Our Vision

Northern Tasmania, where people, ideas, businesses, and industries thrive and grow

Our Values

Be Connected, Clear, Creative and Curious.

What We Do

NTDC is the Regional Development Body for Northern Tasmania. We are funded by six northern councils: City of Launceston, Northern Midlands, Meander Valley, West Tamar, George Town and Break O’Day. We are tasked with growing Northern Tasmanian prosperity through: Economic development, Regional Collaboration, Advocacy and Communications.

Our team

Kamal Pokhrel,

Administration & Communications Officer

Lisa Brassington,

Regional Planning Coordinator

Chris Griffin,

CEO

  • Chris, originally from New Zealand, came to Tasmania to take up a Senior Executive role with Tourism Tasmania in 2008, before heading north in late 2012 to found and lead Visit Northern Tasmania.

    When appointed in October 2023 to lead the NTDC team, Chris said “I was delighted to accept the invitation from NTDC’s Board to work with the NTDC team. Over the last 11 years our family has made Northern Tasmania our home, and to continue to champion the development of the region as my day job is an absolute joy.

    To learn more, you can contact Chris on 0402 628 768 or email ceo@ntdc.org.au

  • Lisa, originally from North-East Victoria via Mornington Peninsula. She identifies as a modern-day rural woman and has been active in advocating for the richness of diverse populations and our ongoing relationships for healthier land uses, cleaner waterways, and champions the collective impacts created from local partnerships across Peri-Urban, Rural & Regional Australia.

    Lisa has recently relocated to Tasmania to take up the Regional Planning Coordinator’s role with the NTDC team. Lisa’s major project is to manage the Northern Tasmanian Regional Land Use Strategy review and update.

    To learn more contact Lisa directly via 0433 50 10 51 or email lisa@ntdc.org.au

  • Kamal, originally from Nepal, came to Melbourne for a bachelor’s degree in 2017 before heading to Northern Tasmania in 2021 for further education and has recently joined NTDC. Kamal thrives on meeting the unique challenges within NTDC and believes that effective administration and communication are vital for continued success.

    To learn more contact Kamal on 0400 338 410 or email kamal@ntdc.org.au

Our board

Freya Griffin

Director

Brent Daire

Company Secretary

Dr Alli Anderson

Chair

Des Jennings

Director

Greg Kieser

Director

  • Alli has been on the NTDC board since 2020, and was directly appointed to the position of chair in 2021.

    A tourism strategy and research specialist consultant working across Australia, New Zealand and further afield, Alli has a PhD in Urban Design and Tourism, a Masters in Urban and Regional Planning and a Science Degree (honours), and is an associate of the University of Tasmania.

    When asked why NTDC, Alli said “Developing regions has always been my passion. NTDC beings us all the opportunity to live our values through our work with stakeholders to build a powerful, connected and aligned region, with outcomes for the entire community.”

    To learn more contact Dr Alli directly via 0409 334 223 or email allison@ntdc.org.au

  • Brent Daire, his wife, and 4 boys are passionate mainland immigrants to Northern Tasmania. Brent is a management professional with over 17 years of experience in leadership and board roles across the government, not-for-profit, and start-up sectors, specialising in Human Resources, Governance, and Strategy. He is a graduate of the Royal Military College Duntroon and holds a Diploma of Military Leadership, Graduate Certificate in Business and Masters in Strategy and Management from the University of New South Wales, and a Master of Public Administration from the Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics where he was a Cardon International Scholar.

    Brent joined NTDC Board in March 2023.

  • Des has been the General Manager of the Northern Midlands Council since 2014 and a board member with NTDC since 2020. Des is committed to driving the local economy, delivering our vision, and maintaining our regions connectivity, innovation, and liveability.

  • Greg Kieser is the Mayor of George Town, having been first elected to the role in July 2019. Greg has an extensive professional background in information technology, project management, and client engagement with over 25 years’ experience leading major projects for companies such as Cisco Systems, Novell Inc, IBM, and Drop Box. He is now the Principal of his own carpentry and art company, Blacksheep Works. Greg holds qualifications and training in commerce and business administration from the University of Witwatersrand and Charles Sturt University. Greg is heavily engaged with community groups across the North of Tasmania.

    Greg joined the NTDC Board in July 2022.

  • Freya is local to the Northern Tasmanian region, raised on a thriving family-owned dairy farm in the Meander Valley and working in a range of industries from Launceston for much of her marketing communications career.

    Freya's focus is agricultural innovation, with a firm interest in enhancing health and wellbeing outcomes in regional and rural areas. Freya brings insights from leadership management, community engagement, stakeholder management and advocacy campaigns from her experience in entertainment and tourism sectors, media, finance, education, agrifood and healthcare.

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