Our Staff

Nathan Axelsson
Executive Director

Starting his career in banking and finance, both here and in the U.K and Europe, Nathan then commenced with Telstra as part of their highly-competitive graduate program in 2004, working predominantly on providing essential infrastructure to rural and remote Australians. This has engendered a lifelong affinity for the advancement of regional Australia and our equitable access to the opportunities and services those in the cities take for granted.

With a strong background in the private, government and not-for-profit sectors, Nathan is passionate about driving economic development and population growth in regional Australia. His specialties include business development, E-commerce, telecommunications, research and data analysis, project management, governance, stakeholder engagement and policy advocacy.

Nathan holds a Bachelor of Business in Marketing and International Business from the Queensland University of Technology and a Diploma in Languages (German) from the University of Queensland. Born and bred in SE Queensland, Nathan is a proud tree-changer who has lived in Armidale for the past 15 years.

David Thompson
Senior Project Officer

David has a 30 year research and consulting background operating at the interface of economics, regional development and natural resource management. This has included assessing the economic feasibility of business proposals and other projects and conducting benefit-cost analysis.  His work covers issues relating to regional economic development, forestry, agriculture, renewable energy, and tourism.  Recently he has worked on opportunities for businesses and councils to save on energy costs, including energy efficient street lighting, and an overview of the economics of renewable energy options.

David recently coordinated the rollout of the largest LED street lighting program in NSW and has developed business cases and investment prospectuses for local government on topics as diverse as protected horticulture, bioenergy and economic opportunities from irrigation water.

Gary Fry
Senior Project & Skilled Migration Officer

Rebecca Wright
Finance and Project Officer 

Tiffany Gilleland
Project and Communications Officer

Tiffany first moved to the region 20 years ago to attend the University of New England. Graduating with a Bachelor of Commerce majoring in Marketing and Information Systems, she spent over 12 years working in Armidale's education sector in the Information Technology space.

After a successful career managing various IT initiatives, she transitioned into more creative work, taking on marketing and communications roles. From her base in Armidale, she has worked with many worldwide entrepreneurial start-ups in online education, the service industry and eCommerce. When she's not working on communications projects, you can find Tiffany behind a camera as she builds her photography and video business part-time.