This SITE ANZ event is only possible due to the generous time & effort provided by our 2023 Conference Team and SITE ANZ Board.
This SITE ANZ event is only possible due to the generous time & effort provided by our 2023
Conference Team and SITE ANZ Board
Selina Sinclair
Selina Sinclair , CEO Realm – Selina is an Australia national whose international career has seen her spend her professional life between Sydney, London and Singapore. As Global Managing Director of Pacific World , she took the company to new heights leading the brand to regain its position as leading DMC in Asia and spearheaded global expansion activities.
She is now one of the owners of REALM, the hottest new DMC Company in Asia aswell as being an active member of the global Business Events community currently representing Asia Pacific on the Executive Board for the SITE Foundation and the Asia Pacific Advisory board for PCMA.
Sophie Meng
In May 2023, Sophie Meng was appointed to the role of Director of Sales at W Sydney, one of the most iconic Luxury hotels opening in Australia and the largest W hotel in the world. Sophie leads the sales department in maximising total revenue for W Sydney across all market segments, with a focus on acquisition and retention of business. Sophie’s passion for the hospitality industry started during her studies in Switzerland, where she graduated from the Swiss Hotel Management School with a Bachelor’s degree in International Hospitality Management. Her academic excellence earned her the Best Cumulative Academic Average Record for four consecutive years. Additionally, she holds certifications from Harvard Business School in Business Analytics, Managerial Economics, and Financial Accounting, as well as a certification in Hotel Real Estate Investments and Asset Management from Cornell University. The last five years of her career have been spent in Langham Hospitality Group’s Global Sales Office in Sydney. Outside of work you will find Sophie on the golf course or in the yoga/Pilates studio. She is a sports car and Formula 1 enthusiast, with a love for fashion and great restaurants with fine wines, Champagne and whiskey.
Michele Deece
Michele has over 20 years’ of experience producing award-winning corporate events both in Australia and around the world. Whilst managing our operations, Michele also specialises in producing multifaceted events and has produced both live and virtual events for a range of corporate clients. She is passionate about designing events that are seamless and leave a lasting impression on the guests. Michele believes that attention to detail is the most important factor in every successful event.
Qualifications & Awards
Business Administration; International Business & Sports Marketing, University of Technology, Sydney; Graduate Certificate in Events Management, University of Technology, Sydney.
Alison Burn
Alison is a passionate sales professional with over sixteen years’ experience in the hospitality & tourism industry. Having worked across a portfolio of boutique brands including Spicers Retreats and Royal Society of Arts in London her current role as Sales Manager is to source new sales opportunities and manage client relationships within the groups & event department across Baillie Lodges’ portfolio of domestic and international lodges.
Colette Baini
Colette is the Founder & Director of The Conference Room, a leading award-winning Australian owned conference, incentive and business event agency. Colette Baini excels in the provision of strategic performance- based business solutions, creating and operating business events across the globe. She has proudly accrued 30 years’ experience in business event management, international tourism, event production, wholesale and group travel, as well as international and domestic airline operations.
Renowned for producing unique and innovative events and experiences that challenge the status quo, Colette manages her team to ensure consistent guest experiences with a flawless record of personal attention to detail. Guest service and satisfaction are the priority. Her exceptional portfolio of best-in-industry, blue chip customers range from automotive to finance to consumer goods, technology and design.
Colette is the Immediate Past President of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, Australia New Zealand Chapter (SITE ANZ). She remains actively involved in advocacy in support of industry.
Belinda Ramanauskas
Belinda Ramanauskas is an experienced marketing executive with a strong background in strategy, operations management, and talent management. With a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a focus on Management and Commercial Law, she embarked on her career as an Account Manager at 212F and has been a valuable asset to the organization for the past 19 years.
Belinda’s journey within the company has been marked by continuous growth and advancement, allowing her to develop a comprehensive understanding of the organization and the industry at large. This extensive experience has provided her with a unique perspective on the strategic implementation of incentive and rewards programs that truly drive behavior change.
Currently serving as the GM Australia and GM Operations ANZ at 212F, Belinda holds a pivotal role in shaping the overall strategic direction of the business. She is deeply passionate about optimizing operational efficiencies and fostering the growth and development of the company’s talent, with the aim of inspiring exceptional team performance.
212F, as the largest independent B2B engagement agency in Australia and New Zealand, boasts an impressive 25-year track record of delivering performance improvement for its clients through B2B incentives and rewards programs. Belinda’s expertise and leadership contribute significantly to the company’s success in ensuring that the individuals and businesses responsible for selling clients’ products or services exhibit the desired behavioral changes, resulting in substantial returns.
Nicole Tingey
Nicole Tingey is a business events, tourism and hospitality professional with extensive sales management experience, highly motivated with an innovative approach to designing and managing successful business expansion strategies. Commercially astute, with the skills to increase revenue, develop sales pipeline and channel growth while significantly enhancing brand value.
Industry Representation
- Australia’s Northwest Tourism – Marketing Sub-Committee
- Australia’s North West Tourism / Tourism Western Australia – Broome Steering Committee
- Tourism Australia – Domestic Industry Advisory Panel
Specialities: Regional tourism development
Colette Baini
Colette is the Founder & Director of The Conference Room, a leading award-winning Australian owned conference, incentive and business event agency. Colette Baini excels in the provision of strategic performance- based business solutions, creating and operating business events across the globe. She has proudly accrued 30 years’ experience in business event management, international tourism, event production, wholesale and group travel, as well as international and domestic airline operations.
Renowned for producing unique and innovative events and experiences that challenge the status quo, Colette manages her team to ensure consistent guest experiences with a flawless record of personal attention to detail. Guest service and satisfaction are the priority. Her exceptional portfolio of best-in-industry, blue chip customers range from automotive to finance to consumer goods, technology and design.
Colette is the Immediate Past President of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence, Australia New Zealand Chapter (SITE ANZ). She remains actively involved in advocacy in support of industry.
Belinda Ramanauskas
Belinda Ramanauskas is the General Manager Australia at 212F, a leading independent B2B engagement agency in Australia and New Zealand. With over 19 years of experience in designing and executing incentive programs that motivate and drive high performance, Belinda is deeply passionate about the strategic aspects of incentive, loyalty and rewards programs, firmly believing in a “Strategy First – Reward Second” philosophy. Belinda actively contributes to the industry as a board member of the SITE Australia & New Zealand chapter, holding the position of Secretary since 2020, and has engaged in numerous MICE advisory roles.
Leon Burman
Combining your passion with business is everyone’s dream and Leon has been incredibly fortunate to do so. After many years working in the events industry, Leon started his first business, ETM Group in 2001 growing the business to 100 employees before selling it in 2011. Seeing a gap in the market for a mid-sized, customer-focused travel and events business, Leon started TRIBE in 2017, naming the business TRIBE as it brought together many of his previous colleagues, clients and suppliers – his tribe.
Leon’s passion is the combination of travel and business events and he has organised incredible programs around the globe. His favourite events include the delivery of gala dinners on Rodeo Drive in LA, overlooking the Taj Mahal in Agra, on the Great Wall in Beijing (complete with a grand piano) and at the Prague Castle with a 48-piece orchestra accompanying a performance by the Czech National Ballet. With many business events now taking place in Australia, Leon is the go-to-guy for corporates who are looking to add spark and flair to their business events – why be ordinary when you can be exceptional? Leon prides himself on finding the best to do wherever you may be in Australia, or the world.
Leon holds a Bachelor of Business. He sits on the board of Society of Incentive Excellence Australia NZ (SITE) and is a member of YPO Gold Melbourne. Leon is married with three children.
Maggie Diasinos
As an Account Director at MCI Australia, Maggie works with MCI’s corporate clients to design engagement and marketing strategies that connect and inspire audiences across Australia and the world. Maggie also supports MCI’s DMC business, Ovation Australia, to create luxury incentive experiences in Australia as well as in New Zealand, Fiji and Tahiti for this leading DMC brand.
Prior to joining MCI, Maggie enjoyed partnering with the MCI team and other clients working across multiple hotel brands for over 10 years, most recently at Hyatt Global Sales focusing on meetings, incentives, and events in destinations across the world. With over 23 years of experience in hotels, Maggie has extensive operations and destination experience and an infectious passion for working in events and incentives industry.
Sonja Söderbom
Sonja Söderbom is a dynamic, proactive business leader with over 15 years of experience in meetings, incentives, and events management. With a strong operations background, she has achieved success in business development and client management, demonstrating a true commitment to excellence in everything she does.
Sonja has a proven track record of leadership and management in the destination management company (DMC) sector. She played a pivotal role in the start-up of Ovation Australia, which has now become a leading DMC in the country. Her expertise allowed her to create opportunities in the Oceania region, successfully managing projects and teams across New Zealand, Fiji, and French Polynesia. Through her efforts, she promoted the growth and success of these businesses and established a strong presence and track record on a global scale.
Throughout her career, Sonja has designed award-winning programs and project-managed events for large-scale gatherings of 10,000 to 13,000 people, ensuring seamless and successful delivery every time. Her portfolio includes managing corporate hospitality programs in conjunction with major international events such as the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, Grand Prix, and Rugby World Cups, among others. She has worked with associations, non-profit organizations, as well as blue-chip corporate companies in various sectors, including financial, automotive, pharmaceutical, resource, healthcare, and FMCG.
El Kwang
El Kwang is the Founder and Chief Engager of BEAM, a content and engagement design agency in Singapore and Thailand with a community of 14,000 business professionals.
With over 20 years of experience working across the hospitality and business event industries, El’s passion is creating an environment for cross-cultural learning. El is also a qualified Positive Psychology Practitioner and has been working with leaders to build high-performing teams based on having a “possibility” mindset.
