Darryl is the General Manager of the Sydney Showground, the venue and event management business of the Royal Agricultural Society.

Prior to this, Darryl was the Chief Operating Officer, a position he held since 2014.

In his role Darryl is responsible for the overall leadership and direction of all departments of Sydney Showground, a world-class venue that delivers over 100 national and international events each year. Sydney Showground has partnerships with the Australian Football League and Cricket NSW, with the Greater Western Sydney GIANTS and Sydney Thunder utilising the Showground’s main arena ENGIE Stadium for their home matches. Every year, Sydney Showground delivers the RAS of NSW’s flagship event, the iconic Sydney Royal Easter Show. Australia’s largest annual event, the show attracts circa 900,000 people.

Prior to his role at Sydney Showground Darryl gained extensive leadership and operational experience from a career spanning more than 13 years in the military. Since 2008, Darryl has channelled those skills into a successful career within the events, leisure, and sports venue industry.

Darryl holds qualifications in Business, Distribution, Production, Procurement and Contracting.

He is also a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Craig Kelmar is an experienced hotelier with more than 22 years of hospitality experience, having built his career with Accor across Western Australia, Victoria, Queensland and New South Wales.

Craig began his Accor career as a Porter at Novotel Vines Resort in Western Australia before joining Accor’s Vivier National Management Trainee program in 2007. Since then, he has progressed through a range of operational and leadership roles, including General Manager of Mercure Broome, Opening General Manager of The Adnate Hotel Perth and Cluster General Manager for Accor’s IRIS properties in Victoria. Most recently, Craig was General Manager of Novotel and ibis Melbourne Central.

Craig has now returned to Sydney Olympic Park, where he previously worked as Assistant Food and Beverage Manager at Novotel and ibis Sydney Olympic Park in 2008. As Precinct General Manager of Pullman, Novotel and ibis Sydney Olympic Park, Craig oversees the three-property portfolio, with a focus on operational excellence, team development, guest experience and delivering strong outcomes for stakeholders.

Craig is passionate about building high-performing teams, creating memorable guest experiences and contributing to the continued growth and development of the Sydney Olympic Park precinct.

Deanne has 17 years’ experience within the hospitality and events industry, working across unique venues, hotels and restaurants and currently working as the Director of Sales at Waterview Venue in Bicentennial Park. Prior to joining Waterview in January 2017, Deanne spent 5 years with leading hospitality and events group, Dockside Group, overseeing and leading the team at iconic waterfront venues, Waterfront, Wolfies and Italian Village. Located in the picturesque Rocks precinct within the historic Campbell Storehouses, Deanne’s primary focus was on a range of intimate and grand domestic and international events.

Deanne obtains a wealth of knowledge surrounding the event sector and is able to meticulously implement appropriate strategies for success while providing an unsurpassed level of service. Deanne is best known in the industry for exceeding client expectations and delivering seamless events time and time again.

Deanne is extremely passionate about fostering strong client and industry relationships while leading and directing her team and remaining well connected and respected within the industry. Deanne is excited to be a part of the growth and development around the Sydney Olympic Park precinct and Western Sydney.

Tim Paxton is a commercial agent with over 10 years’ experience at GJS Property, specialising in industrial & commercial sales and leasing across Sydney’s key precincts including Sydney Olympic Park.

Over the past decade, Tim has built a reputation for developing long-term client relationships founded on trust, consistency, and genuine care. He believes every client deserves the same level of focus and commitment, whether advising on a $1 million asset or a $50 million portfolio. No deal is ever too small or too large.

Tim is known for his ability to adapt his approach to suit each situation, combining persistence when needed with patience and flexibility to achieve the best possible outcome for his clients. He has a particular interest and depth of experience in commercial strata property, an area he continues to develop strategically.

Away from property, Tim is a fully qualified cricket umpire.

Stephen is highly experienced and well regarded within the sponsorship and events industry on both the agency and client side.

He has a very strong network with leading sporting bodies, Governments and international sporting codes and a proven track record in thinking strategically and delivering highly creative and commercial successful outcomes.

His expertise in achieving results and his team orientation focus in driving maximum value from all relationships is an asset to the board through his role at Venues NSW and its responsibility for Accor Stadium (Stadium Australia) at Sydney Olympic Park.

Michael started his career in venue operations in 2000 at Allphones Arena (most recently known as Qudos Bank Arena, formerly the Sydney SuperDome). He moved to Melbourne in 2005 to join the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Corporation, in the position of Venue Operations Coordinator for the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, which hosted the Weightlifting, Badminton and Boxing competitions as well as facilitating the Main Press Centre and Fleet Depot for the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

After a short stint as an Event Coordinator at the Quay Centre (Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre), he returned to Qudos Bank Arena in 2008 as the Assistant Technical Manager. He was then appointed as the Arena’s Technical Manager in 2011, followed by a promotion to Technical Operations Manager in 2016, where he oversaw the delivery of the Arena’s Technical, Ticketing and Merchandise Operations for all events and functions.

In 2025, Michael was appointed as Acting General Manger of Qudos Bank Arena, now called Allphones Arena.

James is an accomplished and successful private business owner and entrepreneur with a history in driving transformative growth in Tourism and Accommodation businesses in NSW.

James and Lys Blanchett took the keys to Quest Sydney Olympic Park in late 2024, with a vision to create a space that would reflect the high energy of the property’s surroundings.

The property has been beautifully refurbished and reformed, and James has established himself as a driver of business to this precinct, with a very collaborative focus.

Craig has extensive experience in Property and Development across the private and government sector and has been involved in developments in Sydney Olympic Park for over 25 years.

He has a Bachelor of Business (Land Economy) degree from the University of Western Sydney. Craig specialises in all aspects of property dealings including:

1. Preparation of Planning Proposals
2. Dealings with Planning authorities at all levels
3. Project Control Group Meetings
4. Highest & Best Use assessments
5. Development of project brief & implementation
6. Consultant and contractor engagement and administration including: Architects, Engineers, Planners, Surveyors, Building contractors, Project managers, Real Estate agents, Legal, Quantity surveyors.

Craig’s background and experience provides valuable expertise to the board in relation to the SOP Master Plan 2050, legislative requirements, and the changing landscape that is currently happening across planning and development in NSW.