Former Telstra Chief Executive appointed as new Chair of Visit Victoria

Visit Victoria has appointed former Telstra Chief Executive, Andrew Penn, as its new Chair - with Penn to replace current Chair Janet Whiting from 30th September 2024, who will step away after a successful five years in the role.

Visit Victoria is the agency responsible for attracting visitors to the state for work and play.

Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events Steve Dimopoulos shared "Andy is an experienced leader and his expertise will make a significant contribution to Visit Victoria. I'm looking forward to working alongside him as Visit Victoria continues their work making our state Australia's most exciting, dynamic and diverse destination for all types of travellers."

"I would like to thank Janet Whiting for her incredible leadership during a huge period of growth for Victoria's tourism sector. Under your guidance Visit Victoria has secured world class major events, seen record tourism numbers - backing local jobs and operators right across the state."

Former CEO of Telstra from 2015 to 2022, Penn has also served as Chair of the Commonwealth Government's Industry Advisory Committee on Cyber Security.

Penn is passionate about arts and culture in Victoria and is a member of the Council of Trustees at the National Gallery of Victoria. In 2020 he was awarded the Creative Partnerships Australia Business Leadership Award for his exceptional contribution to Australia's Cultural life by creating relationships between business and the arts.

In the 2023 Australia Day honours, Penn received an AO for distinguished service to business, charitable organisations, youth and the arts.

In addition to Penn 's appointment as Chair, media personality and sports administrator Eddie McGuire AM has been reappointed to his role as Director on Visit Victoria's board.

These important appointments will continue Visit Victoria's work growing local, national and international tourism across the state.

Victoria's experience economy is currently the state's second biggest services export sector after international education.

In the year ending March 2024, tourism expenditure in Victoria reached a record high of $39.3 billion.

During the same period, Victoria welcomed 88.8 million visitors, who spent a total of 143.6 million nights in Victoria - an 18% increase on the year before.

For more information about Visit Victoria,