Patricia O’Callaghan will be Tourism and Events Queensland’s (TEQ) new Chief Executive Officer, following an extensive search, bringing her extensive experience in the tourism industry, particularly within Queensland, to the CEO role.
Ms O’Callaghan is currently the CEO of Destination Gold Coast and previously held the CEO position at Townsville Enterprise Limited and will start in the TEQ position in January 2023.
She replaces current CEO Leanne Coddington, who led TEQ for nine years.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Ms O’Callaghan brings years of experience to the role.
“Patricia will head up our state’s lead tourism marketing organisation and lead it through the post-COVID-19 tourism landscape where we are well positioned to cement our reputation as Australia’s best holiday destination,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“I congratulate Patricia on her new role and look forward to working with her as we continue our post-COVID economic recovery and promote Queensland around the world.”
Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said Ms O’Callaghan had an expert understanding of Queensland’s visitor economy.
“With an intimate knowledge of the diversity of the State’s visitor experiences, Ms O’Callaghan is an obvious choice to lead TEQ and turbo-charge Queensland’s tourism recovery,” he said.
Mr Hinchliffe also thanked Leanne Coddington for her nine years as TEQ’s CEO.
“Ms Coddington’s tourism expertise has been tremendously valuable to operators navigating the once-in-a-lifetime challenges of the pandemic,” he said.
“I want to thank Leanne for 25 years of service to the Queensland tourism industry and wish her well for the next chapter.”
Ms O’Callaghan said she was excited to get started and looked forward to working with the industry to drive strong visitation growth to Queensland.
“There is so much opportunity ahead of us, particularly with the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics, and much work to be done, and I am excited and committed to serving this industry through these exciting times.”
Advisors can find out more about Queensland holidays here.
For more info, visit teq.queensland.com
