Leadership Profile: Karen Jones

ATDW Board Member & Chief Executive - Destination NSW

Karen Jones is the Chief Executive of Destination NSW and has more than 27 years of leadership experience in state and local government.

Destination NSW is the lead agency, champion and voice for the NSW visitor economy. It also owns, manages and produces Australia's largest event, Vivid Sydney, and delivers the Australia Day in Sydney event program.

“The future of Australian tourism relies on our willingness to innovate, collaborate, and never lose sight of the experiences that connect people—across our cities, regions, and communities.”

Most recently, Karen was CEO of the Office of Sport, where she led more than 400 employees across 18 locations to set the state’s sport policy agenda and provide direct services to communities. This included leading several key initiatives such as the ‘10 World Cups in 10 Years’ campaign alongside Destination NSW, the Office of Sport’s Strategic Plan 2024-2028 and the implementation of two women in sport strategies.

Karen is passionate about developing and marketing the state’s world-class visitor experiences to ensure NSW remains Australia’s top destination and events capital.

She holds a Master of Business Administration and has studied at Harvard University, Grenoble Ecole de Management, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and Western Sydney University.