MANAGING DIRECTOR School of Thinking
••• CALL NOW FOR ASSISTANCE •••
• Call: Ms Petrina Gillespie, Managing Director:
Inside Australia 0448 840 900
Outside Australia +61 448 840 900
• Send:
email for assistance
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Petrina Gillespie has joined School of Thinking as Managing Director. She has had a long association with SOT as an organiser and supporter of the school’s marketing activities and special events including the Melbourne On the Move Dinners in 1989, the Food For Thought Luncheons in 1998, the 2006 MasterClass Series and as the Executive Host of the Australian Thinker of the Year Awards since 2005.
Petrina Gillespie, Managing Director SOT, welcomes guests to the 2011 Australian Thinker of the Year Award
Ms Gillespie has many years of management experience. Most recently she held the senior management role of Director of Marketing at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) where she was responsible for all marketing and communications both nationally and internationally.
Petrina was also a member of the senior management team which successfully conceived, constructed and opened the new Melbourne Convention Centre as a world centre for scientific, business and government meetings and international conferences.
This project was a multi-million dollar public-private partnership (ppp) which involved extensive relationship development and management with government, business and stakeholders.
The Victorian Government’s substantial financial commitment to the new convention centre meant a concerted effort in the international and national business events market to attract a wide range of conferences and events to the centre. The economic flow on benefits of these events has far reaching financial benefits to the entire city.
Petrina led the integrated international campaign, in conjunction with the Melbourne Convention and Visitors Bureau (MCVB), which included advertising, direct mail, email campaigns, and extensive media and communications. In addition, she worked with Tourism Victoria, Tourism Australia and a range of Melbourne stakeholders and finally launched the new branding for the convention centre.
Prior to her time at MCEC, Petrina held senior management roles at Regent International Hotels and Four Seasons Hotels in Sydney and Melbourne. At that time, these hotels set benchmarks for a new standard of accommodation offerings in Australia.