Black Sheep was formed to encompass the knowledge and decades of experience gained from working with global travel corporations. Those years built Black Sheep’s foundation; in-depth, solid knowledge of the local and global industry, people and systems.
The team at Black Sheep Tourism have been hand picked. We are the best at our crafts, and we complement each other and perform brilliantly as a team.
CEO & Founder
“I have over 40 years’ experience in the travel and tourism industry, joining American Express Travel in 1980, where I worked in a range of roles across foreign exchange, finance, marketing, supplier relations and strategy before becoming Regional Director for Travel & Alliances. I felt the need to develop our Black Sheep Tourism company, which provides a unique range of products and services that deliver real, measurable, results.” – Trish Shepherd
Trish joined American Express Travel in 1980, where she worked in a range of roles across foreign exchange, finance, marketing, supplier relations and strategy before becoming Regional Director for Travel & Alliances.
During that role, Trish worked closely with over 300 travel offices across the region and has since business coached 44 travel agencies in Australia and is currently mentoring her 8th mentee, as part of the TIME program.
Her collaborative and creative leadership in international business, combined with her sharp wit, honest, assertive and goal-driven approach, has seen her continually deliver results in challenging environments.
Trish’s unique and enthusiastic management style has earned her the well deserved reputation as an energetic, committed professional who is a passionate advocate for the travel and tourism industry.
Trish has studied management at Wollongong University in Australia and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
Database Specialist and Support
Bronwyn has a range of experience across her 30 year career in financial services and travel organisations primarily in accounting, financial reporting, analytics, training & development and customer service roles.
With 11 years experience in the Travel Industry, Bronwyn’s accounting skills were put to good use as she played an integral role in the Travel franchise team which supported 300 travel agencies across finance, airline overrides, customer service, support and training.
To further her career, Bronwyn moved back to financial services which enabled her to further her interest with using the Microsoft suite of software. Again, very much customer focussed working with a large interstate sales team. She mastered the Microsoft Dynamics CRM as an integrated customer database and reporting tool. She became a Trainer for the entire Sales Team and as Subject Matter Expert, the liaison between the business, the IT team and external provider. A huge advocate for all businesses to utilise a CRM tool to assist in understanding the client base and enabling salespeople to streamline and properly target their interaction with the customer.
A short stint with a Construction Machinery business followed which used my Microsoft Dynamics CRM expertise in updating and streamlining the existing system in anticipation for a major version upgrade.
More recently Bronwyn and her husband have been travelling extensively, until Trish begged Bronwyn to return to Travel, and using her extensive experience, head up Customer Service for the Travelworks Solution in the Asia Pacific Region.
Training & Support
With over 25 years of immersive experience in the travel industry, both as an agent and an avid traveller, Colleen brings a deep passion for exceptional customer service. Her career with a leading global travel company allowed her to refine her skills through specialised customer service training and the management of boutique offices.
Colleen’s extensive global journey—spanning 20 years living in the US, Asia, and the Middle East—has only deepened her enthusiasm for discovering new destinations and cultures. Her unique blend of expertise and firsthand experience makes her an invaluable asset for the Black Sheep team.
Training & Support
Having worked in just about every travel industry field over a 40 year career Michael enjoys sharing his hands on knowledge, expertise and empathy with people to navigate annoying issues and assist with practical solutions.
With experience as a travel agency owner, cruise product manager, wholesaler, supplier relations manager, franchise manager and business travel freak Michael has always had an affinity with travel agency systems and maximising their benefits.
Business Admin & Support
Julie joins Black Sheep Tourism with many years of finance and customer service experience across a number of industries.
A passionate traveller and sailor, Julie is dedicated to supporting her colleagues & customers while providing exceptional customer service.
Data Analytics
“I first met Rick four years ago and was instantly impressed by his professionalism, incredible knowledge and work ethic. Having spent more than 30 years in the data analytics arena, he and his wife/business partner Michelle have built a strong network of clients and dedicated team, servicing the hospitality and tourism sector. Data is their business, and customer service is their passion. I am thrilled to have our products and services powered by the HMA team and platform.” – Trish Shepherd
As a partner in HMA for nearly four decades, Rick has helped key players in the hospitality industry learn more about their customers and craft focused, effective CRM and marketing programs that drive bottom-line revenue.
Rick has consulted with major industry players such as Apple Leisure Group on how to gain access and profile their customer base. He has spoken at numerous industry gatherings on business intelligence and knowing your customer and has been a featured speaker at the U.S. Superyacht Association’s annual and regional summits.
Public Relations Manager
“I’ve had the very great privilege of working with LJ for over 20 years now, across a number of companies and projects. She has a vast network of industry and government connections and is a very smart and savvy professional who over the years has risen to every challenge I have presented to her. LJ is fun to be around, and she brings great passion to all her projects. LJ and her dynamic young team are a great asset to our Black Sheep team.” – Trish Shepherd
LJ Loch is one of Asia-Pacific’s most influential reputation and profiling experts. She brings 20+ years’ experience in the travel, tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors as an advisor, strategist and journalist. She has worked with many of the biggest brands, names and agencies as well as industry associations and state and federal governments. She has a well deserved reputation for results with impact. She also does corporate strategy, government relations and a whole host more!
Social Media &
Digital Media Marketing
“Having worked with Debbie for many years now across a number of clients from small startups through to large companies, I find her knowledge second to none. Backed by a team of hand-picked professionals, this marketing team always find creative ways of achieving the results we are looking for. I admire their ‘old school’ customer service focus. They are a powerhouse in attention to detail and structured project management. A team of seasoned professionals with a raw and honest approach to business.” – Trish Shepherd
The Black Sheep partnership with Debbie and the team at Synchromesh Marketing is focussed on new lead generation techniques for Travel and Tourism clients. In a post-COVID world with smaller teams and reduced funds to support marketing campaigns, organisations with clean client databases will be in the best position to drive targeted marketing with real data via social posts and eDMs turning followers into customers.
Debbie heads up the team at Synchromesh, which was established in 1994 and plans, buys and executes medial campaigns across the full media spectrum. The Synchro team is comprised of many different talents, each having some expertise in different fields: Social, Digital, TV, Creative, Video and Production – providing maximum value for our clients.