I’m the Executive Chair at Trilogy Hotels, an independent hotel management company transforming the hospitality industry in Australia. We’re developing a great business model that celebrates everything about hospitality and meets the needs of hotel owners, guests, brands, and our operational team. We believe that everyone wins with Trilogy at the helm.My first hospitality experience was bartending at a pub in Mascot during my university studies. I completed an Arts degree majoring in Philosophy and Comparative Religions at the University of Sydney, before studying Law. During the holidays, I discovered a passion for travel and would jump at any chance to backpack and explore temples and Asian cultures. After graduating, I had the opportunity to build Australia’s first integrated tourism and hospitality practice as a Partner at Blake Dawson Waldron (now Ashurst) from 1985 to 2004. I then went on to set up several of my own businesses in Australia and Singapore, including Ryan Lawyers and Ryan Capital Partners. I also took on philanthropic and other not-for-profit roles, including Chairman of Centennial and Moore Park Trust, Australia’s most visited parklands, and Honorary Counsel for the Property Council of Australia.In 1999, I became the first lawyer to graduate from Cornell University’s advanced hotel management program. Since 2000, I’ve also been a Board Member of Australia’s peak tourism, transport and aviation body, the Tourism & Transport Forum.I spent several years based in Singapore and London as the Global Head of M&A for JLL, which helped to broaden my investment banking expertise. While there, I advised on significant transactions for hotel management platforms and cross-border portfolios, including Accor's $1.2B AUD takeover of Mantra Group. During this time, I also acted on behalf of several third-party hotel operators and gained insight into their business model. In 2020, I came back to Australia and began looking for a way to introduce third-party management to Australian hotels. I knew there was an opportunity to reinvigorate how the local industry operates, which is dominated by traditional hotel management agreements between owners and brands. This led me to meet Scott Boyes and Grant Alchin to hear their insights into hotel operations. After realising they shared my passion for the industry and its future, we founded Trilogy Hotels together and are looking forward to what comes next.