Celebrated Tropical North Queensland resort Lizard Island has announced two new key appointments to its onsite executive team. The resort team is delighted to welcome esteemed industry veteran Leon Pink as General Manager, while Executive Chef Winston Fong has arrived this month at the helm of its beachside kitchen.

Together, Leon Pink and Winston Fong bring decades of experience and inspiration gained from their leading roles in high-end resorts in both Australia and overseas, and the appointments promise an exciting new generation for the acclaimed luxury lodge.

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World-travelled Leon Pink was most recently Resort Manager at Four Seasons Mahe in The Seychelles, and previously held the role at One&Only Reethi Rah in The Maldives. He was Resort Manager at Queensland’s One&Only Hayman Island following long-held roles as General Manager at Elements of Byron, at Voyages Ayers Rock Resort and at Outrigger Koh Samui Resort and Spa (now Deva Samui).  

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Australia-born Winston Fong was most recently Executive Chef at Orpheus Island resort, where he led a team of ten in the kitchen, established a kitchen garden and developed a love for the diverse range of premium ingredients on offer in Queensland’s tropical north. Previously, Mr Fong headed up the kitchens at luxury resorts in Fiji, including at Malala Beach Club and on the prestigious Kokomo Private Island in Fiji’s Kadavu.

Mr Pink says he plans to bring his two-decades’ experience working in luxury resorts as well as his passion for dynamic thinking to the role at Lizard Island.

“When I first started in hospitality I really fell in love with the teamwork and camaraderie of the industry,” Mr Pink said. 

“I feel I’m well versed in the challenges of remote living and working, and building a rewarding culture and motivating a live-in employee base over the past two decades has been an opportunity to develop valuable interpersonal and leadership skills,” he said.  

Chef Fong says he plans to bring his experience working in all-inclusive luxury resorts as well as his passion for fresh, tropical produce to the menu at Lizard Island.

“I’m thrilled to be on Lizard Island, with the open-air restaurant looking out over Anchor Bay and an established food and beverage team that’s already made my arrival so seamless and welcoming,” Mr Fong said.  

“I really enjoy working with the small producers who grow premium ingredients in our local food bowl which stretches from the Daintree Rainforest, north to Cairns and west to the Atherton Tablelands,” he said.

Lizard Island is the northernmost island on World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. With just 40 suites and villas offering access to 24 white-sanded beaches, an escape to Lizard Island is a luxuriously exclusive experience. Guests venture to remote snorkelling and diving spots on the inner and outer reefs where hundreds of vibrant fish and coral species thrive. Hikes retrace Captain Cook’s footsteps and offer panoramic views of the reef while the Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station offers a fascinating insight into the day-to-day conservation of Lizard Island’s incredible natural environment. Lizard Island is a founding member of the Luxury Lodges of Australia collection.

For bookings and more information visit https://www.lizardisland.com.au or call 1800 837 204 (toll-free in in Australia), or +1 (716) 276 0104 from overseas.

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