A Diverse Board Requires People from All Walks of Life, Says Twin Towns Director

“When you talk about diverse groups, it’s not just being Indigenous, it’s not just being female, it’s the other aspects of what we bring and complement each other as a whole,” Ragina tells the ClubLIFE Podcast in a new episode released earlier today.

“A lot of people would be concerned around being selected and it being perceived as tokenistic ­­­­­— this is one area I stand very firm on; we are here to complement the board.”

Ragina’s connection to Twin Towns began in her early 20s, when she worked behind the bar and within the events team, before going off to train and work as a paramedic for the next 14 years.

More than three decades later, and with a Masters in Governance and Leadership to her name, Ragina was approached and voted on to the Twin Towns board in 2021.

She describes the board as having a mix of longstanding directors with diverse backgrounds, and newer additions which have added to the overall skillset. 

“When we look at the diversity of our current board, we have our longstanding legends, I call them, including our Chair Brian Brown — he leans into transformational leadership,” Ragina tells the ClubLIFE Podcast.

“We’ve got Dr John Griffin, he’s a brilliant academic and knowledge holder of years of multi-disciplinary boards, including the hospital.

“Ken Culpitt, whose logistical and strategic high-level management has seamlessly transferred into the board of directors, and Bob Loring, who is a strong leader and community figure — he’s respected for his ‘as it is’ attitude and the big voice for the small cohort.”

If they’re the legends, says Ragina, the newer ones are the “trailblazers”. 

“So, you’ve got John Keating, he’s a lawyer with a young family and brings his expertise and clarity; Justin McGurgan, he provides decades of industry knowledge, Sharon Styman… MBA, strategic visionary, she’s amazing and also our Deputy Chair,” says Ragina.

“And our latest is Jimmy Thomson, he’s already bringing a high-level insight of significant views and really gives a good foundational input.”

Ragina says it’s not just the boardroom that’s seen a big shift, but so too the operational level, where of the Club’s 300 staff, around 45 per cent are female.

“We have roughly 60,000 members… we have over 25 per cent of our staff that have been with us over 10 years, so it’s that environment that they’re comfortable with,” she says.

In a wide-ranging interview, Ragina also discusses her first interaction with the club industry as a young girl visiting a small bowling club with her grandparents in regional NSW, the challenges associated with living on the NSW/QLD border, and growing up having a father who worked security at some of Sydney’s biggest clubs.

She also discusses the important role that Twin Towns continues to play in the entertainment and live music scene. 

“We provide some really great entertainment, but even if we go back, our showroom opened in 1978 and we’ve seen some really famous artists grace our stage, including Pink,” says Ragina.

“Pink was there in December 2002, now that was just before she started her journey to stardom, you’re welcome, Pink. Let’s just put that out there!

“Tina Turner, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Keith Urban, INXS, Guy Sebastian and Sammy Davis Jr… he had 13 shows in 11 days at Twin Towns, that was a pretty big thing back then. Our entertainment definitely is something that I’m really proud of.”

Click on the link below to hear the full interview with Ragina Rogers in the eleventh episode of the ClubLIFE Podcast, which is also available via ClubLIFE.com.au, Apple, Spotify and wherever else you get your podcasts.

If you have a suggestion on who might make an interesting guest for a future ClubLIFE Podcast episode, get in touch with the team by emailing [email protected].