Ilena Young

Ilena is a creative thinker, bringing experience, pragmatism and innovation to her passion of helping people start new ideas, with particular focus on regional areas. She understands the challenges of startups from the inside and at 24 founded an international enterprise in tourism focussed on authenticity and local ownership. Through a career spanning academia, consulting and startup ecosystem building, Ilena has held diverse roles including business development, industry and regional development with 12 years governance experience. Her knowledge, experience and passion for creating collaboration and inclusive leadership generates opportunities and engagement, enabling growth and realising potential.

Ilena is well practiced in being an accessible mentor, bringing focus, clear questioning and strategic thinking. She takes pleasure in building relationships and partnerships, with a core interest in generating sustainable outcomes. She has established award winning programs and is known for her ability to quickly assess new information; Ilena gets to the essence of an issue and gets things done, with a focus on collaborative solution building.