After 18 years with the Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA), John Hart has stepped down as CEO and announced Juliana Payne as his successor.
R&CA is the peak industry body representing restaurants, cafes and caterers across Australia. During Hart’s time at the helm the Association has grown tenfold and the industry has more than doubled to a $27 billion annual turnover.
Payne has extensive experience in strategic and corporate operations for industry associations and not-for-profit organisations, and most recently served as head of partnerships for CanTeen and head of corporate development for the National Heart Foundation.
Payne also previously served as CEO of the National Tourism Alliance from December 2010 to June 2015, establishing the Tourism and Hospitality Careers Council and Australian Tourism Roundtable.
Hart will remain with the association as a board director and will assist in the transition period between CEOs over the next 12 months.
Juliana Payne
He congratulated Payne on her appointment, welcoming her to the association: “After an extensive recruitment process which saw a number of highly competitive candidates apply, we are delighted to announce Juliana’s appointment as CEO. On behalf of both the Board and the Association’s members, I’d like to congratulate Juliana on her appointment.
“Juliana brings a wealth of experience to Restaurant & Catering Australia, having worked in both industry associations and the not-for-profit sector for well over a decade.
“We look forward to Juliana formally commencing with the Association from July 10, 2017.”
Hart will continue to serve as Chair of the Commonwealth Vocational Education and Training Advisory Board and the National Tourism Committee and is on the board of the National Centre for Vocational Education Research as well as the Victoria Tourism Industry Council. He has also expressed a desire to move into politics, with former Prime Minister Tony Abbott noting: “Small business is the Liberal Party’s core constituency and small business in Australia has no better advocate than John Hart.”
