CAST Appoints Four Industry Leaders to Advisory Board

CAST (Centre for Arts, Sports & Technology) has appointed four new Advisory Board members.

The appointments strengthen CAST's "mission to bridge the gap between the entertainment industry and the rapidly evolving world of technology," according to a press release.

The appointments feature leaders from music, venues, sport, and ticketing. The four new Advisory Board members include:

Emily Copeland, a senior executive specialising in marketing, strategy, and partnerships across the Australian music and media sectors. Copeland has held leadership roles at ABC (Head of Music), ARN (Director of Audience Innovation & Partnerships), and launched CADA as General Manager. She is currently Campaign Lead at Music Australia and founder of strategic partnerships agency Good Authority. Emily sits on the board of Heaps Decent, is a former Vice Chair of fbi.radio and a Chief Executive Women Hansen Scholar.

Joel Edmondson, CEO of the Venue Management Association APAC, representing venue professionals across Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. He previously served as CEO and Creative Director of Queensland Music Festival (QMF) and CEO of QMusic, organisers of BIGSOUND.

Loretta Johns, a senior executive with more than two decades across elite sport and national media, specialising in brand leadership, audience strategy, and integrated communications. As Executive General Manager of Marketing & Communications at the Sydney Swans, she led brand, media, content, and audience strategy during a period of record growth. Beginning her career in journalism, Loretta has covered major events including AFL Grand Finals, the Melbourne Cup, Australian Open tennis, Commonwealth Games, and Olympics.

Andrew Reid, who spent more than a decade at TEG leading data and research teams and developing analytical and data science products for ticketing, venues, and promoters. His earlier career includes senior roles at Dentsu Asia-Pacific, Komli Media, and Nielsen Online.

“Entertainment is changing faster than most organisations can keep up with. Artists, athletes, venues and promoters are all facing the same challenge: how to understand, evaluate and adopt technology in a way that actually moves the needle?" CAST General Manager Gav Parry says.

“Our new board members bring deep, real-world experience from the frontlines of music, sport and live events. They understand the commercial realities, operational constraints, and appetite for change, and they’ve come in at a pivotal moment for the industry.”

Johns adds, “I've seen firsthand how technology has reshaped the way fans engage with sport and how sporting clubs operate. CAST is building something genuinely exciting that will bring sports, artists and innovators together. Strengthening that bridge between sport and creative innovation is work I care deeply about.”