success is grounded in a people-centric philosophy. His extensive background includes the management of hotels, resorts, spas, golf courses, convention centres, restaurants, and bars spanning Australasia and the Pacific region. He recognizes that optimal profitability is attained through harmonizing strategic objectives with the high-performance delivery of operational teams.

Heather’s 15 years’ experience in the hotel, tourism and leisure industry was gained in Australia, the UK and southern Africa, working for both private and public sector clients.

Her core skills lie in primary and secondary market research, interpretation of key market trends and preparation of market and financial feasibility studies for new and existing developments and tourism assets.

Heather’s broad experience has enabled expertise in hotels, serviced apartments, caravan parks, mixed-use resorts, conference centres, health and wellness retreats, casinos, visitor attractions, theme parks, and destination management. She has conducted more than 250 hotel feasibility studies over the years.

Marlien is a highly experienced economic analyst with over 25 years consulting experience and project management across the tourism industry, specialising in market supply and demand analyses and financial feasibility studies for public and private sector clients including hotels, resorts, and attractions in the tourism industry, with over 150 projects successfully delivered in 15 countries.

Marlien has extensive experience in Indigenous community engagement and facilitation of economic development and commercialisation of Indigenous tourism products – working with large donor organisations including USAID, EU, DfiD, WWF, the World Bank, and Agence française de développement (Paris). 

Marlien holds a Master’s degree in economics focusing on route tourism development in Spain and Australia, a Diploma Project Management (AIM), Aid Program Design – Economic interventions & market development – Springfield Centre and an undergraduate degree in town and regional planning.

Regarded by her peers and clients as a true force and an invaluable asset to the business, Luisa is passionate about what clients do and how to help them do it better.

She brings a vast knowledge of the hospitality and tourism industry to the THSA team having specialised in this sector for more than 30 years in FF+E, procurement, human resources, PR and executive support.

Luisa has managed interior design, procurement and fit-out of hotels, resorts and pubs, working on projects including Hamilton Island’s iconic qualia, the island’s yacht club and villas, the golf course club house and resort hotel refurbishments, as well as development and procurement projects for the Nelson Meers Hotel Group, Marlow Hotel Group, Roddy Group and Anthology Travel.

Vanessa brings a wealth of experience in public relations, marketing, and communications, event and project management across the hospitality and tourism sectors both nationally and internationally. Vanessa has an acute understanding of the importance of branding, attention to detail, and communicating client desired outcomes on any project, large or small.

With a keen eye for design, Vanessa is outcome driven, and thrives on developing and creating seamless, contemporary communication for our clients and the THSA brand.

Vanessa’s impressive background includes working with Southern Pacific Hotels Corporation, Ayers Rock Resort, Hamilton Island, Australian Institute of Management, Outward-Bound Oman, and Hud Hud Travels – Luxury Camping, Oman.

Craig has spent more than 30 years working within the Australian hotel and tourism industry, on a broad range of senior executive roles in hotels, resorts, attractions, nature-based experiences and tourism marketing organisations including Southern Pacific Hotel Corporation (now IHG), Hamilton Island, Voyages Hotels and Resorts, Tourism Australia, Ardent Leisure Theme Parks, Visit Sunshine Coast and Journey Beyond (Experience Australia Group).

His contribution to the development of Tourism Australia’s Investment Attraction and Industry Development team is his most satisfying professional achievement to date and is testimony to his ability to negotiate and collaborate with senior government and private sector partners. Craig headed up this initiative, which included international aviation route development, infrastructure investment attraction and the Indigenous Tourism Development Program.

Simon has wide-ranging experience in economic and financial consulting, market and community research, project management, systems and processes, strategic and business planning and information technology. He has worked on and managed significant projects for a range of private sector and public clients.

Having developed expertise over the years in tourism, hospitality and leisure, including owing and running restaurants and a brewery, and developing the first tourism satellite accounts for Queensland Treasury, Simon’s skills dovetail perfectly with the THSA advisory team.

Simon is also Chairman and Principal Consultant with AEC which provides business consulting services in core areas of economics, finance, market research and visual communication.

Meredith’s long-time hospitality and tourism marketing background as well as her more recent interior styling work, have given her the ability to view both proposed design and marketing advice objectively.

Her industry career started in the hotel MICE sector followed by conventions, incentives and destination marketing with the Gold Coast and Whitsundays regional tourism organisations. Membership and communications followed at Townsville Enterprise (RTO) as well as events management, and numerous copywriting and event judging projects.

Meredith has an established communications, events and marketing business working and mentoring tourism operators on awards submissions, annual reports and communications and engagement plans for a range of public and private sector clients.