- Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events
Brendan McClements, one of Australia's leading events and tourism executives, will serve as interim CEO of Visit Victoria, the state's primary tourism and business and major events company.
Mr McClements, a former chief executive of the Victorian Major Events Company, one of the predecessor bodies of Visit Victoria, was appointed this week by the Visit Victoria board.
Mr McClements led the Victorian Major Events Company for a decade until 2016 and most recently worked as Global Head of Events for events conglomerate TLA Worldwide and as a partner at Left Field Live, an international major event business.
Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula welcomed the interim appointment of Mr McClements, which follows the resignation of Visit Victoria's incumbent chief executive Peter Bingeman.
Victoria's visitor economy has expanded significantly since the Andrews Labor Government was elected to office in November 2014, with expenditure reaching a record $31 billion and that spending supporting 232,000 jobs across the state, including more than 85,000 jobs in regional areas.
The Labor Government is on track to meet its target of growing total visitor spending to $36.5 billion by 2025.
Mr McClements will start as interim CEO of Visit Victoria on 18 December. The Visit Victoria board will undertake a recruitment process to appoint a permanent CEO in early 2020.
As noted by Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Martin Pakula
"I welcome the appointment of Brendan McClements as interim CEO of Visit Victoria."
"Brendan's experience and leadership will be important in steering Visit Victoria through our peak tourism season and a busy major events calendar."
As stated by Visit Victoria chair Janet Whiting
"Brendan's deep experience in the sector will ensure Visit Victoria continues to perform as a world-leading tourism and events company."
As stated by Visit Victoria incoming interim chief executive Brendan McClements
"I am looking forward to working with the team at Visit Victoria - I thank the board for the chance to contribute to such an important part of Victoria's economy."
