Natasha Mahar
Natasha Mahar’s (‘87) career and travel journey has seen her face some unique challenges in remote parts of Australia and the world through her career in Tourism, Marketing and Business.
To begin Old Scholar Stories for 2022, LOSA would like to recognise Natasha Mahar’s (‘87) journey as the CEO of Australia’s North West Tourism; she reflects on the skills boarding at Loreto provided her with and still present useful each day.
Natasha in her own words:
1987 seems like such a long long time ago, enjoying potato chip filled rolls with our day scholar mates during lunch break; when we had “I survived Boarding School” t-shirts with our nicknames screen printed on the back to celebrate graduation from Loreto and freedom from the Boarding House! Such fond memories of the mischief we made, those poor nuns!
Fast Forward 35 years into the future and I find myself quite a few kilometres from Adelaide. Prior to arriving in Broome, Western Australia nearly 14 years ago, after studying Tourism in 1988 (and then being kicked out for failing statistics – though that’s another whole story…) I (eventually) completed my tertiary studies in Tourism Management and commenced my career at the Adelaide Hilton. It was around the mid-nineties when the desire to wander the world was greater than anything else happening at the time.
After extensive overseas travel including living in Panama – Central America, a period in London working for companies from BHP to the Body Shop HQ and zig-zagging my trusty backpack through Ireland, Europe, USA, Mexico and Canada, I returned to Australia and established an award-winning corporate gifting business in Melbourne.
The Kimberley called for a holiday soon after I had sold my business in Melbourne. I had always dreamed of visiting the Bungle Bungle Range in Western Australia’s Kimberley region. I remember that “Helen Daniels” from Neighbours painted them in an episode once. As usual, all the boarders had rushed up from dinner to grab the best bean bag in front of the tele in the common room. In excited anticipation we would wait for the drama to unfold on the Aussie soap. Who knew then that 35 years later I would call the Kimberley home all thanks to that episode I watched.
Being a “salt water” woman I settled in Broome on the coast and was soon the General Manager of the Broome Visitor Centre. At first the locals weren’t friendly due to an “outsider” being appointed to this position, so I had to prove myself. The boy’s club was alive and well in this remote country town.
Moving on from that role, I spent around five and a half years working in marketing and business development with a wonderful family-owned business, “The Great Escape Charter Company”. I was tasked with the tough gig of promoting a bucket list holiday of a lifetime; expedition cruising along the Kimberley Coast in barefoot luxe on a white boat with a helicopter on board! This had me travelling all over Australia and even to Marrakesh in Morocco to spread the word.
Australia’s North West Tourism (ANW) is the Regional Tourism Organisation for the Kimberley and Pilbara regions in Western Australia. As CEO, I lead the team, manage ANW’s operational activities under the organisation’s five key strategic pillars, as well as developing and maintaining strong relationships across the industry and with our members. I steer the organisation’s direction, develop strategy, attend trade and industry events and lead creative collaboration on destination development and marketing. Working closely with ANW’s Chair, I ensure that industry leaders and stakeholders are involved with ANW activities and projects.
Running a not for profit, membership based, tourism related incorporated association with the State Government one of your funding partners, in a very remote location, is not without its challenges!
The North West is a vast region - for reference, the Kimberley is larger than Germany or 847,000 times the size of the Vatican, and the Pilbara can possibly squeeze two UK’s in there. Leading such a remote organisation requires traits of resilience, diplomatic assertiveness, charm, creativity, adaptability, the ability to juggle a myriad of personalities, quick thinking, and absolutely demands 4WD knowhow and skilful road-train passing abilities!
We have created some noteworthy destination marketing campaigns including Shane Jacobson losing his shoes and learning how to “Slip into Broome Time” and we won the gong for Best Destination Marketing Campaign in the WA Tourism Awards, with a cheeky piece about some grey nomads getting up to all sorts of antics on a Kimberley self-drive trip. I found myself leading a production and filming crew to make this happen. (Fake it until you Make it?!)
Being a female in a leadership role in outback Australia has its challenges and its charms. I have had my fair share of naysayers and a small group of gentlemen who wanted me removed from my position as CEO of ANW at one of our AGM’s. Thankfully they resoundingly lost that vote 72 to 4! A huge vote of confidence in my leadership from the clear majority of our members.
I look back on my schooling years at Loreto and realise the basic principles and values I learnt have carried me through my career and have ultimately led me to lead with passion, empathy, integrity, respect and a little good humour thrown in for good measure. The setbacks have just encouraged me to be more resilient, learn, improve and be better.
Now with borders opening it’s time to start travelling the world again to encourage visitors to explore their spirit of adventure in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions and I am the lucky girl who gets to do that….. and she lands on her feet again.
