Andrew (Andy) Penn has been appointed as the new Chair of Visit Victoria - the agency responsible for attracting visitors to the state for work and play.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos today announced that Andy will replace current Chair Janet Whiting AM from 30 September 2024, who will step away after a successful five years in the role.
Andy has had a long and respected career leading public and private organisations - including as CEO of Telstra from 2015 to 2022 where he transformed the company significantly, improving customer service and financial performance.
He has also served as Chair of the Commonwealth Government's Industry Advisory Committee on Cyber Security.
Andy is passionate about arts and culture in Victoria, and is a member of the Council of Trustees at the National Gallery of Victoria. In 2020 he was awarded the Creative Partnerships Australia Business Leadership Award for his exceptional contribution to Australia's Cultural life by creating relationships between business and the arts.
In the 2023 Australia Day honours, Andy received an AO for distinguished service to business, charitable organisations, youth and the arts.
In addition to Andy's appointment as Chair, media personality and sports administrator Eddie McGuire AM has been reappointed to his role as Director on Visit Victoria's board.
These important appointments will continue Visit Victoria's work growing local, national and international tourism across the state.
Victoria's experience economy is currently the state's second biggest services export sector after international education.
In the year ending March 2024, tourism expenditure in Victoria reached a record high of $39.3 billion.
During the same period, Victoria welcomed 88.8 million visitors, who spent a total of 143.6 million nights in Victoria - an 18 per cent increase on the year before.
For more information about Visit Victoria, go to visitvictoria.com.
As stated by Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos
"Andy is an experienced leader and his expertise will make a significant contribution to Visit Victoria. I'm looking forward to working alongside him as Visit Victoria continues their work making our state Australia's most exciting, dynamic and diverse destination for all types of travellers."
"I would like to thank Janet Whiting for her incredible leadership during a huge period of growth for Victoria's tourism sector. Under your guidance Visit Victoria has secured world class major events, seen record tourism numbers - backing local jobs and operators right across the state."
