Around 50 Regional Leaders came together at Stone & Wood Byron Bay on Thursday 23rd July to mark the beginning of the new financial year with good local food, a few drinks and plenty of time to reconnect.

Hosted by Business NSW Northern Rivers Regional Director Jane Laverty, the evening opened with a fireside chat featuring:

• Adam Viertel, newly appointed CEO of Sunshine Sugar
• Donna Kildea, Head of Sustainability & Property, Regional Australia Bank
• Ryan Sharpley, Founder of The Purpose People

Together, they reflected on the leadership lessons they had taken from the 2025–26 financial year, sharing candid insights into navigating change, leading people through uncertainty and maintaining focus when the demands on leaders continue to grow.

The conversation was a fitting way to close one financial year and look ahead to the next, grounded in the practical experience of leaders working within our region.

The evening also marked a changing of the guard for the Business NSW Northern Rivers team. Jane welcomed Suzie Fawcett as the new Regional Coordinator and farewelled Strategic Partnerships Manager Chloe Allan at her final Regional Leaders event before moving into a new role.

Chloe thanked Regional Leaders for the trust they had placed in her to shape and deliver the program, and for the generosity, support and enthusiasm they had brought to it.

Thank you to our hosts and fellow Regional Leaders, Stone & Wood, for providing such a relaxed setting, generous hospitality and an ideal place to raise a glass to the year ahead.

Guests also took home their own I’m a Proud NorRivean cup, a small reminder of the people, businesses and shared sense of place that make the Northern Rivers business community what it is.