2022 Industry Leaders Breakfast

6.45am for 7.00am start   |    RACV Hobart Hotel, 154-156 Collins Street

This event always dishes up fresh perspectives and insights as our three panelists share their diverse experiences. As they reveal the challenges and rewards in balancing their lives, tips and sage counsel are added to the breakfast menu and absorbed by those in the room.

For a large helping of inspiration served alongside a delicious breakfast, some 'ah hah!' and ‘I know exactly how that feels” moments, join us at the RACV Hobart Hotel where MC, Hannah Gray will be joined by amazing women - Bernadette Woods, Kylie Bell and Melinda Anderson.

Bernadette Woods is one of Tasmania's finest chefs and most respected hospitality leaders.

From the rugged Northern Headlands of County Donegal, in Ireland, to the sun-soaked beaches of Noosa, Bernadette had already forged a reputation in the hospitality industry when she arrived in Tasmania to take up the role of general manager at Cradle Mountain Lodge in the late 1980s.

The youngest GM ever appointed by P&O Australia, Bernadette soon justified the company’s faith in her. When she arrived Cradle Mountain Lodge consisted of 8 cabins. By the time she left there were 86.
From there, Bernadette headed to Strahan to develop Strahan Village and run the historic Franklin Manor. The challenge of establishing The Elizabeth Street Pier then brought her to Hobart, taking up the role of GM to refurbish the two hotels and launch a rebranding for the group's hotels nationally. Following this, Bernadette opened her own restaurant, Catch, and launched the catering and theming business BW Events.

After selling Catch, Bernadette and her husband Mark Escott were searching for a new challenge and embarked on an ambitious venture to turn their 6.5 hectare property at Taroona into a unique private function venue, Glen Albyn Estate. As if life wasn’t busy enough, Bernadette now also runs Seagrass Long Point (Sandy Bay) and Waterline (Brooke St Pier), and is about to launch Hobart's first super yacht, Mustique.

You'll soon discover that Bernadette’s success not just been based on talent, hard work and business acumen, but also on an irresistible and contagious generosity of spirit and zest for fun (or craic, as they say in her homeland).

Kylie Bell, with her sister Tamika, is co-founder and manager of Compass Hut, Tasmania's first council-approved tiny-house-on-wheels eco-accommodation.

Kylie initially trained at Launceston’s School of Architecture, set for a traditional career path. However, a summer job hosting and managing two heritage bed and breakfast properties in Sandy Bay (Red Awnings), and later Villa Howden, had an impact. Combining her passions of architecture and design, with her new love for tourism, Kylie set out to achieve a dream of designing and running her own property.

Supported by her family, Kylie worked on a new business idea, co-founding Wagonhaus Co Pty Ltd – a building company that designs and manufactures tiny houses (Australia's third and Tasmania's first). Compass Hut was launched in early 2019 on the family's organic farm in north-west of Tasmania. Since then, the eco-accommodation business has achieved a range of media coverage and popularity. Each project has a unique design and is built around solar passive and sustainable design principles, with a complete, hybrid/off-grid solar & battery system to support them.

Kylie was awarded the Tourism Minister's Young Achiever award in 2021 and became a Finalist in 7News Tasmanian Young Achiever Awards mid-2022 (tourism and hospitality category). Driven by her passion for the tourism industry and the bigger picture, Kylie is currently lead co-ordinator of a new tourism group on Tasmania's north-west coast. She was also elected to the Devonport Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Executive Committee in June and appointed as its Chair of the Tourism Sub-Committee.

Melinda is a passionate tourism and marketing professional having worked for over 25 years in the industry.

Her diverse experience has seen her work across the private, local and state government and not for profit sectors and in multiple states.

Roles have included Marketing Director at Sovereign Hill in Ballarat, Research Manager at Tourism Victoria, Business Development Manager at Victorian Tourism Industry Association, Tourism Manager Launceston City Council, General Manager Tscharke Wines (Barossa Valley), and CEO Destination Southern Tasmania.

Melinda's current role is Marketing Manager of the award winning Pennicott Wilderness Journeys. She has been with the Pennicott team since 2018 and manages the marketing of the growing portfolio of eco tourism experiences including launching Wilsons Promontory Cruises in Victoria and taking on Wineglass Bay Cruises in 2019.