Reflecting on 2024: A Year of Leadership, Advocacy, and Growth
By Lori Modde, Managing Director of Lorick Management Pty Ltd
As 2024 comes to a close, I find myself reflecting on a year filled with milestones, challenges, and significant achievements. It has been a whirlwind of activity across the outdoor industry, tourism, and community development sectors, but also a deeply rewarding journey of collaboration and growth.
This year, my time and efforts were spent across one main contract, a few smaller ones, and a lot of volunteering. Here is a rundown of what I see as the achievements of 2024.
Trailblazing Initiatives and Advocacy
This year, I launched the Pinnacle Leadership Program through my role as CEO of Outdoors NSW & ACT. This initiative was designed to empower individuals and their businesses to navigate emerging markets and solidify their futures. It's been inspiring to see the ripple effect of this program as participants embrace innovation and strategic thinking. The first program focused on supporting women in what is a highly male-dominated industry, encouraging them to have faith and belief in themselves to achieve extraordinary things.
Advocacy played a central role in my work with Outdoors NSW & ACT and the NSW Tourism Association.
For Outdoors NSW & ACT, this included championing the Cert III Outdoor Leadership course in government schools, which is vital for equipping young people with future-ready skills. We also tackled critical issues such as public land closures, opened new dialogues with land managers, and facilitated essential conversations with the mountain biking (MTB) community to create opportunities for the outdoor industry.
Our ongoing efforts to support members of Outdoors NSW & ACT included free assistance with tender writing and ongoing education opportunities every Friday and in-person events to enhance the viability of businesses in the outdoors sector.
Strengthening Tourism and Collaboration
As Chair of the newly revived NSW Tourism Association, I was privileged to champion the interests of tourism operators across the state. The association now serves as a unified voice for the sector, and it was a joy to support NSW Tourism Awards winners on their journey to the Australian Tourism Awards.
Collaboration was a key theme of 2024, and there were several highlights. One was the MTB Symposium, where I had the pleasure of bringing together over 120 MTB stakeholders to discuss challenges and opportunities in the industry. This event fostered connections and ignited new ideas. Another highlight was the Outdoor Learning Mini Conference, an intense day of knowledge and skill-sharing amongst outdoor educators and facilitators. It was wonderful to see collaboration and the exchange of ideas aimed at getting more kids outdoors more often.
Leadership Beyond Borders
On both national and global scales, I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made with the new-look Outdoor Council of Australia. From advocating for federal budget and election considerations to building international networks with like-minded organisations, we have laid the groundwork for shared learning and the promotion of our successes.
Volunteerism That’s Making an Impact
Unfortunately, I stood down from two key roles this year, but I felt it was my time to move on. The first was with Little Blue Dinosaur Foundation, where I served as Director for over three years. This wonderful charity improves children’s safety around roads. With a significant grant secured to fund much-needed research, the organisation is now in a strong position to continue its education efforts and provide care packs for families.
The second was stepping down as Chair of the NSW Tourism Association. While I remain a Director, I felt it was time to hand over the leadership to someone with the skills to take the organisation further along its current trajectory as a strong voice for tourism in NSW.
I will continue to support the tourism and outdoor industries as a volunteer in several roles, including as a SWAG Committee member of Service and Creative Skills Australia, IAC member of HumanAbility, Chair and IRC member of the NSW ITAB under Skills IQ, Chair and Director of Western Sydney Moving, Deputy Chair of Australian Regional Tourism, and Secretary of the Outdoor Council of Australia.
Personal Reflection
Reflecting on 2024 in my ‘non-work’ life, I was grateful to spend quality time with a few people we sadly lost this year. It was a humbling reminder to appreciate what we have, support those going through tough times, and cherish our relationships.
Looking Ahead
This year has reminded me that the biggest opportunities often come from collaboration. However, navigating shared goals across disciplines is no small task. As I look to 2025, I am excited to continue fostering partnerships that drive meaningful change in all the areas I work, striving to make an impact I am proud of once again.
Thank you to everyone who has been part of this incredible journey. I look forward to working with old and new clients in 2025 and continuing to make a difference through volunteerism.
Here’s to a new year of innovation, connection, and progress!
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