From Destination to Global Investment Hub: How Cities Compete for Capital, Talent and Ideas

This AICC Boardroom Lunch will explore how regions can successfully attract international investment and develop robust, future-focused economies. The discussion will focus on the Gold Coast’s investment strategy as part of the wider Queensland trade and investment approach, key lessons in building sustainable pipelines, and the role of sectors such as innovation, tourism, events, arts, and education in supporting broader economic development.

As cities across Australia and the Asia–Pacific compete to attract global investment and drive innovation, the Gold Coast is emerging as a compelling case study in how regional economies can evolve beyond traditional tourism models into diversified engines of growth. Its approach highlights the importance of strategic positioning, sector integration, and long-term planning in building sustainable economic opportunity.

OUR GUEST SPEAKER

Will Hodgman, Chair of Trade and Investment Queensland; inaugural Chair of Invest Gold Coast, has extensive experience across government, diplomacy, and both domestic and international business.

He served as Premier of Tasmania from 2014 to 2020. During his leadership, Tasmania’s economy transformed from one of the weakest-performing in the country to one of the strongest. He also held several key ministerial portfolios, including Attorney-General, and Minister for Tourism, Trade, Hospitality and Events, Sport and Recreation, and the Arts.

Following his departure from Parliament at a time of his choosing, he was appointed inaugural Chair of the Australian Business Growth Fund, where he led the launch of a $540 million fund backed by the Commonwealth Government and Australia’s major banks to provide growth capital for small and medium-sized enterprises.

In 2020, he was appointed as Australia’s High Commissioner to Singapore at the height of the global pandemic. In this role, he led efforts to strengthen bilateral engagement across trade, green and digital economies, defence, and public health.