Expedia — Program Performance Manager, Revenue

The Ritz-Carlton Perth & Courtyard by Marriott, Murdoch, Perth — Director of Revenue

me&u — Senior Account Manager | WA

A ‘hospo lifer’, Ben Kershaw spent the first 20 years of his career working in 5-star hotels across operations and F&B. His search for tech that could enhance the guest experience while supporting profitability led him to jump ship and join me&u in 2022. Ben now works with 150 venues across WA and QLD, leveraging data and tech to create thriving hospitality businesses.

Sailing for Oranges — Director of Hospitality

Margaret River Holiday Cottages — Hotel Owner

Accor — Accor - Vice President Operations – Western Australia, Tasmania & Fragrance Group

Nathan Frost is not only a seasoned leader in the hospitality industry but also a dedicated mentor and coach, passionate about the development of team members. As the Portfolio General Manager of Operations for WA and Fragrance Group, Nathan oversees a vast portfolio of hotels stretching from Mandurah to Karratha, with additional properties in Tasmania and Melbourne. His journey in hospitality began over 25 years ago when he graduated from the prestigious Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School in 1998, setting the foundation for a career marked by innovation, excellence, and a genuine commitment to his team's growth.

Having completed ACCOR’s National Management Traineeship in 2002, Nathan's leadership journey has been defined by a relentless pursuit of excellence and a deep-seated passion for hospitality. Throughout his tenure with ACCOR, Nathan has held senior management roles across Australia and New Zealand, where he has demonstrated a keen ability to foster talent and inspire his team members to reach their full potential. He believes in creating a supportive and nurturing environment where team members can thrive and grow, recognizing that their development is integral to the success of the organization.

In addition to his operational prowess, Nathan is a fervent advocate for leveraging technology to enhance guest experiences and streamline hotel operations. With a keen understanding of the evolving landscape of technology in hospitality, Nathan is committed to striking the perfect balance between simplifying procedures and maximizing guest satisfaction and interaction. His innovative approach has led to the implementation of solutions that seamlessly integrate into the guest experience, ensuring a harmonious blend of efficiency and hospitality.

Beyond his professional achievements, Nathan prioritizes his own well-being, starting most mornings with a visit to the gym to recharge both his mind and body. On weekends, you'll often find him hitting the waves, indulging in his love for surfing and embracing the natural beauty of the coast. These moments of relaxation and rejuvenation not only fuel Nathan's personal passions but also serve as a source of inspiration and creativity in his professional life. Nathan is a dedicated husband to his wife Victoria and a loving father to his two children, Lachlan and Mikayla.

Hilton Garden Inn Albany — Cluster Hotel Manager

Steve is a widely experienced hospitality manager that has dedicated over 25 years to the industry. Gaining experience throughout Australia & Overseas he has a wealth of knowledge of the Hospitality & Tourism industry within an international chain.

Steve’s operational knowledge has been developed through large projects assisting with refurbishments, managing teams throughout multiple locations and opening the first Hilton Garden Inn within the Australasian region, located in Albany and more recently opening Hilton Garden Inn Busselton.

Horwath HTL — Manager, Perth

Martyna is a seasoned hospitality industry professional with over 15 years of experience spanning across Poland and Australia. As a Manager at Horwath HTL in the Perth office, she represents the company in Western Australia while undertaking assignments and conducting market research across Australia, New Zealand, and the North Pacific region. Specializing in feasibility assessment, branding and positioning strategy, operator selection processes, and expert witness assistance, Martyna ensures projects are strategically aligned with market conditions to maximize their future potential.

With a focus on in-market research, supply and demand analysis, and concept development, Martyna collaborates directly with investors and owners to drive project success. Her expertise extends to conducting operator search and selection processes, further enhancing project viability.

Martyna's journey includes diverse roles encompassing event management, sales and revenue management, business development, and client relations within independent hotels and global hotel brand companies before joining Horwath HTL. Over the last five years with Horwath HTL, initially based in Sydney and later relocating to Perth, Martyna has continuously demonstrated her dedication to the sustainable hotel market development.

Beyond her professional commitments, Martyna contributes to academia as a casual lecturer at Torrens University and Kaplan Business School, where she lectures subjects, such as hotel investment and destination and visitor management. Martyna holds a Masters in International Hotel Management from the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School and is currently pursuing a Master of Philosophy at Torrens University, focusing on destination competitiveness models.

Pacific STR — Sales

Experienced digital marketing and revenue professional with a demonstrated history of working in the hospitality industry. Specializing in revenue management, digital marketing, and market intelligence. Currently supporting the hospitality sector at STR and CoStar, providing data-driven insights that help hotels, investors, and industry stakeholders optimize performance and strategic decision-making.
Expertise includes yield management, revenue analysis and hotel management, with a focus on leveraging benchmarking data, market trends, and competitive intelligence to drive revenue growth. Committed to helping independent and chain hotels develop effective pricing, distribution, and marketing strategies that maximize profitability and market positioning.

A passionate advocate for tourism, destinations, and immersive travel experiences, with a deep understanding of hospitality analytics and industry dynamics. Dedicated to empowering hoteliers with actionable insights, helping businesses enhance visibility, optimize channel distribution, and capitalize on market opportunities in an evolving landscape.

Accor — Talent & Culture Manager

A seasoned HR professional with over 19 years of experience, 16 of those in hospitality, Jai McNaughton has dedicated her career to shaping workplace culture and driving people-focused initiatives.

She began her hospitality journey with Mirvac in 2008, supporting all Mirvac hotels in Western Australia. Over four years, Jai provided strategic HR support, leadership coaching, policy implementation, health and safety compliance, recruitment, and training coordination across multiple hotels. Her ability to drive cultural transformation and foster engaged teams became a hallmark of her career.

Jai then took on the role of pre-opening HR Manager for Fraser Suites Perth, where she played a key role in building a strong workplace culture from the ground up. For the past 7.5 years, she has been a key Senior Talent & Culture leader within Accor WA, contributing to one of the world’s largest hospitality groups and continuing her mission of creating exceptional workplaces.

A specialist in culture transformation, strategic business planning, leadership development, employee engagement, and organizational behaviour, Jai is highly regarded for fostering high-performing teams and driving meaningful workplace change.

A passionate advocate for inclusion and diversity, Jai sits on the boards of Hospitality Disability Network WA and Women in Tourism and Hospitality WA, championing equity and accessibility in the industry. She is also deeply committed to eliminating family and domestic violence, embedding advocacy into her work to create safer, more supportive workplaces.

Jai’s leadership extends beyond HR—mentoring future leaders, implementing innovative workplace initiatives, and spearheading progressive policies. Through initiatives like partnering with Share the Dignity, she ensures tangible support for team members and guests alike.

When not shaping workplace culture, Jai is a single mum to an 8-year-old daughter, and a firm believer in the power of hospitality to transform lives and careers.

Quay Perth — Director of Sales

With over 19 years of experience in hospitality sales and marketing, Paula Navarro is a dynamic leader known for her ability to drive growth, lead high-performing teams, and deliver outstanding guest and client experiences.

As Director of Sales at Quay Perth Hotel, Paula oversees both sales and marketing strategy—bringing a hands-on, people-focused approach to every facet of the business.

She is extremely passionate about customer service and building lasting client relationships, with a track record of success in hotel pre-openings, business development, public relations, and marketing. Paula is committed to elevating brand presence while staying focused on measurable, results-driven outcomes.

Quay Perth — Events Sales Executive

Kezia Purnomo is a highly experienced Events Sales Executive at Quay Perth, specialising in corporate functions and private events. With over four years at Quay Perth, she has honed her expertise in event planning, sales, and marketing, delivering seamless and memorable experiences for clients, including the City of Perth’s City of Light launch and events for McDermott, BHP, Rio Tinto, and Chevron.

Her background includes extensive social media marketing experience from her time at Pan Pacific Perth and as a freelancer, where she managed content creation, brand promotion, and digital marketing strategies. She leverages this expertise to enhance event visibility and engagement.

Passionate about hospitality, Kezia combines strategic thinking, creativity, and a client-first approach to curate exceptional events. With a strong attention to detail and a commitment to excellence, she ensures every event she manages is both impactful and seamlessly executed.

Novotel Perth Murray Street — Director of Food and Beverage

Hospitality Disability Network WA — Disability Employment Manager

Optus Stadium Perth — Chief Executive Officer

Mike McKenna joined VenuesLive in November 2016 as Chief Executive Officer of Optus Stadium in Perth. As Chief Executive Officer, Mike leads a team of professionals who are responsible for operating the venue, on behalf of the Western Australian State Government, attracting and delivering world class sport and entertainment experiences for a local, national and international audience.

Optus Stadium has been a multi-award winner in its first years of operations including for catering, tourism and business events. Optus Stadium was awarded the Prix Versailles as the Most Beautiful Sports Venue in the World by UNESCO in a marketing coup that has increased the profile of the venue.
Over the first four years of operations the venue has received Customer Satisfaction scores averaging 94.5% in surveys conducted by the Western Australian State Government.

Prior to joining VenuesLive Mike spent more than eleven years on the Executive Leadership Team with Cricket Australia. In this role, Mike was responsible for helping turn Cricket Australia from an operationally focused business to a fan focused organisation with the growth of the game as the goal.
During this time, in various roles, Mike had responsibility for Commercial Revenue Generation, Marketing and Brand, Digital Communications, International Cricket Event Management, Venue Operations, Domestic Cricket competitions and Integrity. Mike was responsible for the development of the Big Bash League competitions for men and women and the first six years of operations.

Mike previously held roles as General Manager Commercial Operations with the Essendon Football Club, National Marketing Manager for professional services firm Arthur Andersen and a variety of Sales and Marketing roles with Black and Decker and Carter Holt Harvey.

Mike is also a Board Member of the Tourism Council of Western Australia, the peak body representing tourism businesses, industries and regions in the state.