I was raised in country Queensland attending high school in Toowoomba and university in Brisbane. My father is a returned Vietnam veteran who devoted his life to helping returned service man/women and their families. He secured me my first duty manager role at the local RSL through his service as president to the local branch and sub branch.

Why did you do a bachelor's degree in business, international hotel and tourism management and event management?

I was fortunate enough to attend a high school which had an executive chef and commercial kitchen. We could select a cooking subject as an elective in senior school. I fell in love with cooking and my chef pushed me to participate in a national cooking competition. I came second, to the only male in the competition, which sparked something in me to always strive to be the best version of myself no matter what is thrown at you and to become a female presence in hospitality. Combine this with a father who dedicated his life to helping others, hospitality seemed like the perfect fit. A way to do something I loved and connect with others deeply, whilst making life long memories and differences in peoples lives, this truly inspires me every day

What lesson did you learn in your first job as a manager for AccorHotels in Brisbane?

To never burn your bridges in the hospitality industry. I was lucky enough to work with two powerful female leaders in both my general manager and front office manager. Both gave me a commanding start to my career and passed on professional lessons that had served them well. The hospitality industry is surprisingly quite small and I always end up working with someone I know.

In 2009 you trained with Climate Reality Project founder Al Gore. What did you learn?

I was the only attendee at this training from the tourism and hospitality industry. Our industry is so fragmented that changing the way we do things has to come from an expectation movement in our community and our guests. Realising that for the immediate future I may only be able to control my circle of influence I had to do everything I could to start finding ways to reduce my impact on this world. Quickly realising that the way to make these changes quickly was to show the Return on Investment (ROI) and financial benefits to our organisations. It wasn't until I relocated to the gorgeous Hunter Valley that I have been able to do things on a much a larger scale. 10 years on and it is at the heart of every decision I make now.

In 2018 you left Sydney to be general manager at voco Kirkton Park in the Hunter Valley. What convinced you to make the tree change?

The hotel itself; an unknown hidden gem stole all of my heart. I am not going to lie, living in the Eastern Suburbs for so long means you become accustomed to a certain lifestyle and to now live in a small country town with one local pub and one café took a little adjusting.

voco belongs to the IHG Group of hotels. What are its eco-friendly policies?

It has a global initiative called Green Engage - an online environmental sustainability system that allows our hotels to measure and manage their impact on the environment. Hotels can choose from over 200 'Green Solutions' designed to help them reduce their energy, water and waste, and improve their impact on the environment.

Voco Kirton Park's approach?

As part of the voco brand philosophy the hotels have a commitment to reducing single use plastics, utilising reusable glass water bottles for conferencing, large eco friendly in room amenities (Aveda), specially designed shower heads to reduce water usage but not experience levels, specially made linen and room filler products made from recycled plastic.

Other initiatives?

voco Kirkton Park is committed to using items from the gorgeous estate in all of its food and beverage offerings. We have "rescue bees" for honey production, vegetable and herb gardens, recycled water irrigation systems, composting and on-site 'food waste managers', our adorable pigs and chickens. We built a 370 panel 100 KW solar farm in late 2018. We have cut our carbon output, energy and water usage and increased recycling by over 20 per cent in each area year on year.

The biggest challenge in implementing eco-friendly initiatives?

We are a business with financial targets we must meet. Ensuring there is a ROI for our owner is pivotal.

And the guest response?

Sustainable practices are an expectation now and guests are seeking out a brand that conforms with their own ethos and beliefs. The response has been tremendous.

What is in the pipeline?

Our "Trees for Bees" initiative. After you conference with us we gift a local native tree to off set the carbon from an event. We are planting the trees onsite at the property so the guests are encouraged to come back and visit them, great for our bee population too. We have partnered with "Carbon Neutral™" and encourage our guests to offset the remaining carbon through this program.