2026 Brolga Awards independent judging panel

Abbie Northwood 
Abbie Northwood is the Director of The Aware Advisors, a Darwin-based advisory firm working across tourism, strategy, business development and community engagement. Her approach is practical and collaborative, working closely with businesses, communities, industry and government.

Abbie has more than 20 years’ experience in tourism, including attractions, business events, destination management, trade and marketing, with the past 13 years focused on the Northern Territory. During this time, she has worked with tourism businesses and organisations across the NT and delivered a range of Territory-wide strategies and projects across tourism development, visitor experience, consultation and industry planning.

Cathy Simmonds
Cathy Simmonds is the Chief Executive Officer of Hospitality NT, the peak industry body that brings together pubs, clubs, hotels, bars, restaurants, cafés and producers from the Northern Territory. She has extensive experience across tourism, events and hospitality, and brings practical insight into industry policy, regulatory settings, and sector development. Cathy is passionate about celebrating the Territory's food scene as a pillar of our inimitable lifestyle, and promoting our home as the best place to live, work, visit and invest.

Fionn Griffin 
Fionn Griffin is a Director of Centred Solutions, a strategy and advisory business based in Alice Springs that she co-founded in 2021. Centred Solutions provides business, management, strategy, risk and compliance support to clients across Central Australia and the Northern Territory. Fionn is also Managing Director of Remote Strategy Plus, a separate majority Aboriginal-owned consulting business established in 2020.

Fionn is a long term Central Australian resident with more than 20 years in the Territory, and has held senior roles across all levels of Government, non-government, not-for-profit and private sectors. As a consultant she has worked across multiple sectors with diverse stakeholder groups, leading strategic and business planning, complex projects, crisis management and organisational reviews in the regional and remote context. Fionn's passion is working with Aboriginal businesses and communities, supporting them to identify priorities and areas for growth and improvement, and then developing and guiding realistic and sustainable approaches for implementation.

Grant Whan
Grant boasts over 35 years of tourism experience in Central Australia, including 22 years in commercial business management. At 19, he started his own tour operation in Alice Springs, followed by 6 years working in tourism business advisory and industry development roles with Tourism NT and the Department of Business. For the last 10 years, Grant has been a Business Mentor at the Business Enterprise Centre NT. He has written multiple winning Brolga submissions and in 2019 was the proud recipient of the George Dunne Award for Outstanding Contribution by an Individual. In 2025, he received Life Membership with Tourism CA and was awarded their Barry Bucholtz Award for Excellence. He served 12 years on the Tourism Central Australia Board and 8 years on the NT Chamber of Commerce Regional Executive Committee for Central Australia.

Jake Quinlivan
Jake is currently the General Manager, Business and Regions in the Department of Trade, Business and Asian Relations, following almost two decades of regionally based roles across the Territory. In this position, he oversees a broad remit of functions including occupational licencing and compliance, associations, migration, Territory Business Centres, and Territory Business Advisors. Although varied, the functions which Jake oversees all share responsibilities for supporting small-to-medium businesses, improving liveability and driving sustainable growth for the Territory. Beyond his professional roles, Jake is currently a board member of the Agents Licensing Board, Nitmiluk Tours and Yipirinya school.

Jill Morris
Jill is an experienced communications, events, marketing and stakeholder engagement professional with more than 30 years’ experience across government, tourism, aviation, hospitality and business. Throughout her career, Jill has held senior and executive roles with the Northern Territory Government, NT Airports and SKYCITY Darwin (now Mindil Beach Casino Resort), as well as roles with Tourism NT and the NT Convention Bureau. More recently, she has undertaken project and consulting work across tourism, business events, government and industry, including with Mayvin Global.

Jill is known for her practical, collaborative approach and her ability to build strong relationships across government, industry and the community. Her experience spans strategic communications, events and sponsorships, stakeholder engagement, marketing, facilitation, business development and project delivery.

With a longstanding connection to the Northern Territory, Jill remains a passionate advocate for its tourism and business events industries and has volunteered as a judge for both the Northern Territory Brolga Tourism Awards and the Qantas Australian Tourism Awards.

Jordan Tuit
Jordan Tuit is National Manager, ServicePlus Centres at Hostplus, one of Australia's largest industry super funds with more than 2 million members and over $160 billion in funds under management. With almost 20 years' experience in superannuation and financial planning, she has built her career around helping people navigate important financial decisions with confidence. Today, she leads Hostplus' national face-to-face member service channel, focused on delivering consistent, high-quality experiences for members across Australia. Jordan combines service leadership, financial expertise and a people-first approach, building on the fund's longstanding connection to Australia's tourism, hospitality, recreation and sport industries.

Josie Trayte
Josie Trayte is Marketing Manager at GTNT Group, leading marketing strategy, campaigns, key projects and events across the organisation. With a strong understanding of the Northern Territory’s vocational education and training sector, she supports GTNT Group and its business units, including Institute of Skills and Training Australia, Apprenticeships NT and GTNT Group Employment Services. Josie also supports apprentices and trainees through award recognition initiatives, celebrating their achievements and promoting the value of VET pathways.

Leanne Paige
Leanne brings diverse experience across the tourism industry, spanning destination marketing, industry development, international market engagement, tourism operations, regional tourism, and stakeholder partnerships. Her experience is complemented by board and advisory roles with organisations including Nitmiluk National Park and the Kakadu Tourism Consultative Committee. Leanne is passionate about recognising excellence, innovation, and leadership that contribute to a thriving and sustainable tourism industry.

Liz Cruse 
Liz Cruse has lived in Darwin for more than 18 years and has built a career spanning media, communications, strategy, engagement and leadership in the Northern Territory. Liz is currently General Manager – Strategy, Engagement and Communications at Aboriginal Investment NT where she leads work across organisational strategy, stakeholder and community engagement and communications. She is passionate about the Territory and supporting initiatives that create meaningful social and economic opportunities.  Liz is also actively involved in the Darwin community and is well known for her media work with AFL and volunteering in netball and rugby league.

Megan Aston
Megan has built a diverse career in tourism, with experience across Australia and overseas in group touring, tour operations, business development, mentoring and training. Passionate about the visitor economy and the role tourism plays in connecting people with places and cultures, she has developed a broad understanding of the industry and the skills needed to succeed within it. Her experience spans working directly with visitors, supporting tourism businesses, and helping develop tourism professionals across a variety of sectors. 

As a Tourism Lecturer at Charles Darwin University, Megan works closely with students and industry stakeholders to support workforce development and strengthen the future of the tourism sector. She is a strong advocate for regional and Indigenous tourism and is passionate about showcasing the unique experiences, stories and cultures that make Central Australia and the Northern Territory such remarkable destinations. Through education, industry engagement and collaboration, Megan is committed to supporting a sustainable and thriving tourism industry for future generations.

Nicole Battle
Originally from Victoria, Nicole moved to Alice Springs in June 2022 to take up the position of Director Community Development for Alice Springs Town Council. With almost twenty years' experience working in Local Government, Nicole is passionate about the important role that tourism can play in empowering local communities, acting as a vital engine for both economic growth and cultural celebration.

Rae Finlay
Rae has called Alice Springs home and worked for the Northern Territory Government for seven years. She is currently Acting Regional Executive Director for the Big Rivers region with the Department of the Chief Minister and Cabinet. Before moving to the Territory, she worked across New Zealand and the Pacific Islands in tourism, major events, economic development, business and the not-for-profit sector. Rae is passionate about the role tourism, local businesses and major projects play in building strong regional communities.

Tracey Diddams
Tracey has worked in the tourism industry for over 25 years. Starting her tourism journey as a Central Australian tour guide and later become an operations manager and regional business manager in Yulara, Kings Canyon, South Australia and Tasmania. Tracey then moved into the public sector spending five years as the Tourism and Visitor Services Manager for Kakadu National Park. Over the past eight years, Tracey has been a tourism, business planning and strategic communications consultant, running her own NT based business for five years. Tracey is now a Senior Consultant with TRC Tourism based in Mparntwe/Alice Springs and an Independent Auditor for Ecotourism Australia. She works on a range of projects across the NT and beyond, passionate about strategic planning, community-led tourism, business planning and Aboriginal tourism.