Angus Russell

Angus brings a wealth of knowledge and skills to lead the Advance Rockhampton team. He has a unique combination of technical and leadership experience in economic development, infrastructure planning, engineering and land use planning and has worked collaboratively with a diverse range of government and business stakeholders.

Angus has worked for Council for over 13 years and is a valued member of the executive leadership team. He has been involved in the planning of a number of major projects including Rookwood Weir, the Gracemere Overpass, Gracemere Industrial Area and Rockhampton Ring Road. Prior to joining Council, Angus spent 18 years in the Queensland Public Service in agencies including State Development, Premier and Cabinet, Natural Resources and Primary Industries.

In this role, he consolidates the Advance Rockhampton, Strategic Planning and Community Master Planning teams to enhance the regional economic development efforts of Council.

Angus is a long term Rocky and CQ resident and has a deep commitment to the future growth and prosperity of the region.

Wade Clark

Wade is responsible for driving agribusiness development, activation strategies and circular economy activities for Advance Rockhampton.

In agribusiness, Wade works to assist further development in supply chains, business development, business attraction and encouraging investment across beef, horticulture, cropping and aquaculture. In 2019, Wade was pivotal in organising the largest aquaculture development areas in Queensland to be located in the Rockhampton Region.

Wade's work in activation strategies include Mount Archer Activation Masterplan, the Rockhampton Recreational Fishing Development Strategy and the Advancing Mount Morgan Strategy. These strategies have driven significant investment from the State & Federal Government and assisted tourism development in the Rockhampton Region.

Zac Garven

Zac is an energetic and engaging tourism thought leader focused on the growth and promotion of the Rockhampton region through storytelling, product development, collaboration and showcasing authentic and innovative experiences to increase the region’s visitor economy.

He grew up in Rockhampton, but has had diverse careers in the tourism and business development sectors as well as working for Australia’s largest media and marketing companies in regional areas, metro cities and internationally in the USA.

Zac has held positions with: Queensland Government’s Young Tourism Leaders; Queensland Tourism Industry Council Young Professionals Mentoring Program; and Tourism and Events Queensland’s Southern Great Barrier Reef Destination Leaders Program.

Eileen Brown

As the Event Coordinator for Advance Rockhampton, Eileen leads the delivery of the region’s major events for Council and is responsible for developing an event calendar that works to promote the region and the liveability of Rockhampton.

Eileen has always organically settled into a coordination role within the event industry. She works with her team focusing on bringing great benchmark events to our region that align with our City and can put Rocky on the Radar as a destination to travel to for events as well as business, leisure and fun.

Across the major event roles that Eileen has been a part of she brings to the team a connection to local businesses across the event sector and a drive to work with local community. With innovative thinking and passion to deliver great events for the region, Eileen and her team work to continually deliver, grow and adapt to the evolving needs and requirements of this city.

Lauren Law

As the Tourism Coordinator for Advance Rockhampton, Lauren is responsible for leading the tourism team in destination marketing by developing and managing successful marketing campaigns to increase visitation to the Rockhampton region.

Having worked in various leadership roles across Gold Coast theme parks and major hotel chains, Lauren brings more than 20 years’ experience in the Tourism, Marketing and Events sector.

Lauren has been part of Council’s tourism team since 2018 and is passionate about finding innovative ways to promote our region and tourism experiences. She is proud to be part of a passionate team and excited to see the Explore Rockhampton brand continue to grow into the future. 

Thomas Degotardi

Thomas Degotardi is the Senior Graphic Designer at Advance Rockhampton. He oversees design and branding projects across multiple areas within Advance to present a cohesive and professional face is given to our economic, industry, tourism, and events projects.

Thomas has over a decade of experience within local government in the arts and marketing, and has recently come from a design studio environment with a renewed passion to present Rockhampton Region’s best and most unique qualities to the word.

His interest lies in developing compelling branding that is able to connect people with the essential ‘why’ of a brand. He believes the brand, as the face of the business, organisation or place, should reflect its deep underlying values. Ultimately to create an authentic connection with its customers and stakeholders. He is passionate about using the latest techniques and tools to bring forth a professionally designed product that reflects the professionalism of the organisation and instils a confidence in our brands.