Jackie Hicks

jackie@sparrowly.com +61 424 001 240 LinkedIn

Consultant and Mentor

Portrait of Jackie Hicks smiling with arms crossed, wearing a light blazer against a soft blue background.

“I help organisations develop practical plans and programs that support stronger industries, businesses and communities.”

Jackie Hicks is a consultant and heads up our training division at Sparrowly Group, delivering strategic tourism, workforce, community and economic development projects across Australia, New Zealand and South-East Asia.

An expert in strategic planning, program design and stakeholder engagement across public and private sectors, Jackie blends practical experience with analytical rigour to design evidence-based solutions that meet real community and industry needs.

With over 10 years’ experience across tourism, economic and community development, she specialises in engagement facilitation, stakeholder collaboration and mixed-method research that supports funded outcomes and sustained impact. She leads Sparrowly Group’s training and mentoring division which has supported over 1,000 businesses across Australia.

Jackie has co-led complex consultation, strategy development and planning processes that strengthen organisational capability and align local priorities with strategic objectives. She brings deep insight into community-focused projects, co-design methodologies and multi-stakeholder engagement. She is the co-author of Sparrowly Group’s paper on accessible and inclusive tourism.

Based in Sydney, she works regionally, nationally and globally to help governments and organisations deliver practical, implementable strategies that drive outcomes for people, places and economies.

Back to our team

Recent projects delivered by Jackie

Case Studies

NSW Trade Pathways Program Evaluation

Creating a shared tourism vision for Outback Queensland

Unlocking $1.3 Billion for Regional NSW communities

Training Program to sell an Accessible Australia

Volunteers and residents get ready for the green and gold

Making music with a Regional Conservatoriums review

Navigating compliance for agritourism experience design

A grassroots strategy for regional visitor economy growth in the Loddon Shire

Regional tourism evaluation to maximise impact in Western Australia

Building South Australia’s sustainable regional tourism model

Planning a sustainable future for the Sarina Sugar Shed

Evaluating NSW’s industry skills and training advisory system

Supporting the resilience of regional businesses in Western Downs

Ensuring accessibility in Queensland national parks

Small business strategy becomes local government benchmark

Assessing the access and inclusion of Midwest Victoria region and businesses

Educating future economic development practitioners

Strengthening community cohesion and opportunity in Bundaberg

Designing drive itineraries to grow regional NSW visitation

Insights from Jackie

Blog

From retail to destination - how MECCA is redefining customer experience.

Sparrowly Group’s Jackie Hicks shares insights from MECCA’s Destination Australia 2026 masterclass, exploring how MECCA’s approach to customer experience and creative strategy is reshaping destination thinking, offering practical lessons for tourism operators to create immersive, experience-led destinations that drive visitation, loyalty and long-term value.

Making agritourism work. Insights from 10+ years supporting Australian farms.

Agritourism in Australia has evolved from a trend into a proven pathway for farm diversification. Drawing on more than a decade of hands-on experience, Sparrowly Group’s Giovanna Lever and Jackie Hicks share what truly makes agritourism work - from authenticity and viable business models to accessibility, policy alignment and place-based collaboration.

Beyond the logo - how place branding builds identity, economies and community.

Place branding and placemaking go far beyond visual identity - they shape how communities see themselves and how others see them. Sparrowly Group’s Jackie Hicks shares insights from the City Nation Place Australasia forum, exploring how storytelling, collaboration and community engagement turn place brands into powerful economic and social drivers for towns, cities and regions.

Too early to travel internationally? Navigating travel in our new normal

Sparrowly Group’s Jackie Hicks returned to international travel and shares some of her insights from travelling amongst this new normal and living with COVID-19.

Demystifying Marketing - Five tips for businesses

Sparrowly Group’s Jackie Hicks and Avril Dunn share their top five practical marketing tips for businesses and how important it is to do it right to build customer relationships.

Why HBO's Chernobyl is reinvigorating the dark tourism market

Jackie Hicks explores dark tourism. Dark tourism isn’t a new trend, but it can be misunderstood. Following the release of HBO’s new show Chernobyl, dark tourism is at the forefront of everyones minds. Learn more about this tourism trend.