Experience

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  Matt sykes landscape architect

  May 2007 - Dec 2017

  Director

  Landscape architecture practice specialising in ecotourism developments, wildlife corridors and native gardens.

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  Sinatra murphy

  Jul 2009 - Aug 2010

  Graduate landscape architect

  Working alongside Jim Sinatra, mentor and Professor Emeritus at RMIT University, I assisted on a range of landscape architecture projects:- Submission to Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade memorial sculpture - Masterplan for Rumbalara Aged Care and Community Centre in Shepparton- Interpretive signage and land art trail at Caroline Springs- Community engagement project in Noble Park- An array of high-end residential projects (Ocean Grove, South Melbourne, South Yarra, Richmond, Mt Eliza) Jim was a brilliant mentor who assisted my early professional development. His ability to connect with people through storytelling and commitment to working with Australian Aboriginal communities were hugely influential.https://www.sinatramurphy.com/ Show less

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  Peninsula hot springs

  Sept 2011 - Nov 2019

  Led the development of a globally unique wellness program offering to enhance guest experience and deliver economic returns on new facilities. The process involved stakeholder engagement, researching world class benchmarks, prototyping, specialist recruitment and training as well as detailed operating procedures. The first stage of wellness offering, short add-on experiences ranging from signature hot springs yoga classes to Nordic-inspired sauna workshops, are now embedded into daily operation. Further stages pending while accommodation is being realised. Show less

  • Experience Manager, Wellness

    Jan 2018 - Nov 2019

  • Landscape Architect

    Sept 2011 - Dec 2017
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  Landtalk

  Jan 2012 - Dec 2013

  Short film producer

  Short stories about people on the land. Sustainability, land management, lifestyle. https://youtu.be/ovAPqi1ut9s

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  Tasmanian walking company

  Oct 2014 - Dec 2017

  • Experience Manager, Cradle Mountain Huts Walk

    Dec 2016 - Dec 2017

  • Tour Guide (Bay of Fires, Wineglass Bay Sail Walk)

    Oct 2014 - Nov 2016
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  Victoria tourism industry council (vtic)

  Jul 2018 - Nov 2019

  Author, great victorian bathing trail

  As the 2018 recipient of the Lynette Bergin Fellowship, I authored a blueprint for the emerging hot springs and bathing tourism strategy in Victoria, southeast Australia. Official media release to take place November 2019.https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/The-Great-VIC-Bathing-Trail_Final-Sep-24-2019.pdf

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  Mattsykes.co

  Nov 2019 - Jun 2020

  Chief executive officer

  Matt Sykes works with the leaders of progressive tourism organisations to embed global best-practice tools into their strategies and culture. Utilising the principles of regenerative tourism he enables destination and experience operators to develop and measure their community, ecological and economic impacts. This strengthens the resilience of businesses but also focuses on their relationships with the broader fabric of our society. Together we can simultaneously integrate community wellbeing, ecological restoration and nature-based travel.With experience working with Australian nature-based tourism pioneers, notably the Tasmanian Walking Company and Peninsula Hot Springs, he recently came into the spotlight through his proposal for a Great Victorian Bathing Trail. The strategic blueprint for a Victoria's emerging hot springs and wellness tourism industry was backed by the Victorian Tourism Industry Council's Lynette Bergin Fellowship. Matt has traveled to 23 countries and is committed to working in regional and remote areas. He has worked closely with Aboriginal communities and played a key role in the development of the wukalina Walk in northeast Tasmania, Australia's first Aboriginal owned and operated luxury guided walk. Show less

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  Regeneration projects

  Jun 2020 - now

  Founder & chief regeneration officer

  In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Climate Emergency, Matt Sykes has kickstarted a new consultancy to empower leaders through regenerative business. After over a decade working with eco-pioneers and First Nations Elders around the Planet he recognises that sustainability is not enough. Determined to pursue global solutions and take local action, Matt is now working with change makers in the private, public and third sectors. His strategic and action-focused approach means that Matt brings great value to organisations which are willing to challenge the status quo. Show less

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  The thin green line foundation

  Jul 2020 - Jun 2023

  Ranger roundtable lead convenor

  Established in July 2020, the Ranger Roundtable is a collaboration between three partner organisations: the International Ranger Federation, The Thin Green Line Foundation and the Universal Ranger Support Alliance. Together, these convening partners host online discussions designed to raise the professional profile of and support for Rangers as essential frontline conservation workers. Originally, it emerged in response to the immediate impacts of COVID-19 on Rangers, their communities and Protected and Conserved Areas, as well as ongoing efforts towards the Chitwan Declaration. The Ranger Roundtable has two forums:1) Focus Sessions: aimed at leaders from global development, health and conservation organisations.a. Themes of past events include: COVID-19, Repositioning Rangers, Regenerative Economy, One Health, Climate Change, Biodiversity Loss, Rural Community Development, Nature-based Solutions investment2) Webinars: aimed at Rangers and Ranger sector leaders.a. Themes of past events include: Ranger Code of Conduct, Gender Equality, Wellbeing, Biodiversity Loss, Roles in CommunityMore info at: https://www.internationalrangers.org/events/ Show less

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  Trans-tasman regen roundtable

  Oct 2020 - Oct 2022

  Co-founder

  Cracking on with it Together - A monthly event that gathers changemakers from Aotearoa and Australia with the common purpose of regenerating our Earth through business. This initiative was born in Melbourne in response to the impacts of COVID-19, climate change, systemic racism, economic collapse and the inadequate narrative of Sustainability. During October 2020, Claire Wild and Matt Sykes invited a small group of super progressive businesses leaders from Melbourne to the first roundtable. When Claire returned back to Aotearoa, the pair took the opportunity to unite regen 'cousins' on each side of the ditch. Show less

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  The hive

  Aug 2021 - Aug 2023

  Co-founder

  We are a community of passionate professionals who wish to: Inspire, enable and empower the travel, tourism and hospitality sector to move from an extractive to a generative mode of operation that improves the well-being of all. Nurture the capability of people and places to apply Nature’s design principles so that people and places can thrive and evolve. Support one another in a community of practice that deepens our own understanding and experience of those principles at work.This initiative was born in response to a Tourism system and structures that fuel the rise of a global 1% and simultaneously drive us toward climate breakdown, social and ecological collapse. We believe that a transformation in tourism that supports the Regeneration of communities and place is needed. Show less

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  Regen melbourne

  Dec 2021 - Nov 2022

  Projects lead

  Regen Melbourne is a passionate network of individuals and organisations working together to create a safe, just and prosperous future for our city. As Projects Lead, Matt is creating opportunities for Melburnians to start projects in their local neighbourhoods, as well as contributing to major projects for our city that demonstrate what regeneration is all about. For example, working towards a swimmable Birrarung Yarra River by 2030.

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  Rita - regional impact trade alliance

  Oct 2023 - now

  Co-founder & executive director

  Working with a global team to unlock the unique impact potential of cities and regions, addressing social and environmental issues through the power of international trade. For more information: https://www.rita.earth/

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  Swimmable cities

  Feb 2024 - now

  Convenor & steering committee member

  Building upon recommendations within the Swimmable Cities Handbook, published by Regeneration Projects in October 2023, an international Steering Group was formed in February 2024. A combination of passionate grassroots leadership and the cleaning up of River Seine for the Paris Olympics, has catalysed the emergence of an Alliance. My role has been to work as part of an international team and community to lay strategic foundations that can empower actors, activists and decision-makers within the #SwimmableCities movement. Show less

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  Two bays, a business & a kitchen table podcast

  Mar 2024 - now

  Producer & co-host

  Regeneration Projects is a small business that sees Nature as our most important stakeholder. We started at a kitchen table during Melbourne’s epic COVID-19 Lockdown, and now we’re a B Corp and Actor in the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. The Two Bays, A Business & A Kitchen Table Podcast (Two Bays Podcast for short) explores stories of hope, grit and determination, inspiring the Planet’s next generation of ecological leaders.The podcast is co-hosted by workmates Matt Sykes (the Aussie founder of Regeneration Projects) and Claire Wild (a Kiwi consultant with a shared passion for positive change). The pair met at an online event in 2020 and have been sparking conversations that balance practical lessons and unapologetically bold visions ever since. Show less

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  Wade institute of entrepreneurship

  May 2024 - now

  Entrepreneur in residence

  Working within a Wade Institute's supportive environment to progress Regeneration Projects' development of a new EdTech app with the purpose of empowering the next gen with vital ecological-literacy, leadership and entrepreneurship skills.