Nightlife and Creative Industries Advisory Panel

Kat is a queer multidisciplinary arts practitioner dedicated to building inclusive communities and engaged audiences. She's best known as the creative director and founder of Heaps Gay, an award-winning organisation creating LGBTIQA+ events and festivals since 2013. During the pandemic, Kat unveiled Summer Camp Festival. She also transformed a long-abandoned Chinatown cinema into Pleasures Playhouse, a vibrant Sydney hotspot. Kat has over a decade of experience freelance with art institutions, festivals and organisations building creative experiences including as creative director of Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the MCA Artists Ball. She also has sat on many panels and advisory boards.

As CEO of the Night-Time Industries Association (NTIA), Mick leads efforts to shape Sydney after dark, driving policy reform, industry collaboration and business growth across the hospitality, live entertainment and cultural sectors. With a career spanning public affairs, advocacy and strategic leadership, Mick has built strong relationships with government, industry stakeholders and investors to advance policy, unlock new opportunities and ensure sustainable growth. His expertise lies in business transformation, stakeholder engagement and industry innovation, whether it’s revitalising nightlife precincts, negotiating regulatory changes or creating partnerships that drive economic impact.

Christopher is the CEO/executive director of Sydney Festival, one of Australia’s best-loved events hosting free and ticketed performances every January. With an extensive career in the performing arts, Christopher has held the positions of general manager for Bell Shakespeare, producer at the Sydney Opera House, director of the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre and operations manager at the Glen Street Theatre. Christopher’s experience includes board roles for the Australian Dance Theatre, Riverside Theatre, HotHouse Theatre, Currency House, Playing Australia, Critical Path, TAFE NSW, Legs On The Wall and Arts On Tour NSW.

Ash is a strategic leader with deep expertise across property, government and the creative industries. As director of government and industry at CBRE, she drives cross-sector collaboration to deliver impactful, community-focused property outcomes. Ash has led major cultural activations, secured public funding and championed equitable access to creative space. She serves on multiple advisory panels, including the NSW 24-Hour Economy Council and Brand X, advocating for vibrant, inclusive and resilient cities. Recognised with the Property Council of Australia’s Pathfinder Award, Ash brings an innovative, data-informed approach to shaping policy, revitalising precincts and empowering Sydney’s creative and night-time economies.

John’s responsibilities include government, stakeholder, police and member engagement plus advocacy and policy development in issues impacting the hotel and wider hospitality industry. He represents this sector at the local, state and national level on committees and working groups on issues including liquor accords, nightlife, robberies, purple flag accreditation, 24-hour economy and crowded places counter terrorism. His 26-year policing career included generalist and management roles in Sydney, plus specialist policing roles including dog squad, tactical response group, Olympic security, emergency/aviation security, crisis management and command of the NSW Police Force response to alcohol-related crime.

Katie is a curator and creative producer living and working on Gadigal land. Over the past decade, she has held directorial, curatorial and producing roles across festivals, visual art, contemporary dance, music, theatre and experimental performance. Places of her work include the Sydney Opera House, the Powerhouse Museum, Performance Space, Carriageworks, FBi Radio, Firstdraft and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Katie is experienced in arts management, strategy, leadership and creative direction. She holds a Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership from UNSW Art and Design.

Tyson is the managing director of fbi.radio, where he’s hosted the show Loose Joints for over 16 years. He is also the former producer of ABC’s iconic music video program Rage, shaping the show through the 2010s. In response to the NSW lockout laws, Tyson founded Keep Sydney Open, an influential movement for nightlife and cultural vibrancy that later became a political party and contested the 2019 state election, helping pave the way for the laws’ repeal. He has since managed and consulted on state election campaigns in NSW and Victoria, continuing his work in cultural advocacy and policy reform.

With more than 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Dane is a prominent figure in global nightlife and electronic music culture, having led the development of well-known venues across Australia and south-east Asia. As a founding member of Drink ‘n’ Dine group and former operator of The Abercrombie Hotel, his expertise in venue management, music curation and brand development led him to establish Koh in 2015, Bali’s first underground nightclub. Currently the music director of Club 77, Dane has repositioned the venue as an internationally respected, community-driven club that champions diversity, forward-thinking music programming and resident DJs.

Bethan is the co-founding director of Vital Commons, a creative consultancy working at the intersection of public art, cultural strategy and place. She is a creative entrepreneur and arts and cultural strategist who believes creativity is essential infrastructure for a thriving future.

Bringing entrepreneurial energy, deep sector knowledge and strategic clarity to the cultural sector, Bethan translates vision into action and ambitious ideas into lasting impact. She has previously held senior roles including director – business and development at Cement Fondu, and curator and project director at Cultural Capital, where she delivered major public art commissions. Bethan holds a Master of Curating and Cultural Leadership from UNSW.

James is the CEO and founder of Odd Culture Group, a multi-award-winning Sydney hospitality company known for its acclaimed pubs, bars, restaurants and bottle shops. Starting out behind the bar while studying philosophy, James chose hospitality over academia, eventually buying his first pub in 2017. He founded Odd Culture in 2021 to create sustainable, enjoyable careers in hospitality. Today, James’s leadership extends beyond business. He’s active in community and policy work, serving on multiple boards and founding the Newtown Enmore Business Community. With a deep belief in community-building, cultural infrastructure and the power of hospitality as a force for good, James brings a collaborative, future-facing mindset to every table.

As inventor of Hyper Karting, Andrew has been trying to create the world’s best go karting track for the past 7 years. This passion has driven Hyper Karting to change its track layout twice per week as well as anticlockwise racing, develop a speed system that adapts to driver competence to best balance safety with fun, grow the track to the longest indoor go karting track in the southern hemisphere, install 512 DMX universes of lighting and build a dynamic price booking platform to provide the best possible value for money to guests. Next up is BattleKart, the real-life video game.

Joe is the managing director of MusicNSW, the state's peak body for contemporary music. He also serves as a board member of Green Music Australia and sits on the NSW Government's Sound NSW Advisory Board and 24-Hour Economy Advisory Council. His curatorial experience includes roles as music curator for Vivid Sydney and developing music programs for Queensland Music Trails, CHANGES Festival, Taste of Tasmania Festival, Newtown Festival and venues such as The Lansdowne. Previously, Joe was co-director of artist management company and independent label Wondercore Island, and general manager of artist management and venue booking company NFE. He’s also a working artist with more than 25 years of practice, living on Dharug and working on Gadigal country.