More than 150 Gold Coast business and tourism heavyweights converged on Bond University on November 12, to hear the Chief Executive Officer of Carnival Australia, Ms Ann Sherry AO discuss the growth of the Australian Cruise Industry at the final Bond Business Leaders Forum (BBLF) for 2010.
BBLF is an event which engages the wider Gold Coast community together with Bond University staff, students and Alumni and is quickly gaining a reputation as a must-attend event for local businesspeople.
Held over a formal lunch, guests enjoyed the opportunity to network and to meet Ms Sherry personally after listening to her dynamic presentation about the world of cruising, the astonishing logistics behind getting a Cruise liner ready for voyage, and the potential revenue that more ports would generate for local tourism industries.
As the CEO of Carnival Australia, Ms Sherry is at the helm of a global cruise company and one of the largest vacation companies in the world, managing a portfolio of 12 distinct brands, including the Cunard Line and P&O Cruises.
Prior to joining Carnival Australia, Ms Sherry became the first female CEO of a bank in New Zealand, serving as Westpac New Zealand Chief Executive Officer with responsibility for Westpac operations in New Zealand and seven Pacific countries.
She was previously the CEO of the Bank of Melbourne and First Assistant Secretary of the Office of the Status of Women in Canberra, advising the Prime Minister on policies and programs to improve the status of women in Australia. She was also Australia’s representative to the United Nations forums on human rights and women's rights.
In 2004, Ms Sherry was awarded an Order of Australia for her contribution to the Australian community through the promotion of corporate management policies and practices that embrace gender equity, social justice and work and family partnerships.
The Managing Director of Origin Energy Mr Grant King will speak at the next BBLF in April 2011.