The challenge for the industry is… To shift away from ‘mass’. I’m generalising here, but the tourism industry is unnecessarily obsessed with the idea of needing to be everything to everyone.

There are exceptions, but many aspects of the industry have commoditised themselves, both in the product they offer and the way they communicate with consumers.

There’s a massive opportunity to reinvent the way we do business but making the shift is a very real challenge when short-term sales pressure guides priorities. It's an environment ripe for competition from new upstarts.

The things I like about my job are… I get to spend my days helping organisations to inspire people to travel.

I love creativity and being surrounded by inspiring people who are genuinely passionate about what they do.

I really enjoy the challenge of helping our clients to see a different perspective and to break through some of the legacy thinking that's ingrained in tourism marketing.

I also love what many of the people in our industry are doing to help make the world a better place – travel tends to expand peoples’ worldview so it is a very human and very humbling industry to be part of.

And the frustrations… I’m very lucky; I really don’t have too many frustrations… Perhaps my big frustration is not having enough hours in the day. I also wish I could more quickly transfer everything we’ve learned in the last 10 years to people who are trying to get consumers to take notice of the great experiences they have to offer.

If I didn’t work in travel I would be a… Very bored person? That's probably not the answer you’re looking for. I’d probably go back to teaching kiteboarding or skiing somewhere exciting in the Northern hemisphere while I worked on a new business idea.

Qantas or Virgin? They’re too similar so I’ll sit on the fence on this one and choose Jet Blue. It's a US airline. They absolutely won my heart in 2009 when they offered a one month ‘All you can jet’ pass anywhere on their flight network for $500. It’s pretty much my dream come true. They did it in their quietest month to fill up seats and built a huge advocacy base along the way. I’m definitely one of them.

The team at Finnair are also rock stars. They were great to work with on the ‘World’s first conference on a plane’ that we put on in Finland in April.

My proudest moment was… Easy. The moment my fianc√© agreed to tackle our lives together…after walking for two weeks around the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal.

The naughtiest thing I ever did was… Sorry… no can do. Mum’s probably going to read this and share it with all of her friends.

I try to relax by… Kiteboarding. It’s my form of meditation.

The last time I feared for my life… Almost every time I hail a cab off the street in Sydney instead of using Uber.

If I can, I always try to avoid… Checking baggage. Travelling light is much more fun.

I really wish I had… All of the incredible people I’ve met around the world in one place. Its nice to have friends spread around the world to visit, but it would be very special if all of the people that are important to me could stay in one place!

The best advice I’ve ever received was… “Always start off the way you mean to go on.” It applies to everything.

I don’t understand why… Human beings are so adverse to change. Actually, I do understand why we have evolved to be that way. But it's a shame when we let a fear of the unknown hold us back from what we really want.

My greatest weakness is… Staying focused on the things that are really important…its something I constantly work on.

And my greatest strength… I’ve always found a way to chase what I’m passionate about even when there are external pressures pushing you in other directions.

If I was prime minister I would… Don’t get me started… Two things jump to mind.

Not being a career politician, I’d totally reform the political system to eliminate the influence of corporations. The world desperately needs more of the type of leaders that you can read about in history books, not those who are in the game for themselves.

The glaring opportunity is for government to shrug off pressure from the carbon economy and incentivise green industry to clean up the way the developed world does business as quickly as possible.

The technology we need largely exists but the carbon economy is still cheaper for consumers and a handful of companies are doing everything they can to keep it that way. The government could stimulate a huge boost in employment and wealth creation by creating certainty around the future demand for clean alternatives.

The economies that lead the next phase of our energy supply will probably win on a similar scale to the current energy leaders. Oh…and they may also stop irreversible damage to our biosphere before its too late.

If I won $1 million on the lottery I would… It sounds clich√© but I wouldn’t change anything. Once you’ve got a regular wage, more money doesn’t make you any happier. I’d make sure our parents are comfortable in their retirement and then either support or develop a program that supports young entrepreneurs.

If I could be someone else for one day I would be… Pass…too hard!

I’ve always wanted to travel to… Jericoacoara in Brazil. Lindsay and I are going there in September for our honeymoon!

My favourite holiday was… I can’t answer this one… Way too hard. I like to stay for extended periods of time to really experience a destination like a local. I really loved the time I’ve spent in the US. There are some incredible parts of that country.