Management & Production Team
Led by highly respected music producer and cultural specialist Vicki Gordon, the AWMA team is made up of experts with extensive experience in the production of large scale event management, digital media, strategic planning and development. AWMA is overseen by a Board of Directors with extensive experience in the arts and the music industry, accountancy, community engagement, not-for-profit governance, stakeholder engagement and law.
FOUNDING EXECUTIVE PRODUCER & PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Vicki Gordon
“The Australian Music Industry wasn’t listening so we fixed it!”
VICKI GORDON (Ngati Kahungunu) is a Helpmann Award winning music producer recognised for her life’s work to empower diverse new voices to the stage as an ongoing commitment to Australian culture.
Vicki has worked as a Musician, Music Theatre & Documentary Maker, Record Label Executive, Cultural Producer, Tour Manager, Artist Manager, Marketing Manager, A&R Director & ARIA Board Director. She brings a wealth of experience as a Creative Producer and Leader in Management, Corporate Sponsorship, Government Lobbying, Strategic Planning in the NFP sector, First Nations Engagement, Cultural Governance and Advocacy.
“a dynamic champion of gender & cultural equality”
In 1990 Vicki established the Australian Women’s Rock Institute, the first organisation of its kind in Australia set up to address the status of women in the Australian Music industry. As Artistic Director she produced Australia’s first Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Women’s Contemporary Music Festival; first All Girl Rock Festival, first Training program for Female DJ’s and the very first Fanzine for female musicians.
She has been Music Manager to First Nations singer/songwriters Emma Donovan and Ursula Yovich and as an independent Record Label Director was integral to the success of Vanessa Amorosi’s 5x platinum debut album The Power and world wide hit, Absolutely Everybody.
As Producer & Curator for the critically acclaimed First Nations Women’s ensemble Barefoot Divas (Emma Donovan, Ngaiire, Ursula Yovich, Whirimako Black, Maisey Rika & Merenia Marin ) Sydney & NZ International Arts Festivals 2012 & QLD Music Festival 2013. In 2014 Vicki independently toured the company to sold out houses in North America, Canada and Hawaii selling out the Hong Kong Concert Hall in 2015.
In 2019 Vicki was the only Australian Music Executive recognised in the AFR Top 100 Women of Influence and was a finalist in the 2020 Telstra Women’s Business Awards.
Vicki commissioned the multi award winning First Nations Women’s Rock Musical Barbara & the Camp Dogs picking up 4x Helpmann Awards in 2019 including Best Musical and Best Score and 4x Green Room Awards in 2020.
She is currently co-producer with Bunya Productions to develop the work as a feature film. Vicki holds a Certificate of Completion in Indigenous Cultural Protocols for Business, a Human Rights Commendation and numerous awards in recognition of her contribution to industry.
LEAD PRODUCER & CEREMONY DIRECTOR
Gina Hall
GINA HALL joined Australian Women in Music Awards in 2020 as Lead Producer for the 2022 event and from 2023 took on the role of Ceremony Director. Gina has an extensive career across the broad spectrum of the arts and entertainment industry with demonstrated success in producing and project directing high profile and large scale festivals, theatrical productions, events, and initiatives both nationally and internationally.
Career highlights include: Founding Director/Producer Public Event Group, General Manager Swy (Perth) Theatre Company, Company Manager for commercial theatre productions including Cats and The Buddy Holly Story, Producer Tropfest, Producer Sydney Dreaming, Head of Exhibition for the Biennale of Sydney, Event Manager Sydney Writers’ Festival, Project Director for the Cultural Festival for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and as a Ceremonies Producer for Doha and Jakarta Asian Games.
FIRST NATIONS PROGRAM MANAGER
Dizzy Doolan
DIZZY DOOLAN (Charmaine Armstrong) is a proud Takalak, Agwamin, Gureng Gureng and Wokka Wokka woman from Townsville Queensland. She is passionate about being a positive role model and making a difference in her community and currently works as a youth worker with disadvantaged young people in Cairns.
Dizzy studied acting, dancing and music at the Aboriginal Centre for the Performing Arts completing her Diploma Certificate III and Certificate IV in Screen and Media. As a Hip Hop artist, Dizzy performs at various community events and festivals; facilitating workshops to motivate youth by delivering positive messages through music, song and dance.
She worked with Vibe Australia for six years performing and running workshops across the country promoting healthy living for Indigenous and non-Indigenous young people in different cities and remote communities.
In 2009, Dizzy was invited on the Australian tour and performed as the support act for international artists Fatman Scoop and Omarion in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. In 2016 Dizzy toured to South East Asia for the dance project “Move for reconciliation” where she performed and facilitated workshops in Bali, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur. In 2017 Dizzy was the opening act for international artists Akon, T-Pain, Kevin Lyttle and Grammy Award Winning artist Mya.
2019 Dizzy performed at Australian Women in Music Awards alongside Australian legend Rénee Geyer, their performance was recently featured on Channel 10. More recently she has had the honour of collaborating and performing alongside Troy Cassar-Daley, a highlight of Dizzy’s career. She is currently working on her solo EP.
In 2022 Dizzy is curator for the inaugural First Nations Women’s Hip Hop Showcase ‘Love for My Sisters’ as well as Hip Hop performer and Co-Emcee with Yumi Stynes, for Australian Women in Music Awards in Brisbane.
MARKETING LEAD
Founder & Managing Director, Milestone Creative Australia
Alana Hay
ALANA HAY is a specialist in strategy and marketing of major events, festivals, tourism, business events, creative industries and arts. Her 25 year career spans strategic planning, branding, event acquisition, tourism development, event development and destination marketing.
Alana founded Milestone Creative Australia in 2008. She has been instrumental in the strategy, acquisition, development and marketing of the largest and most prestigious major events, festivals, precincts, venues, destinations, arts organisations and corporates acrossAustralia.
These include Sydney Olympic Park, Royal Botanic Gardens,Vivid Sydney, Sydney Royal Easter Show, Mardi Gras, CorroboreeSydney, Merivale Group, Sydney’s West, Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney Theatre Company, Bangarra and Performance Space.
Alana is active in the industry, is a judge for many industry awards programs, was a Director of the Board of Directors of Meetings and Events Australia (MEA) 2016-2020, is an Accredited Fellow Member of MEA (AFMEA) and an Associate for the Australian Marketing Institute and is a keynote presenter on AMI’s Virtual & Hybrid Events course.
Account Director
Milestone Creative Australia
Marley Hole
Currently based in the stunning Tweed Region, Marley has 9+ years of experience in marketing and communications within the event and creative industries.
After graduating from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT)with a Bachelor’s degree in Entertainment Industries, Marley pursued her passion for major events by working within the production team of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and the 2019 Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo Sydney.
Since 2017, Marley has freelanced for several businesses within the entertainment and tourism sector, managing social media accounts, developing strategies and implementing them across both owned and paid channels.
This has included consulting ARIA award-winning children’s music songwriter, Donna Dyson.
Marley has been a part of the Milestone Creative team since 2020, where she has lead marketing campaigns for the KPMG Australia Sail Grand Prix | Sydney, Bondi Festival, Rosé Coast Gold Coast and Sydney Olympic Park Association’s Park Sounds.
Digital Director
Milestone Creative Australia
Dhawal Damania
DHAWAL DAMANIA is a transformational leader with a team-first attitude, leveraging out-of-the-box thinking and innovating strategic initiatives to achieve common goals.
Apart from having the required technical expertise, he enjoys challenges and finding creative solutions to gain opportunities and solve complex problems.
Dhawal has worked with several SMEs and large enterprises, helping them build & grow their digital presence across multiple channels.
He has also worked with businesses in APAC, India, MEA, USA and in the UK market which has given him a greater understanding of diverse work cultures and some of the digital challenges across the globe.
Juror Chair
Dr Diana Tolmie
DIANA TOLMIE is Senior Lecturer of Professional Practice at the Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University and a D’Addario International Artist. She is also a freelance woodwind specialist in a multitude of genres performing both nationally and internationally.
Her international artistic practice has been supported by a Churchill Fellowship and Queen Elizabeth Trust Scholarship. Passionately teaching performance, pedagogy, musicians ‘health’ and vocational preparation, Diana’s excellence has been awarded an AEL Group Learning & Teaching Citation (2014), Highly Commended in the ‘Employability within the Curriculum’ category of the Griffith University Awards for Excellence in Teaching (2016) and a University Australian Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning (2018).
Diana continues to contribute to the Australian music industry via her post-PhD research into musicians ‘lives’ and the release of solo and chamber music recordings. She has been an AWMA Juror Council member for the past 2 years.
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
Jodee Sydney
JODEE SYDNEY is a dynamic and dedicated Administrator and Project Coordinator with a strong commitment to enhancing organisational efficiency and driving meaningful change.
With a diverse background spanning project management, cultural advocacy, and environmental sustainability, Jodee has built a career centered around creating positive social and environmental impact.
As the Founder of Zero Waste Culture, Jodee leads initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable practices and reducing waste within cultural and creative sectors.
Her expertise in change management extends to her role as a consultant for Good Pilots and further demonstrated through her roles as Business Project Manager at Sunshine Cycles, where she oversaw business operations and project development, and as Customer Business Development Manager at Zeoform, where she worked to build partnerships and expand the reach of eco-friendly, innovative materials.
REGIONAL & REMOTE DELGATE COORDINATOR
Roz Pappalardo
ROZ PAPPALARDO is a highly experienced Artistic Director and Senior Producer specialising in injecting authenticity to arts and cultural programming across contemporary music, performing arts, visual arts, and festivals.
She has extensive experience in venue management, programming and audience development strategies. Highly proficient in strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and leadership development, with a deep commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion, truth telling and accessibility in the arts.
Artistic Director of Cairns impressive arts and cultural cache’ including Cairns Performing Arts Centre, Tanks Arts Centre, Munro Martin Parklands, Court House Gallery, Cairns Festival and Cairns Children’s Festival she recently moved to Hobart, Tasmania, to work on MONA FOMA and then to MONA – Museum of Old and New Art as Head of Programming at Darwin Entertainment Centre.
WEB AND NOMINATIONS MANAGER
Cynthia Colli
CYNTHIA COLLI is a design and marketing professional with over 15 years of experience in branding, graphic and web design, I.T management and copywriting.
With a solid background in project management, strategic planning and creative thinking, Cynthia has helped launch and enhance the digital presence of organisations across a variety of industries through her digital design studio, CYNCO Your Creative Concierge.
From developing brand identities, through to executing multi-channel marketing strategies, Cynthia’s work with CYNCO has equipped her with a versatile skillset and a deep understanding of digital trends.
Cynthia is the caretaker of the online presence of AWMA, through the management of the AWMA website, I/T. systems and nominations platform, and a supportive guide for nominees through the nominations period.
NOMINATIONS CO-ORDINATOR
Elly Hanlon
ELLY HANLON is well versed in all areas of event management. For nine years she was the driving force behind the Airlie Beach Festival of Music and Passport to Airlie, leading the team to present massive line ups on multiple stages.
With Elly at the helm from conception to delivery, the event won Festival of the Year at the Queensland Music Awards in 2022.
Other unique events in her portfolio include an SES cyclone relief concert, fundraisers on tall ships and ‘Party Bands in Paradise’.
During the pandemic, Elly adapted to host events like ‘Tunes in the Marina,’ where artists performed from a ferry to audiences on their balconies, and ‘Mini Fest 2020,’ a Queensland-only event that kept the community connected despite restrictions.
Elly’s passion for the music industry and way with words also sees her as co-founder of Rock n Roll Australia Magazine.
Content Manager
Crystal Wilkes
CRYSTAL WILKES comes from a background in small business management and entrepreneurial ventures.
With her qualifications and experience in Tour Management, Audio Engineering and Music Composition for screen, she joins the AWMA team this year working on the Audio Visual content as well as playing a key role in the coordination and delivery of the entire program. Crystal is passionate about recording, producing and encouraging up and coming female singer/songwriters. Crystal was the recipient of the 2024 International SAE Award where she took out Best Audio Project category.
STAGE MANAGEMENT
Bridget Hart
BRIDGET HART is an accomplished Stage Manager and the head of the AWMA Stage Management team, where she brings her expertise in logistics, coordination, and seamless event execution. With a keen eye for detail and a talent for managing complex productions, Bridget ensures that every event runs smoothly, creating memorable experiences for both performers and audiences alike
In addition to her role with AWMA, Bridget is the founder of Capital B Creative, an innovative event agency specialising in the creation of immersive experiences and environments through strategic partnerships and clear communication.
At Capital B Creative, Bridget’s vision goes beyond traditional event management, focusing on crafting experiences that resonate with audiences and leave a lasting impact. Her agency is known for its holistic approach, incorporating elements of branding, design, and storytelling to create unique events that stand out in the industry.
Music Director
Zoe Hauptmann
ZOE HAUPTMANN is one of Australia’s most in demand session musician’s who has recorded and performed with some of the country’s most iconic artists including Paul Kelly, Neil Finn, Wendy Mathews, Kate Ceberano, Missy Higgins, Ian Moss, Kasey Chambers, Katie Noonan, Tim Rogers and Peter Garrett.
Zoe has recorded on over 80 albums, performed at every major Australian festival and at a multitude of venues in both capital cities and regionally. In 2017 and 2018 Zoe was a finalist in the National Live Music Awards for “Australia’s best bassist”. Internationally Zoe has toured throughout Asia, Europe and America.