Program & Speakers

Mark Richards is one of Australia's most accomplished ocean-racing sailors and a highly respected boatbuilder and marine industry leader. He is the Founder and CEO of Palm Beach Motor Yachts and the long-time skipper of the legendary 100-foot maxi Wild Oats, now reborn under his ownership as Palm Beach XI.

Richards' sailing journey began at age six in Newport on Sydney's Northern Beaches, racing Manly Junior dinghies before progressing rapidly through competitive sailing. By his early teens, he was already working as a dock attendant at the Royal Motor Yacht Club on Pittwater, driving the club tender, berthing member vessels, pumping fuel and supporting day-to-day marina operations.

After commencing a boatbuilding apprenticeship at Sydney Technical College, Richards combined hands-on craftsmanship with elite sailing, launching a professional racing career that included two America's Cup campaigns, World Match Racing victories, an Admiral's Cup win, and unparalleled offshore success. As skipper of Wild Oats XI, he led the yacht to nine Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race line-honours victories.

In 1995, Richards founded Palm Beach Motor Yachts. What began as a small Australian boatbuilding operation has grown into a globally recognised luxury motor yacht brand, now operating as part of Grand Banks Yachts, with Richards serving as CEO, chief designer and a major shareholder.

Today, the group has recently acquired Casey's Marina at Spring Wharf in Newport, the historic heart of American sailing and a former America's Cup venue. To be reimagined as the Grand Banks and Palm Beach Motor Yachts Marina.

Gihan Perera is a business futurist, conference speaker, AI researcher, and author who shows you how to be fit for the future in a fast-changing world.

For more than 30 years, he has worked with organisations and leaders throughout Australia and the world, helping them to lead in uncertainty and act with clarity and confidence.

He was recognised as one of the Top 30 Global Futurists in 2025. He is the author of Disrupted, Disruption By Design, The Future of Leadership, and ten other books.

Forbes magazine rated him the #5 social media influencer in the world (and #1 in Australia) in his area of expertise. He is also a Certified Speaking Professional and 2024 Educator of the Year.

Karen has held roles as General Manager and Chief Executive Officer in Yacht Clubs around Australia over the last 20 years, including Royal Motor Yacht Club Broken Bay, Middle Harbour Yacht Club, Fremantle Sailing Club and currently CEO at Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron.

In addition to these roles, Karen is actively engaged with the MIA (Marina Industry Association) including as a Director for 9 years, and a Director of the BIA (Boating Industry Association) for the past 2 years as well as working closely with Australian Sailing.

Karen is committed to improvement in all aspects of the businesses where she has worked in both facilities, member engagement, environment, good governance and financial sustainability.

Under Karen's leadership, Royal Motor Yacht Club Broken Bay was awarded the MIA Yacht Club of the Year in 2011, and Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron received the same award in 2023 and 2025.

Geoff Brailey is a social researcher, strategic advisor and Director of Solutions at the internationally recognised McCrindle. As an experienced researcher, Geoff understands how evidence-based insights can inform strategy and help organisations to thrive amidst change.

From his experience in solving business problems using research, Geoff has assisted organisations to identify new target markets and improve engagement levels with staff, donors and customers. Geoff regularly develops strategic recommendations that guide CEOs, business leaders, managers and teachers to communicate the trends and shape the culture.

Geoff integrates research statistics with visualised storytelling in his highly engaging presentations. He has presented to organisations across the education, aged care, real estate, government and NFP sectors.

Taylor Nugent is a Senior Economist in NAB's Global Markets Research team, providing clients with insights on the Australian economy, labour markets, inflation, and financial market trends. He is a regular contributor to the NAB Morning Call podcast, helping interpret daily market developments.

Taylor previously worked as an Economist and Analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia, bringing strong macroeconomic and financial markets expertise. He holds an Honours degree in Economics from the Australian National University, with earlier studies at Monash University.

Suzanne is the CEO of Marina Industries Association, a role she has held since 2020 following more than 15 years in senior management positions across the marina industry, including General Manager of Royal Prince Alfred Yacht Club and CEO of d'Albora Marinas. She served as a director of the Marina Industries Association from 2012 to 2020 and as Treasurer from 2013 to 2020. Suzanne was also a Director of Australian Sailing from 2019 to 2024.

Before entering the marina industry, Suzanne held senior leadership roles in several large domestic and international organisations and spent several years in the education sector as an undergraduate lecturer.

Jayson embodies the spirit of boating and the lifestyle experience that defines the Royal Motor Yacht Club Broken Bay. His dedication to the maritime community, coupled with his passion for boating and hospitality, continues to enrich the club and foster success for generations to come. His career has included roles as a captain on superyacht vessels, NSW Water Police and NSW Port Corporation.

Jayson has continued to maintain his professional maritime qualifications (AMSA NC 45). Coupling with his Marina Management (CMM) qualifications, a Diploma in Project Management and Business places him well as CEO of the Royal Motor Yacht Club. Jayson continues his positions on the Marina Industry Association education committee and his position on the Superyacht Australia committee.

Julien Pouteau is the Managing Director of d'Albora Marinas, Australia's leading premium marina network. With more than 25 years of experience across hospitality, marine operations, and asset management, Julien specialises in transforming waterfront assets into high-performing lifestyle destinations. He has led the integration of multiple marina acquisitions across Australia, with a strong focus on enhancing customer experience, driving operational excellence, and creating long-term asset value.

James is an accomplished strategist and future-focused thinker with over 25 years of international experience in both government and the private sector. He has advised on the creation of new towns, global innovation hubs, strategic infrastructure, major events, and tourism precincts.

An advocate for sustainable cities, James focuses on imaginative solutions that ignite community passions. His notable contributions include leading the development of the Brisbane 2032 Legacy Strategy, Brisbane City Centre Master Plan, serving as the overall Lead Designer for the Queen's Wharf redevelopment, and advising on the redevelopment and governance of Orchard Road in Singapore.

Mr James Roy was appointed Senior Marina Director of ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove, overseeing marina operations across more than 270 berths, as well as administrative and financial planning, regulatory compliance, strategic partnerships, and marina development projects.

With over 30 years of experience in the marine industry, Mr Roy brings deep expertise in marine engineering and operational management. Under his leadership, ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove has received numerous industry accolades, including International Marina of the Year (2021–2025), multiple Best Asian Marina of the Year awards, the Platinum Gold Anchor Award (2022), and Superyacht Ready Accreditation (2022).

Prior to this appointment, he managed marinas in Dubai and the United Kingdom and was based in the Middle East for 13 years.

David is the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian International Marine Export Group (AIMEX), Superyacht Australia (SYA) and Australian Commercial Marine Group (ACMG). He is also a current Vice President on the International Superyacht Society (ISS) board.

David is a graduate of the Royal Military College, Duntroon and served as an Army Infantry Officer on operations. Post military, David was the Manager Operations for the Far North Queensland Ports Corporation based in Cairns.

Since joining AIMEX in July 2018, he has successfully negotiated the Special Recreational Vessel Act 2019 (Charter Laws for Foreign Superyachts) and focused strongly on regional cooperation within the South Pacific and Asia.

Lyndon Turner is the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director of Nautilus Marine and NM Insurance, a position he has held since 2007. He leads a team of more than 80 staff across operations in Australia and New Zealand, overseeing all aspects of the business.

With over 25 years of experience in the insurance industry, Lyndon has held senior management roles and worked across claims, underwriting, broking, advocacy, and business development. In addition to his executive responsibilities, he serves as a Director of the Marina Industries Association and the New Zealand Underwriting Agencies Council.

Tim is a Principal within the firm's Commercial division. Acting for a broad cross-section of clients, including both private industry and government sectors, he has a particular interest in the areas of agriculture, marinas and independent education.

Tim's extensive experience involves advising local governments, marina clients and incorporated associations, agri-business transactions, negotiating and drafting Land Access Agreements, as well as commercial property leasing, acquisitions and reviewing.

Lorraine Yates CMP is the Manager of White Bay 6 Marine Park in Sydney and a Director on the Board of the Marina Industries Association. With extensive experience in marina and boatyard operations, she is known for her practical leadership, passion for safety and quality, and commitment to developing high-performing teams.

Under her management, White Bay 6 Marine Park was named Marina Industries Association Boatyard of the Year (under 20 boats) in 2025, and Sydney Harbour Boat Storage was inducted into the MIA Hall of Fame.

James Burbury is responsible for the leadership and management of a 30+ person team across offices in Hobart (TAS), Perth (WA) and a site office in Devonport, delivering projects across Tasmania, Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland and New Zealand.

James oversees financial performance, strategic planning, staffing, remuneration, contracts, client relationships and business development, while also providing technical leadership across marina projects, including planning and approvals, site investigations, infrastructure design, feasibility studies, procurement, project and construction management, as well as asset management and condition assessments.

Brett James is the General Manager of Southport Yacht Club (SYC), one of Queensland's largest and most prestigious yacht clubs. A former golf professional, Brett built the foundations of his career as Golf Director at Sanctuary Cove before transitioning into broader operations management roles, amassing over 20 years of experience across hospitality and sport management.

Following a successful stint in Christchurch, New Zealand, where he led the development of a thriving community centred around a championship golf and sports club, Brett returned to the Gold Coast to take the helm at SYC.

Under his leadership, the club has grown into Queensland's premier yacht club, with standout achievements including the 2022 opening of a world-class Superyacht Berth capable of accommodating vessels up to 135 metres, and an ambitious full marina redevelopment currently underway.

Bruce began his marine career in 1999 with Bellingham Marine New Zealand as Business Manager, becoming General Manager by 2001 after helping establish the standalone division from Fletcher Construction. In 2009, he moved to Dubai as Marina Business Unit Manager for Septech Emirates, returning to New Zealand in 2012 to resume the GM role.

In 2018, he led the launch of BMNZ's first piling division outside the US. He was appointed General Manager of Bellingham Marine Australia in 2021, completed the Advanced Marina Managers course in 2023, received CMP accreditation in 2024, and currently serves as Vice Chair of the MIA and Chair of the Global Marine Institute.

Farrokh has over 15 years' experience in the marine leisure industry, specialising in marketing. He led marketing and events for Marine Queensland, overseeing branding, boat shows and consumer engagement.

In 2007, he moved to Dubai, where he developed boat shows in Kuwait, Bahrain and Abu Dhabi, and managed marine publications, expanding his involvement in marina design, development and operations.

He now consults on market entry strategies across the Middle East, advises on boat shows, supports industry promotion through associations and conferences, and represents marina and marine-related products in the region.

Kristina Agustin is the Founder and Principal Digital Navigator of Southern Sky AI, a digital navigation practice providing calm, structured AI adoption for maritime leaders.

She works with leadership teams across commercial maritime, superyacht operations, and professional services — helping organisations understand AI clearly, establish documented direction, and make deliberate decisions about when and how to act.

Kristina is a qualified Australian lawyer and a dual Australian and U.S. citizen, with professional ties in both Australia and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her legal training sharpened her approach to risk, contractual accountability, and decision governance — capabilities that translate directly into how she guides AI adoption with clients.

She brings more than 20 years of international superyacht and maritime operational experience, beginning at sea and progressing through senior yacht management roles encompassing legal contract review, compliance, and operational oversight.

Andrew Chapman AM CMM has 40 years' experience in design, construction and management of marinas, shipyards and waterfront residential projects, with a hands-on approach to project management and a leading approach to planning.

Andrew is the President and Chairman of Directors of the Marina Industries Association, the peak industry body for the marina sector in the Australian, Pacific and Asia regions. He lectures in Marina Management internationally.

Andrew's hands-on experience in marina management was gained initially as CEO and Marina Manager at The Marina Hindmarsh Island, a greenfield purpose-built waterfront project incorporating a 1,200-berth harbour and all associated marina services. Having attained 5 Gold Anchor in 2003 and Clean Marina status, the system that GMM & Marina Solutions operate meets ISO 14001, the international standard for Environmental accreditation.

Most recently Andrew has overseen the day-to-day operations at Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard, the benchmark superyacht facility that established the Coomera Marine precinct 25 years ago.

Andrew understands yachting and the expectation of the owners and their families. He has set up and operated boatyards with rail slipway, straddle carriers and hydraulic trailers, new boat sales and all the support services required to run a large marina including salvage operations. Andrew has experienced most management issues over time and understands that marinas are not just boat parks but places for families to create memories and enjoy recreational time together whilst returning financially to the facility's owners.

Tevž Grögl is the Project Manager for AI and software innovation at Marina Master, one of the marina industry's most widely adopted management platforms. With over 20 years of experience delivering complex software solutions, he brings deep technical fluency and a practical, outcome-first approach to digital transformation.

At Marina Master, he is responsible for shaping the product's AI development roadmap — ensuring new capabilities deliver measurable value for marina operators, business owners, and the boaters they serve.

At the forefront of applied AI since its rapid emergence, Tevž has focused on identifying where artificial intelligence creates genuine operational gains rather than noise. At Marina Master this translates into live and in-development features — from face-recognition access and automated document inspection to an evolving dashboard and widget framework that surfaces AI-generated insights tailored to each marina, each user group, and each operational context.

At Marinas 2026 he will offer an honest, insider view of where AI is already delivering, what a realistic adoption roadmap looks like, and how to ask the right questions of your software supplier.

Les Binkin is an experienced marina professional with many years in the industry and holds the internationally recognised Certified Marina Manager (CMM) accreditation. With strong family ties to the marine sector, he brings a long-standing personal connection and deep professional commitment to waterfront and boating operations.

His career spans marina operations, planning, design, and ownership, including involvement in more than 1,100 berths across five marina sites. Contributing to the planning and design of efficient, commercially successful marina facilities, with a focus on operational performance, user experience, and sustainability.

Les is a Board Director of the Marina Industry Association and is recognised as a CMM for senior-level capability in leadership, financial management, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence within the international marina industry.

Martin is the Group Risk Manager for d'Albora and joined the business in 2013. Prior to this he worked for Australian Sailing, Clipper Ventures, and completed a career in the British Army (Royal Engineers) as a Utilities & Petroleum Fitter tradesperson. He occasionally works as a freelance Examiner for the Royal Yachting Association (RYA).

Martin brings a wealth of experience to the industry with his broad Engineering and Maritime backgrounds. His current position is focused on managing operational risk and compliance across the d'Albora business along the East Coast of Australia.

Andrew Hutchinson is the Marine Industry Specialist at Invest Gold Coast, the City of Gold Coast's investment and economic development organisation. In this role, he serves as a key point of contact for businesses operating in or looking to enter the Gold Coast's thriving marine sector, one of the most advanced marine industry clusters in the Southern Hemisphere, contributing over $1.2 billion annually to the local economy.

Prior to his current position, Andrew held a Business Engagement Officer role with the City of Gold Coast, where he developed strong ties with the local business community. With a deep understanding of the Gold Coast's marine and maritime landscape, Andrew plays a pivotal role in connecting industry stakeholders, facilitating investment, and supporting the growth of one of the region's most dynamic and fast-expanding economic sectors.

Tom Tate has served as Mayor of the Gold Coast since April 2012, leading Australia's sixth-largest city through four consecutive terms following re-elections in 2016, 2020 and 2024.

A qualified civil engineer and graduate of the University of New South Wales, he began his career in the construction industry before transitioning into tourism and hospitality, building a strong foundation in business and investment.

As Mayor, Tom Tate has championed a clear message that the Gold Coast is "open for business," helping restore confidence and drive significant investment across the city. Under his leadership, the Gold Coast has embraced growth and innovation, with a forward-looking focus on transport and digital infrastructure, health and education, major events, culture, and business development — building on the legacy of the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Committed to strengthening the local economy, creating jobs, and preserving the city's enviable lifestyle, Mayor Tate is also a strong advocate for the marine industry. Born in Asia, he brings a multicultural perspective to his role and is fluent in three languages.

Dave is the General Manager of Pine Harbour Marina, where he leads the overall management and strategic direction of the facility. He is responsible for overseeing all aspects of operations, including 555 marina berths, 169 drystack storage slots, haul-out and hardstand services, tenant and facilities management, financial performance, regulatory compliance, and long-term growth and development initiatives.

With more than 35 years of experience in the automotive and manufacturing sectors, Dave brings a strong background in senior leadership, operational efficiency, and commercial performance. His expertise in sales and manufacturing management underpins the marina's continued development, high standards of customer service, and operational effectiveness.

Combining strategic oversight with practical, hands-on experience, Dave ensures Pine Harbour Marina continues to operate as a well-managed and forward-focused marine facility.

Brad is Managing Director at MA Financial, a global alternative asset manager specialising in private credit, real estate and hospitality. With a strong background in investment management and capital markets, he plays a key role in driving the firm's strategic initiatives and client relationships. His deep understanding of alternative investments and structured products has been instrumental in expanding the firm's capabilities and market presence in the Australian financial services sector.

Brad has been instrumental in MA Financial's acquisition and expeditious growth of the d'Albora Marina portfolio. Since 2023, the group has grown from eight to now 17 marinas, with its latest acquisition Gold Coast City Marina & Shipyard on the Gold Coast.

Chris leads the Gold Coast Waterways Authority (GCWA) through place-based planning and delivery and management of marine and land-based infrastructure that improve access, connections and destinations for the Gold Coast waterways users and the community.

Prior to joining GCWA, Chris was the Sustainability Director at the City of Sydney, where he led the City to become the first carbon-neutral, certified government organisation in Australia, to implement decentralised energy and water grids, to embed climate resilience into an $8B asset portfolio, and to establish globally leading industry partnerships.

Chris has previously worked in the property, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors, both locally and overseas, in government and consulting roles. Chris has an Environmental Engineering Degree, an Executive MBA, and is a recipient of the Vincent Fairfax Leadership and Ethics Award.

Brett Field is a senior commercial property and infrastructure executive specialising in renewable energy leasing, Crown land portfolio management, and multi-billion-dollar valuation programs. He brings deep experience advising Ministers, navigating complex regulatory and First Nations environments, and advancing commercial outcomes aligned to public value.

Brett is recognised for the delivery of the long awaited NSW Crown Land Marina Leasing framework, a reform project to ensure consistency across agencies leasing land to marinas in NSW. Brett and his team collaborated with the key stakeholders to deliver an outcome that provides transparency, predictability and security of tenure to investors partnering with Crown Lands, while ensuring public value and public amenity for the community are maximised.