Chamber welcomes tourism appointment
The Peninsula Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the announcement of newly appointed chief executive officer of Central Coast Tourism Mr Oliver Philpot.
"The appointment of Oliver Philpot came following a strong response from a range of both national and international candidates," said chamber president Mr Matthew Wales.
Mr Wales said it was understood that one of Mr Philpot's first jobs would be to undertake a "comprehensive review" of Central Coast Tourism and its operations.
"As part of this review, we hope that CCTI will ensure that the Peninsula has a greater role in the overall strategic plan and that small to medium size operators have a greater say in the direction that CCTI takes in the future," Mr Wales said.
"We also see it is imperative that membership entry levels for small to medium size tourist operators are made more affordable and that avenues to provide constructive input are provided."
Mr Wales said: "Mr Philpot's appointment came as result of the departure of the previous chief executive officer Horst Endrulat earlier this year.
"Mr Endrulat did a great job and the chamber was very sorry to see him leave after his strong support for local tourism and particularly the Brisbane Water Oyster Festival.
"However, Mr Philpot appears to have an impressive range of tourism skills at national, state and regional level which secured the CCTI Board's support.
"The Peninsula Chamber is looking forward to working with the new CEO and to cement the well-established relationship between the organisations."
Central Coast Tourism chairman Mr Barton Lawler said Mr Philpot would contribute a great deal of experience to the top job.
"Oliver quickly demonstrated his impressive set of skills and experience in the tourism industry at the national, state and regional levels and drew a high level of appeal amongst the board members for the position," Mr Lawler said.
"We are fortunate to have someone who displays a strong mix of passion for the industry and our destination, as well as strong leadership experience across a variety of tourism management disciplines."
Having worked in the tourism industry for around 10 years, Mr Philpot has experience in a variety of domestic and international marketing roles including director of international marketing for Tourism Queensland and Australian product manager for Virgin Blue Holidays.
He also pioneered the "Great Sunshine Way" international marketing campaign, raising the profile of Southern Queensland in international markets, and was heavily involved in the "Best Job in the World" campaign that received worldwide acclaim for its innovation and cut through, according to Mr Lawler.
Press release, 3 Dec 2009
Ginnie Thompson, Central Coast Tourism
Press release, 6 Dec 2009
Matthew Wales, Peninsula Chamber of Commerce