Events industry pioneer and Arinex founder Roslyn McLeod OAM has been awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Australian Event Awards.
Roslyn thanked her husband Angelo for his “enduring support” in her 47 years in business, as well as her family, staff at Arinex and new owner Nicole Walker.
“My mother said if you don’t have confidence in yourself how can you expect others to have confidence in you? So just like we heard, we all need to be confident in this business to tackle the challenges and produce the solutions and we’ve mostly been able to do that successfully,” she said.
Roslyn became the first Japanese-speaking Australian tour guide for the Australian Tourism Commission – now Tourism Australia – in 1970. Her business grew over the years, including the acquisition of The Meeting Planners in 2006, and Tour Hosts eventually rebranded to become Arinex in 2009. Roslyn retired in 2022, after handing over the reins to Nicole Walker, now co-owner and CEO.
In her working life, Roslyn held leadership positions across the domestic and global business events communities, including with Meetings and Events Australia (MEA), the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Tourism Australia, INCON (International Conference Network), IAPCO (International Association of Professional Congress Organisers), the Tourism Council of Australia and the South Australian Tourism Commission.
In announcing the award Peter Jones AM said Roslyn “helped transform the events industry”.
“It’s a rare thing to find someone who not only has the vision and drive to start something from scratch but also has the passion and the courage to say I can do this and then go on to build a business that succeeds and thrives,” he said.
“Who could predict that starting as a Japanese tour guide for the Australian Tour Commission would lead to so many extraordinary achievements. And yet through sheer perseverance and determination she built a successful business but helped establish an entre industry that has gone from strength to strength. Back then there were no industry associations and convention bureaux simply helped you find a venue.
“Everyone here tonight is a beneficiary of the pioneering work [Roslyn] has done for our industry. Her list of achievements is unprecedented.”
Co-chair of the Australian Event Awards judging panel, Peter Rix AM described Roslyn as a “pivotal early leader of Australia’s business events industry
“Her choices in her business led to the establishment of one of Australia’s major PCO brands that has shown Australian character and capabilities to the world through its work on international conferences.
“Her Lifetime Achievement Award is profoundly deserved and we’re delighted to be recognising and celebrating her immense contributions at this year’s Australian Event Awards ceremony.”
Nicole Walker added: “On behalf of the entire team at Arinex we congratulate Roslyn for this prestigious award, which is a fitting reflection of her hard work and visionary skills. Roslyn invested so much not only to Arinex, but in helping grow and support the industry and it’s fantastic to see this recognised.”