Roslyn McLeod OAM, founder of professional conference organisation
Arinex, was presented with an Honorary Membership of the International Congress
and Convention Association (ICCA).
The award was announced at the 61st ICCA
Congress in Krakow, Poland.
ICCA president James Rees
said the status of Honorary Membership is reserved for a small number of
retired individuals who have given particularly strong service to the
association.
“Usually, they have served on the Board, often
for extensive lengths of time; always they have volunteered their expertise, time
and energy; sometimes they have contributed vital strategic insights that have
helped guide our association forward,” Rees said.
“Occasionally they have played host to one of our
Congresses, perhaps the most stressful responsibility a member can
undertake. And always, they have been influential advocates on ICCA’s
behalf and great friends of this association.”
McLeod’s career in business tourism and events spans five decades and includes
building a internationally-recognisable event management company, Arinex. In 1999 She was awarded the Australian
Commonwealth Government’s Member of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her
outstanding contribution to the Australian tourism and meetings industry before
retiring in 2021.
McLeod attended the first
ICCA General Assembly in Bangkok in 1985. She became an official ICCA member in
1987. She then became an honorary secretary of ICCA from 1987 – 1990 and served as a board member
from 1996 – 2000 and again from 2002 – 2004. In 2018, ICCA named McLeod one of
the industry’s top 10 most inspirational women.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
