Board & management

Penny Rafferty heads up the marketing and operations for Luxury Lodges of Australia, reporting to the board.  Penny has been Executive Officer of Luxury Lodges of Australia since formation in January 2010. Prior to this, she served as general manager of The Louise, Barossa Valley for four years, leading this fifteen-suite property to international acclaim as one of Australia’s new luxury lodge culinary tourism destinations.

Previously she was general manager of Chateau Tanunda in the Barossa and part of the launch team and sponsorship manager for the See Australia domestic tourism initiative (later incorporated into Tourism Australia).  Earlier in her career she led the startup marketing and development team for the performing arts festival and centre at Spier Wine Estate in Stellenbosch South Africa; was marketing director for an arts publishing company in London; and in the corporate development team of The Australian Opera (now Opera Australia).

Craig is Chief Operating Officer of Beckons, having joined the group in August 2017. His career has spanned working in luxury lodges, city hotels, remote resorts and even flash-packers, both on-site and in head offices, in operational and project management roles, and as a board member of numerous tourism businesses and associations.

This broad background and experience has lead Craig to become a very-rounded tourism executive, with an extensive understanding of day-to-day hotel operations, human resources management, sales, marketing and distribution, as well as looking ahead and setting strategy for long-term sustainable business growth.

In the past two years, Craig has led the Beckons team through the acquisition and integration of four additional luxury lodges into their portfolio. Craig holds a Bachelor of Hospitality from Western Sydney University, and is currently a Director of Beckons Pty Ltd and a number of other tourism and hospitality based companies.

Karina Barry, along with her husband Brian, founded Bells at Killcare and Pretty Beach House 15 years ago on the Bouddi Peninsula in NSW. Pretty Beach House has been a member of Luxury Lodges of Australia since 2012.

Karina is a 5th generation hotelier and grew up in her parents’ hotels, working from an unconventional age in most aspects of the business; she trained at the Regent of Sydney in front of house management roles and then as a chef with The Savoy Hotel group in London. In 1989 she returned to Sydney as part of the opening brigade at Rockpool and then joined her family in opening the Hunter Resort in the Hunter Valley as General Manager. In 2007 after 16 years in the Hunter, Karina and her husband took a leap of faith and moved to Killcare to open their own business.

Michael is the General Manager Sales & Marketing qualia and Hamilton Island. An accomplished commercial and marketing leader with a diverse background gained in advertising, media and corporate environments, Michael has been recognised as one of Australia’s TOP20 marketers with a proven history of guiding local, national and global brands to grow their market share.

Michael has an extensive background in the travel and leisure, media, and advertising industries. He has held roles including Group Executive Global Marketing at Tourism and Events Queensland (TEQ), where he led a large team responsible for driving visitor demand and growth for Queensland. Prior to TEQ, Michael held brand, digital, and marketing executive leadership positions at Suncorp, Nine Entertainment Co., and marketing agencies including Sapient, cummins&partners and Clemenger BBDO.

Michael is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Advisory Board Centre.

Alexandra is Co-Founder and Proprietor of The Landsmith Collection, which owns and operates leading tourism and agricultural businesses including Voyager Estate winery (Margaret River) and Bullo River Station (Northern Territory), as well as properties in development.

She worked at Voyager Estate alongside her late father, for over a decade and has been sole owner since 2018. Bullo River Station joined the portfolio in 2017 and has undergone restoration and tourism upgrades, including a partnership with the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (A WC) to support conservation alongside a working cattle station. In 2018, Alexandra and her husband, Julian Burt, acquired Wallcliffe House in Margaret River following its destruction in the 2011 bushfires, with plans for a small sustainability-focused luxury lodge on the site.

She served on regional, state and national wine industry bodies for II years, including Australian Grape & Wine (formerly Winemakers’ Federation of Australia), Wines of Western Australia and the Margaret River Wine Association, and is a former Director of Tourism Australia. In non-profit roles, Alexandra is a strong supporter of the Arts with roles as Patron of Private Giving for West Australian Ballet (2008-2025), which included membership of the State Ballet Centre Capital Campaign and the Endowment Campaign committees. She has served on the Board of the Australian String Qyartet (2013-2025), received the Australia Council Emerging Philanthropist Award (2020), and is Chair of Next25, a not-for-profit organisation focused on understanding and improving the way Australia makes its future.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Ross Penegar is CEO of Morris Escapes, overseeing a portfolio of premium Australian experiential lodges including Orpheus Island Lodge, Mt Mulligan Lodge, Pelorus Private Island and Beechmont Estate. His career has spanned luxury lodges, remote island and outback destinations, working across operational leadership, as well as on-site and head office functions.

This broad experience has provided Ross with a comprehensive understanding of luxury lodge operations, guest experience design, aviation and marine logistics, human resources management, sales, marketing and distribution, while also focusing on long-term strategic planning for sustainable growth and destination development. Over the past several years, Ross has guided the Morris Escapes team through the development, expansion and integration of multiple properties, ensuring each delivers distinctive Australian experiences for the global high-end traveller.

Ross holds a Bachelor of Business (Management and Software Engineering) and is actively involved in a number of tourism, hospitality and leisure enterprises. His work continues to strengthen Australia’s experiential luxury tourism offering, combining operational excellence, innovative asset management and sustainable, place-based guest experiences.