Committee Members volunteer their time, expertise and passion to the West End community and are all members of the Adelaide West End Association.
Taren is a passionate business leader and driven producer who brings a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit and dedication to delivering exceptional value to all she does.
An impact player who understands the importance of building trusted relationships as a core foundation of success in any endeavour. Taren is a strategic brand and marketing pro with over 25 years of experience, gained in a range of environments from corporate, SME, not for profit and government to tourism, retail, media & the arts. In her consultancy, she has consistently delivered innovative programs and projects to drive growth. She is currently Director of Brand and Partnerships for the Global Women Rising initiative supported by Microsoft.
Taren has historic family connections with the West End and the Association and she is honoured to continue to champion the precinct and city of Adelaide.
Along side her corporate position, the role as President of the AWEA gives Taren an opportunity to use her connections and skills to give back, actively collaborating with major South Australian institutions, agencies and festivals to support the diverse group of businesses, individuals, and organisations that make the West End unique.
Phil Johnson is a Lecturer in UniSA Business. He is the course coordinator for the large first-year introductory accounting course, as well as teaching in other first and second-year courses.
Phil’s academic career has focused on developing high-quality and engaging courses for first-year accounting students studying on-campus, online and internationally. He has made several significant contributions to teaching and learning outcomes, including the implementation of virtual classrooms for distance students, the creation of a number of key concept videos used across the accounting discipline and the development of an electronic marking tool to help in providing detailed and consistent feedback across large student cohorts.
Phil holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from UniSA and is a CPA. During his accounting career, he has worked in the non-profit sector and in commercial accounting roles (BAE Systems), before moving into academia with UniSA.
James Economos is a registered Architect and Director of Econ Property Group, a well established privately owned property development and investment group with a predominant focus and investment in the West End.
James specialises in adaptive reuse of heritage buildings and activation of main streets and laneways. He is committed to help make Adelaide a vibrant , unique, world class city. James also sits as committee member for the Adelaide Business Collective.
www.econgroup.com.au
Nic Mercer is a culture-minded leader who emphasizes people, processes and products. Nic joined the team at Light ADL in 2022, bringing a wealth of knowledge from his management positions in sports through to his most recent endeavour as the General Manager of Sales and Marketing at the Adelaide Convention Bureau. During his previous tenure, Nic promoted the state of South Australia as an ideal business event destination. He is showcasing the best of Adelaide and its region’s hospitality offerings. Known for his work in unique environments from the Olympics to boardrooms and now an immersive tech, arts and hospitality hub, Nic’s passion for working with non-for-profit sectors remains true as he works to solidify Light ADL’s position as a global leader in the immersive technology space that creates opportunities for artists.
Curtis is the Director of Sales and Marketing at Sofitel Adelaide, the city’s newest luxury hotel. Combining French elegance and vintage décor, Sofitel towers over the Adelaide skyline and boasts 251 different guest rooms and suites, an indoor pool and state-of-the-art Fitness facilities. Additionally, the hotel is home to many dining and event spaces, including Déjà Vu Champagne Bar, the modern French restaurant Garçon Bleu and the executive lounge Club Millésime.
Curtis has over 20 years of hospitality experience across varied market segments and destinations. Dedicated to enhancing world-class venues through innovation, collaboration, and engagement, Curtis prides himself on creating a positive culture emphasising coaching, professionalism and strategy. Passionate about people and conversation, he is focused on providing enjoyable, unique, and memorable experiences. Curtis recently Joined Sofitel Adelaide after two years as Director of Sales at Adelaide Oval.
Director of APOTECA, a New York inspired brasserie and restaurant, and has been an integral part of the West End precinct for almost 20 years. APOTECA has been featured in Gourmet Traveller and Gourmet Traveller Wine and has been involved in various South Australian iconic events, including the SA Hot 100 Wines Awards. Regular wine and spirit tasting evenings, showcasing local producers and makers are also held at APOTECA, attracting a diverse and interstate market to the area.
Paola is committed to the revitalisation of Adelaide’s West End precinct and is passionate about supporting the businesses located in the area achieving high quality foot traffic and frequent visitors to the area, both locally and from interstate.
Nikki is the Development Director at JamFactory, proudly located in Adelaide’s West End Creative Precinct since 1992. JamFactory has been championing the social, cultural and economic value of craft and design in daily life for 50 years, and represents hundreds of independent artists and designers from across Australia, and works with industrial manufacturers, Aboriginal Art Centres, material suppliers, architects, interior designers, chefs, wine makers and more…
Like JamFactory, Nikki’s networks are diverse. Working directly and consulting across areas of government, media, corporate and the community, Nikki is dedicated to identifying, promoting and cultivating relationships and trade channels at the highest level, working collaboratively to achieve positive outcomes, embracing all opportunities to contribute in shared knowledge for progress.
She believes the West End and Adelaide’s beauty is in its scale, diversity, creativity, people and accessibility.