Qualmark Tourism Business Advisors come with commercial experience in hospitality, accommodation management and/or management in experiential tourism products, and undergo full training to undertake your on-site assessment.
As well as conducting the evaluation, their goal is to add value to your business.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES - Taupō
Adam has spent his career creating memorable experiences for customers in businesses in the UK and New Zealand. Adam has extensive experience in business operations, logistics and delivery, gained worked in the major events, entertainment venues and tourism sectors. His most recent role was as Chief Operating Officer at Hobbiton Movie Set. Adam brings his passion for developing resilience and long-term sustainability in businesses to each assessment he works on with his partners.
Adam also runs a successful consultancy specialising in providing clients assistance with risk, safety and business continuity in the events and attractions sectors, and is finishing his Masters in Emergency Management.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES - NORTHLAND
Andy has an extensive background in the tourism industry with a career spanning 30 years in New Zealand, Australia, UK, Europe and Fiji. Andy has operated a tourism training business for the past 15 years focussing on helping SME’s in the adventure tourism, transport and accommodation sectors deliver exceptional experiences.
Alongside this, he has operated a marketing business specialising in adventure tourism and resorts in Fiji. A passionate outdoorsman he has a keen interest in sustainability. Andy’s strengths are in marketing, delivering great experience and team development. Andy is a qualified health and safety auditor and holds a Grad.Dip.OHS from Massey University.
Andy’s drive is to work in partnership with license holders to deliver great customer experiences and ensure the ongoing sustainability of their operations.
ACCOMMODATION SPECIALIST - LOWER NORTH ISLAND
Based in Martinborough, Angela has over 20 years’ experience working in the tourism industry for public and private enterprises and has her own tourism marketing consultancy which she set up in 2003. Angela’s experience includes areas such as inbound sales representation, strategic planning, product development, sponsorship, sustainability and more recently digital marketing.
Angela brings experience mentoring small businesses as a Regional Business Partner provider with New Zealand Trade & Enterprise, and continues to work with a number of her pre-COVID clients (including luxury lodges, villas and boutique stays & experiences) to help them reset for when borders reopen.
Angela is looking forward to working with and supporting the many accommodation providers she will be assessing over the next 12 months, in the Lower North Island.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES - AUCKLAND / GISBORNE / CHATHAM ISLANDS
Having spent her entire career in the New Zealand tourism industry, Heather has extensive experience having held senior roles in coaching, tour operations, car and camper van rentals, and accommodation businesses. Having worked alongside numerous accommodation and adventure activity providers across the country, and with experience of having been put through the evaluation process many times as an operator, Heather has an in-depth understanding of the key requirements for success in both large and small tourism businesses and strives to provide relevant insights to the partners she works with.
Her aim, as a Qualmark Tourism Business Advisor, is to add value to every business she works with.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES - LOWER SOUTH ISLAND
Based in the Waitaki Valley between Oamaru and Omarama, Ian has a background in startups and business development. His experience ranges from owning a country pub and mountain biking business to being a chief executive and board chair. He has a Post Graduate Diploma of Tourism from Otago University. Ian spent two years as marketing manager for Tourism Waitaki.
Visitor activities, transport and services - QUEENSTOWN / FIORDLAND
John has many years' experience in New Zealand and international tourism, including multiple stints as a nature guide, wine guide, skipper, wilderness lodge manager and staff trainer. Alongside his role with Qualmark, John also lectures part time at the Queenstown Resort College in Adventure Tourism Management.
ACCOMMODATION SPECIALIST - NORTHLAND / AUCKLAND
Looking after our North Island partners within the accommodation sector, Judith brings a wealth of experience in hotel management in the areas of human resources, learning and development, F & B, change and culture management, implementation of policies and procedures, leadership and coaching.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES - LOWER NORTH ISLAND
Keri joins the Qualmark team bringing over 25 years of experience in private, public, and local government tourism organisations.
Keri is an experienced, innovative marketing and product development professional with strong inbound and outbound tourism industry experience and networks in worldwide tourism markets. Keri has an in-depth knowledge of sales and multi-channel marketing, stakeholder and partnership management.
Keri’s previous roles include Wine Tourism Manager at New Zealand Wine, Product Development Advisor at Auckland Unlimited (previously Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development), and 15 years of experience in Global Holiday Procurement and Product Management roles at Air New Zealand.
Keri is delighted to be part of the Qualmark team and will be working closely with our members in the Wellington and Lower North Island regions.
Accommodation specialist - CANTERBURY / DUNEDIN
Kevin Gough has 40 years’ experience of working across many sectors of New Zealand tourism. He has a strong career profile in tourism management, leading teams in sales and marketing, with a recent focus on commercial accommodation.
He is passionate about New Zealand tourism and a supporter of Qualmark since its inception. For the past 20 years, Kevin has been General Manager of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, Golden Chain Motels and TOP 10 Holiday Parks – all Qualmark partner chains.
ACCOMMODATION SPECIALIST - QUEENSTOWN / WANAKA / FIORDLAND / SOUTHLAND
Kylie brings over 25 years as an experienced commercial manager within the tourism & travel industry. With a proven history of improving business operations to support large and small scale (SME) companies achieve success, her strengths include strategic planning, revenue, product development, key account management, distribution, mentoring and marketing.
Having recently opened and launched a new IHG brand to New Zealand, Holiday Inn Express and Suites during COVID she is no stranger to the challenges that many businesses are facing. Her previous roles include Director of Sales & Marketing at Intercontinental Hotels Group, Crowne Plaza Queenstown, Store Manager for Air New Zealand Holidays, Regional Development Manager for a marketing and distribution company Tourism Exchange, International Sales Manager at Millbrook Resort and a range of senior operational roles. In addition to mentorship/advisory board member appointments.
As a passionate advocate of Qualmark, Kylie is looking forward to supporting the industry as we rebuild and welcome international guests back to our shores to showcase the stories, people, sustainability, safety and quality of our accommodation sector.
ACCOMMODATION SPECIALIST - HAWKES BAY / TAUPO / RUAPEHU
Louise brings 30 years' of experience within the tourism industry in New Zealand, Australia, UK/Europe and Fiji. Based in Hawke’s Bay, Louise has a professional background in business operations, marketing and inbound sales representation, strategic planning, product development, PR & media.
Louise's General Manager role with a Regional Tourism Organisation has helped to further develop her knowledge of destination management and expanded her experience of working with Central and Local Government.
Louise also operates an international tourism marketing and representation business focused on aiding accommodation and tour operators to become “internationally ready”, and growing awareness of their product and the experiences on offer in New Zealand.
Louise is excited to be joining the Qualmark team and is dedicated to working to support the industry following what has been an intensely challenging time.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES - QUEENSTOWN / FIORDLAND
Madeleine grew up in Fiordland and after leaving home to study, work and play returned to Te Anau about 8 years ago. Her family background is in tourism and conservation with her grandparents being founders of what is now known as the Wayfare Group and instrumental in the Save Manapouri Campaign of the 1970’s. Madeleine's father worked for the Department of Conservation and her parents together established accommodation and guiding businesses in Fiordland in the 90’s.
Madeleine's professional background is in education, mental health, outdoor recreation and tourism. She has worked across a range of roles in outdoor recreation and tourism including governance, management, administration, risk management and front-line product and service delivery. More recently Madeleine was the manager of the Fiordland Regional Tourism Organisation and actively involved in marketing, business support, advocacy, crisis management, and working with local and central government and the wider national industry.
Visitor activities, transport and services - NELSON / MARLBOROUGH / Kaikōura
Peter’s experience comes from over 20 years in the snow sports industry, a brief stint in food and beverage, and 11 years owning and running an adventure tourism business operating under concessions and licences from DOC, NZTA and Maritime New Zealand. Peter brings first-hand insights which can really assist small to medium tourism enterprises.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES - AUCKLAND / WAIKATO
For the past 30 years, Ross has been involved in both inbound and outbound travel for multiple companies and attractions.
Ross has a genuine passion for the tourism industry and has been fortunate to travel the world talking to wholesalers and travel agents about what their customers require. Ross has held senior executive roles and managed teams through the good and bad times of tourism and is looking forward to passing on his experience to our License Holders.
VISITOR ACTIVITIES, TRANSPORT AND SERVICES - BAY OF PLENTY / COROMANDEL / ROTORUA
Sam has 15 years’ experience in the hospitality, and events industries in sales, operations and training roles. Working for hotels and IT businesses from Queenstown to Ohakune, Coromandel, Italy and Chicago. For the past 6 years, she’s headed up the sales and operations of events and experiences for New Zealand’s largest hospitality group, focusing on partnerships and innovation.
In between she spent 14 years in the health sector as a rehabilitation teacher and Kinesiologist while operating a business, marketing wellbeing products throughout New Zealand and Australasia. Trained in several health science practices, Sam enjoys supporting business owners, utilising her sound understanding of the resilience required for business sustainability.
Sam’s dedicated to partnering with license holders to assist them with showcasing our land, culture and friendly hospitality. With a customer centric focus on processes, marketing and product delivery, she brings a holistic and pragmatic approach to tourism businesses.
ACCOMMODATION SPECIALIST - Nelson / Marlborough / West Coast Region
Shelley brings over 25 years of hospitality & tourism experience with a strong background in hotel sales & marketing and stakeholder management along with strategy planning, revenue and coaching.
Shelley recently reopened Pullman Auckland Hotel & Apartments as Director of Sales after the hotel was a managed isolation property for 2 years. Her previous roles include 11 years with Heritage Hotel Management focusing on the domestic and international MICE segment across Heritage Hotels 3 brands to support the small to large scale properties throughout the New Zealand regions. Born in Canada, Shelley also worked in sales and event roles at Fairmont Chateau Whistler and the Delta Pacific in Vancouver before moving permanently to New Zealand in 2007.
Passionate about the tourism industry, Shelley is excited to be relocating the family to the Nelson Tasman region and working with our Qualmark members on the Top of the South Island as the industry rebuilds.