From Hello to Hire: Connecting with the future tourism workforce in today’s online world

Hear from three workforce experts about ways to connect with potential employees in today's online and rapidly evolving communications environment.

At a time when attracting and retaining skilled team members is one of the biggest challenges employers face, this session will explore different perspectives on how you can not only connect with new employees but also keep them engaged and learning new skills.

About Natalie Turmine - CEO, Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA)

Natalie Turmine is a highly accomplished executive with 30 years of leadership experience spanning workforce development and community impact.

Her expertise encompasses leading organisations delivering workforce development, employment, disability, Indigenous initiatives, apprenticeships, labour hire, community programs, social enterprises, and vocational training across Australia.

As CEO of Service and Creative Skills Australia (SaCSA), she leads national skills and workforce planning for the Arts, Personal Services, Retail, Tourism, and Hospitality sectors.

Hannah Statham - Founder & CEO, Media Mortar

Hannah might only just clear five foot, but she could easily enter herself into a heavy weight content marketing competition. Her signature move? Planting a target on your audience’s back and hitting them with bullseye accuracy.

She’s first and foremost a content marketer - creating words, images and videos for clients, the kind of content that stops people in their thumb-scrolling tracks. That’s why she’s now the founder and CEO of Media Mortar, a content marketing agency, which uses words, images and videos to share brand’s stories.

As a marketer, she helps brands go from zero to successful using a range of creative, content and communication techniques. Whether it’s words, images or videos, at the heart of everything she does is storytelling; and she’s an advocate that it's the power of stories that drive sales.

Lisa Punshon - Executive Director, Tasmanian Hospitality & Tourism Academy (formerly VXT)

Lisa is an experienced leader with a diverse background across state and local government, private industry, and for-purpose organisations.

With a long-standing focus on developing programs that support the tourism and hospitality sector, she brings deep expertise in workforce development and industry engagement.

A former General Manager of Drysdale, Lisa is passionate about building a skilled local workforce to drive sustainable growth.

In mid-2024, she was appointed Executive Director of the Tasmanian Hospitality & Tourism Academy (formerly VXT), where she works to strengthen collaboration between industry and government for the benefit of businesses, individuals, and the broader Tasmanian community.