Their work might be largely behind-the-scenes, but their impact is front and centre. We caught up with some of the women in key roles across Morris Group who are helping drive change for the better.
Sarah Imray
Chief Operating Officer
Morris Group, Melbourne
I joined Morris Group on 22 September 2021. I can be this specific as it was a very memorable start. We were in Covid lockdown so my first day was working from home. But this wasn’t to be the most unusual thing of my first day. During my first online meeting with Penny Cottle and Hayley Morris at 9.15am a 5.9 magnitude earthquake hit us all. It was quite the start to my time here!
My initial role at Morris Group was as Head of Marketing & Communications which was a new role for the business. It was designed to help better connect the marketing teams across the group, and to help make marketing more efficient and effective. Another key part of the role was to build an internal communication program focussed on sharing what we all do across the group and shining a light on the incredible work of our people.
Before Morris Group I’d spent the previous 25 years working in marketing at businesses including Mazda, Crown Resorts and RACV. One of the highlights of my career was moving to Perth for three years in my role at Crown Resorts, being challenged to establish myself from scratch in a town and business where I knew nobody, and leading a large team for the first time. I cannot tell you how terrified I was with both the role and the move, but it made me more resilient and hungrier for new challenges. Plus, I met my partner of 11 years in Perth, so it is a happy second home.
With the marketing team at Morris Group well established now, I have been starting to work on projects that sit outside of marketing. It has been fantastic to both stretch my knowledge and get the chance to work with new people across the business. Chris and Penny recently gave me the opportunity to build on this and appointed me as Chief Operating Officer. It sounds like a fancy title, but essentially it means I pitch in on group-wide projects that need support, or projects that don’t have a logical owner, and get stuff done.
Already I’ve started to work more with teams such as Morris Technology and the Group Business Systems on really interesting projects and pieces of work. I feel like the intern all over again, but I hope that the role can contribute towards how we can be more efficient, effective and connected as a group, leveraging our scale for the benefit of all businesses.
The thing I enjoy the most about my role is the people. I work above The Albert Park Hotel, and I love seeing our business in action every day. I am so lucky to get to work with passionate people right across our businesses, across Australia and even the UK. And of course, I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I love that we are in the business of food and wine because these are my favourite pastimes, and I get to work upstairs from a pub. Is it even work?
The biggest challenges are usually of my own making! Like many other people, I sometimes feel a sense of imposter syndrome in my professional life. I have to talk myself around and not listen to the self-doubt. It helps to have someone you trust and can go speak to and get some perspective, and Penny Cottle has always been so supportive and a voice of reason.
I think leadership is about creating a space where the team can crack on doing what they do best and letting them shine. My role is to help create the environment for the team to be happy and productive.
What I love about working for Morris Group is that no two days are ever the same. There is always a surprise around the corner, and I get a lot of energy from that. Chris has created a really dynamic business, and it feels great to contribute towards that every day.
Adeina Warren
Corporate Governance Officer
The Ville Resort-Casino, Townsville
I first joined Morris Group in 2017, when I was 20 years old. It was my second ever job, and I started in the food and beverage team at The Ville Resort – Casino. From the beginning, I felt fortunate to be part of a workplace where you’re supported and encouraged to try new things. I quickly realised there were so many opportunities to grow across the group that could lead to many career pathways.
I’ve worked across several roles at The Ville before trying a role in Morris Escapes. I later returned to The Ville as the Executive Assistant to the CEO, which gave me exposure to governance, compliance, and leadership which ultimately led me to my current position.
I’m now the Corporate Governance Officer at The Ville and a member of the Executive Team. I contribute to making sure there’s a strong connection between what the board wants to achieve and how the business delivers on it. I help coordinate communication across key leadership forums, reporting, and support regulatory and compliance work. A big part of my role is also making sure our policies and governance practices reflect the high standards we hold ourselves to. It’s behind-the-scenes work but it’s important for keeping the business accountable, informed, and operating with integrity, especially in a highly regulated industry like ours.
At the moment, I lead our response to the Queensland Government’s Maturity Assessment program, which was introduced by the Office of Liquor and Gaming Regulation (OLGR). The assessments looked at how casinos across the state are performing in areas like internal audit, harm minimisation, and governance and leadership. Following the audits, OLGR asked each casino to work with an independent advisor to take a deeper look at those areas and develop a plan for improvement. I’ve been lucky to play a key role in bringing together different parts of the business to help deliver what’s required. It’s a big project, and there’s still a lot of work ahead, but I feel proud to contribute to something that will ultimately make the business stronger, more transparent, and better equipped for the future.
What I enjoy most about my role is that every day is different, and I get to work with passionate people across all departments. I genuinely enjoy being someone who helps connect the dots between leadership decisions and practical outcomes. It’s rewarding to be part of something bigger and know you’re helping shape how the business operates.
A big challenge for me is that my role isn’t always easily understood, which is fair, because governance can seem abstract if you’re not in it. I’m learning to communicate more clearly about what I do and how it impacts others.My approach to leadership in my role is all about clarity, accountability, and collaboration. Even though I don’t directly manage a team, I influence the broader team through the way I share information, support decision-making, and guide others through change. I help create change by simplifying complex processes, making governance practical, and ensuring our policies and decisions are not just compliant but also workable in real life.
The thing I love about working for this business is that there’s a genuine sense of opportunity here. I’m a clear example of that. I’ve been able to shape a career I never imagined when I started in hospitality. I’ve always felt supported, challenged, and encouraged to try new things. The people here care about each other, about doing things the right way, and about being better every day. If I had one message for anyone reading this, it would be: don’t underestimate where you can go just because of where you start.
Jennifer Penegar
General Manager of Sales
Morris Escapes, Cairns
I joined Morris Group at the beginning of 2016 as General Manager of Orpheus Island Lodge. Before joining Orpheus Island Lodge, I’d worked across a number of iconic luxury lodges and resorts throughout Australia including Lizard Island Resort and One & Only at Hayman Island. These experiences helped me to gain a deep understanding of high-end, experiential hospitality.
Just prior to joining Orpheus Island Lodge, I was General Manager at The Berkeley River Lodge in Western Australia. When the role at Orpheus came up, I applied and received an email from Chris Morris within the hour. That direct connection with the owner really resonated with me. It spoke volumes about the culture and values behind the business. Returning to the Great Barrier Reef felt like coming home.
Currently, I’m General Manager of Sales for Morris Escapes and Morris Nautical, overseeing sales strategy and partnerships across our portfolio of luxury lodges and experiences. My role is to drive revenue by building strong relationships with key trade partners, identifying growth opportunities, and ensuring our lodges are well represented across domestic and international sales channels.
I’m currently focused on expanding and strengthening our global trade partnerships, particularly in key international markets where there’s growing demand for high-end, experience-led Australian travel. I’m expanding on our cross-selling opportunities, creating multi-property and yacht journeys that highlight the diversity of the portfolio. Looking ahead a focus of mine is to further develop a tailored sales approach to target the corporate retreat and incentive travel market and exploring the implementation of dynamic pricing models across our properties.
What I enjoy most about my work, is working closely with trade partners, guests, and our internal teams, and representing a product I genuinely believe in. It’s rewarding to see strong partnerships translate into real results for the business.
One of the ongoing challenges is balancing the need to drive occupancy at the properties without sacrificing too much on the room rate in the luxury space. It can be tempting to discount during quieter periods, but we try to focus instead on value-added strategies and tailored offers that protect the brand as well as driving bookings.
Another challenge can be navigating fluctuating demand across international markets, particularly when geopolitical factors outside of our control impact traveller confidence and influence booking behaviour. To overcome this, I stay closely connected with our trade partners and monitor booking patterns so we can pivot quickly, whether it’s shifting focus to a more active market or refining the sales message to better align with current travel trends.
When it comes to leadership in my role, I believe it’s important to lead by example and to empower people to succeed in their roles. I try to create an environment where colleagues I work with feel supported and aligned.