Penni Tastula

Darwin businesswoman and leadership model

Penni Tastula has lived and worked in areas that people would call remote Australia for almost 50 years, but has called Darwin home for the past 35 plus years. She says she has been one of those lucky people able to earn a living doing something she really loves.

Penni worked in various roles in aviation, travel and tourism until 1987 when, with two partners, she opened Northern Gateway as the NT’s first Inbound Operator. Over the next 21 years she built the company into a major multi award winning group of travel and tourism related companies that attracted visitors from all over the world to Australia, particularly the north.

Penni is recognised as a business leader and a role model in all areas of the tourism industry and was awarded AIM’s NT Manager of the Year and NT Telstra Business Woman of the Year in 1997. She was a Finalist in the Australian of the Year awards in the NT’s Senior Territorian category in 2008. Penni has continued with an active role mentoring young tourism entrepreneurs, businesses and on various boards and entities with in the NT.

Speaker Topics:

  • The trials and tribulations of doing business in the bush
  • Taking millionaires camping
  • Developing a new tourism business
  • Mentoring and networking
  • Motivating your team
  • Marketing in a competitive world
  • Developing your personal brand