New Advance Cairns CEO sees unique opportunities for the region

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Jacinta Reddan has fond memories of Cairns, bungy-jumping and diving on visits to promote tourism 20 years ago.

Now, she’s moving here, as the new CEO of advocacy and economic development organisation Advance Cairns.

“The opportunity to return to Australia in an extraordinary role, in one of the most beautiful places in the world, was just serendipity and seemed perfect to me,” Ms Reddan said via video-link from Hong Kong.

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She’s been based there for over 20 years, enjoying an impressively broad career in business, marketing, and communications.

Ms Reddan was CEO of the 1400-member Australian Chamber of Commerce, the country’s largest international chamber.

Among other things, she’s been head of communications and marketing at two global financial services corporations and led Tourism Australia’s regional marketing during the lead-up to the Sydney Olympics.

Advance Cairns executive chairman, Nick Trompf, said he’s delighted to announce Ms Reddan’s appointment.

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“She brings to the role a unique mix of skills and experience in journalism, marketing, stakeholder relationship management, government affairs," he said.

“She brings with her an experience in the Asia Pacific region that will be invaluable, not just to Advance Cairns, but to the broader region.

“Importantly, for us, she has a great feel for the tourism sector.”

Ms Reddan said she’s looking forward to putting her international perspective to work for Cairns and the region.

“I’d like to be looking at how I can tap into my Asia Pacific networks, particularly as the world reconnects, coming out of COVID, and as airlines are looking to re-establish routes that have been put on hold," she said.

“I’ll be very keen to see how I can support those initiatives.

“Advance Cairns has put forward a very robust submission to government, so we look forward to seeing what the budget comes out with next month.

“We’ll be taking a focus on that, and we’ll be working really closely with the chairman and the board to realise their strategic vision.

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Ms Reddan grew up in south-west Victoria, where she began her career as a journalist at the Warrnambool Standard.

She worked for the Victorian Government before moving to Hong Kong.

She's acknowledged the pandemic has been tough on the Cairns economy but said there are now good opportunities for the region.

“Coming out of covid presents a unique opportunity, and the destinations that seize that opportunity while it exists are going to be ahead of the game," she said.

“A lot of the big institutions from the markets across Asia are looking for safe havens to invest their capital in times of global market volatility and uncertainty.

“Australia has long had a well-deserved reputation for being a very safe haven for capital growth, a market that offers certainty, stability, and security.

“I do think there is appetite, there’s a lot of interest around the region in destinations, in markets and in sectors, where there’s opportunity for growth.

“Health and allied care, that’s a major sector that a lot of the big institutional investors are looking at.

“And there’s education. As international travel picks up, international students will return. That’s another really important opportunity.

“Whether you’re a large corporate or a small to medium enterprise, the ability to come together with a shared purpose and be able to effect change when you work together, it’s one of the things that really inspires me about an organisation like Advance Cairns.

“I look forward to working with all of the members and all of the stakeholders so we can, together, build a strong vision for the region.”

Ms Reddan begins her new role on October 4.