Paula Leishman
Paula has over 25 years’ experience in Conference and Event Management and is a Certified Event Manager through the Professional Conference Organisers Association; she is the Tasmanian Director of this peak industry body, a Board Director of Business Events Tasmania and was the 2012 Telstra Business Women’s Awards Business Owner of the Year for Tasmania, and recipient of the 2001 Telstra Small Business of the Year (Tas).
As the founder of Leishman Associates, Paula has been involved in the delivery of over 400 conferences and events, in all shapes and sizes.
When she’s not working or thinking about conferences, Paula spends time with family and friends and enjoying the view of the sparkling Derwent River from her home.
Brigitte Cunningham
With an extensive career in Tourism and Hospitality, Brigitte (Brig) joined Leishman Associates as a Conference Manager in 2008, and has a great track record of successful conferences under her belt and is respected by her clients who appreciate her attention to detail.
Now in the newly appointed role of Client Relationship Manager, Brigitte works alongside Paula to develop the business and ensure that we are exceeding client expectations.
Growing up on the beautiful Tasman Peninsula in Tassie, with the ocean right at her doorstep, it’s no surprise that that the outdoors is where she feels most a home. Mum to two young children, Brigitte loves sharing Tasmania’s beautiful backyard with them, weekends you’ll find them hiking around their 27-acre bush block, camping adventures in their caravan, kayaking or discovering one of Tasmania’s many secluded beaches.
Timothy Archer
Master’s in Business, with 30+ years of experience in hospitality, senior general management, international and local event management and corporate conferencing.
Tim is high detail, results driven and enjoys a challenge.
Tim joined the team in early 2018 as a Conference Manager, now works along side Paula and Brigitte as the Operations & HR Manager. Tim keeps busy with his two young children, outside activities and loves a good bike ride around many of the amazing tracks around Hobart.
Michelle Miller
Michelle has held the role of Association Manager for the Australian National Committee on Large Dams (ANCOLD) since she started with Leishman Associates back in 2009. In 2016 she took on the additional role of managing their annual conference and workshops. Having the advantage of using her insight on initiatives and values of the association, she is able achieve a consistent and holistic approach to the overall management.
Victoria Chapman
Toria has been with the Leishman team since 2010 after completing her degree in Business and Economics, majoring in International Relations and Business Management. Victoria has progressed from Administrator to Association Manager and Conference Manager for the Tertiary Education Facilities Management Association. She is a wealth of knowledge in the education sector.
Victoria is based in our Melbourne office, enjoys spending time with family and friends, and loves the diversity and vibrancy of Melbourne.
Theni Kuppusamy
As a Conference Manager, Theni’s role is to curate programs, lead the committee to achieve favourable results, ensure client and attendee satisfaction and multitask between several projects.
Theni is a seasoned conference professional with over 15 years of experience in organising conferences globally. A strategic thinker, driven and known to deliver in fast paced environments. She embraces any challenge thrown at her.
Theni, a Singaporean, has decided that the cooler climate of Tasmania is her preference.
Helene Stewart
Helene is currently in her 9th year as a Conference Manager with Leishman Associates, having come from a tourism and management background. A happy mix of repeat business and new clients, across a range of sectors, makes for busy and always interesting days.
Working part-time, Helene thrives on the challenge of maintaining connection and providing top service to her clients and colleagues and balancing that with commitment to her family and friends.
Helene’s strength is her calming and unflappable nature (so she’s told!). Perhaps that comes from spending quiet time walking and listening to music or to the hours of pulling weeds in her garden.
Kim Murray
Kim manages the Sponsorship and Exhibition component of a range of Leishman managed conferences, particularly in the science and education sectors. Her goal is to form long-term relationships with our Sponsors and Exhibitors which sees them return each year.
One day, Kim said to her husband, “Hobart looks nice”. Sixty days later they’d sold their Brisbane house, packed up their two dogs, driven two cars to Tassie, bought a house and renovated. It was a big year!
Kim happily confesses to being a “climate refugee” and when she’s not enjoying Tasmania’s more agreeable climate, she and her husband love discovering new and beautiful parts of the island, not to mention discovering new cellar doors.
A love of animals is shared with her colleague, Sandra. Kim also loves to travel, catch up with friends, cooking, wine and the arts.
Bree Blackwell
Bree began with Leishman Associates in 2016 as a Conference Coordinator. The past year has seen her progress to an Association Manager where she provides secretariat support and also manages their events.
She is a Tassie girl and thinks there is no place better to live. Her spare time is spent making sure she has no spare time. You will find her hiking in the bush, at the beach when the weather is warm enough, playing in a gym, baking in the kitchen – pretty much doing anything that doesn’t have her sitting down for too long.
Jenna Tomlin
Jenna has worked through the cogs of the business as a Conference Administrator, Paula’s PA and has most recently joined the finance and IT department to pursue her interests in business management.
Jenna holds a Bachelor of Business Administration (Tourism Management) and recently completed a Certificate IV in Bookkeeping. Jenna is passionate about developing sound business systems and making technical integration work, so she keeps up to date with innovations that help to make our services more streamlined and secure. Jenna is the IT go-to for the team.
Jenna is passionate about the wilderness and pursues her passions of trail running with her border collie, bushwalking, mountain biking and sailing. She has recently built a new home on the foothills of Mount Wellington where the trails are just outside her front door and she can cycle to work in under 15 minutes.
Kan Losaengsuwan
As the Sponsorship & Exhibition Coordinator, Kan works alongside Sponsorship Managers and across a wide range of conferences ensuring Sponsors & Exhibitors are happy, and deliverables are smooth.
Kan has an extensive background in meetings and conventions and is always keen to try a new restaurant or café.
Brogan Palmer
She has a Bachelor of Business in Tourism Management and a variety of Tourism, Marketing, Sales and Events experience
Brogan is a gypsy at heart and found herself in Tasmania 5 years ago. Since then, her and her partner have introduced a beautiful daughter with another addition not to far away.
You will find Brogan and her partner renovating their home or adventuring around the state, nothing beats being outside and enjoying the Tassie scenery. Her family, furbaby included, are the upmost priority to her, most being on the mainland so frequent travel is a must.
Sharon Lim
Sharon is very passionate when it comes to events and conferences. She completed her honours in International Events Management in the UK and her Masters on the Gold Coast. To complement this study, Sharon has worked in events, hospitality and as a florist to give her a wide range of skills to make things perfect!
Sharon’s loves travelling, both internationally and locally. When she travels overseas, she is excited to experience new cultures and food. She also enjoys getting in the car on the weekend, picking a direction and going to experience a new part of the beautiful state that is Tasmania.
Ariana Chan
Ariana completed her Master of Art in Language Translation & Interpretation in Brisbane. She has combined 10-year experience in hospitality and multicultural communication.
Ariana is attentive and client oriented. She also enjoys new challenges and learning new knowledge.
Ariana joins Leishman Associates in 2022 as a conference coordinator.
Outside of work, Ariana enjoys cooking, fitness training and hiking. She particularly loves nature’s wonders of Tasmania and amazing hiking tracks around Hobart.
