Meet the Team

Renita Collins has an intrinsic passion for events and immersive experiences from small to large scale across a dynamic array of industries.

This passion for uncovering the new has provided her with a career portfolio spanning 24 years where she has produced over 1,000 events across a multitude of industries. There isn’t too much Renita hasn’t uncovered when it comes to meetings, incentives, conferences, exhibitions and special events, in both Australia and abroad. Now at the helm of the Hair Festival marketing and events team, Renita’s experience, vision and enthusiasm will be invaluable in producing this unmissable weekend for the hairdressing industry.

“It’s a pivotal time for the industry, a lot has changed over the last few years and I’m looking forward to collaborating with our partners and the Hair Festival community to produce a meaningful, stimulating and fun event that further builds on the incredible success of the last two years.” Renita firmly stands by the sentiment that ‘if you love your job, you’ll never work a day in your life’, a statement that adequately quantifies her newfound love of hairdressing.

With a Journalism and publishing background, Cameron Pine has been in the hairdressing industry for over 20 years. At the helm of INSTYLE magazine and Styleicons.com.au for the best part of two decades, his current role as Editorial and Creative Director has transferred a plethora of business and creative strengths across to the Hair Festival events and artist programs, including the popular Hair Festival Wonderland party and REALtalk Business program.

Cameron has worked across Marketing and Creative Direction for some of the world’s most known hairdressing salon brands during his long-standing tenure as an employee of The Intermedia Group, a subsidiary of Hair Festival, since 2001.

Cameron brings key creative synergies to the brand across its various touchpoints and the expansion of his remit in 2022 reflects the increased dynamism needed to stand out in the hairdressing industry as a whole. Holding a Diploma in Journalism and Bachelor of Arts, Cameron continues to develop relationships that help to pioneer creativity in a dynamic and forever evolving industry.

Cameron’s passion is to continue to innovate creative and branded content, while bringing editorial and authentic content solutions to the full range of partners and advertisers within the hairdressing business.

Jo Cowan has been at the helm for an admirable 26 years with INSTYLE and Styleicons and now heads up all sales and commercial opportunities as the National Sales Director for all aspects of Hair Festival. As one of the original team that created Hair Festival, Jo along with the current Hair Festival team, drives innovation and change in the event to produce a new and exciting format each year. Now in its 5th year, Jo is proud of how the event has developed from year 1.

A native hairdresser with an intense passion for the craft, Jo also held prior roles across Sales and Marketing for large multinational corporations including Wella, Redken and De Lorenzo, to name a few. Jo also holds a Masters in Marketing, lectures students on marketing part-time, and brings an unmatched array of experience to the Hair Festival family.

A die-hard lover of the hairdressing industry, passionate about education and creating a community for hairdressers, Jo continues to stay close to the industry that drives her.

Brittany Hughes brings over six years of marketing experience across global brands and luxury hotels, with a passion for creativity and meaningful connection.

Having elevated wellness experiences through day spa marketing and collaborations with influencers, Brittany’s background laid the perfect foundation for her move into event marketing – now bringing that same energy and insight to Hair Festival. She’s focused on creating campaigns that inspire confidence and celebrate the best in hair and wellbeing.

“I’m excited to be part of a campaign that uplifts and energises people,” says Brittany. “There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing an event make others feel their best.”

Shannon Guss is a journalist, editor, podcaster and TV panellist with over ten years of experience in the hair industry. Shannon started with INSTYLE in 2013, assuming the roles of Editor and Online Editor during her tenure, through which she oversees editorial content and operations for INSTYLE and Styleicons. From this vantage point, Shannon has reported on key news, event, launches and profiles through the hair industry every week for a decade, shining a spotlight on emerging and established hairdressers, analysing trends and detailing the ever-shifting marketplace and landscape of hair. Armed with a Master of Media Practice and experience across multiple media disciplines, Shannon is also a sought-after panellist with Network Ten and podcast host for global entertainment networks. She is passionate about content creation in all forms.

Samantha-Jo brings two decades of experience across sales, media and events, underpinned by a strong understanding of what helps brands build lasting, relevant relationships within the professional hair sector. Now working full-time across Hair Festival, INSTYLE and Styleicons, she partners with brands to shape thoughtful, well-aligned opportunities that help them be seen, stay relevant and engage the salon community in meaningful ways.

With a background spanning major APAC trade events — including ISSA Expo, Clean NZ, AHICE South East Asia and Design Inn — Samantha-Jo is known for delivering high-impact experiences and campaigns that resonate.

In her current role, she works closely with Jo Cowan to lead the commercial strategy for Hair Festival’s four pillars — Shop, Learn, Compete and Connect — while also guiding brands through integrated print, digital and social campaigns across INSTYLE and Styleicons.

Driven, relationship-focused and solutions-led, she is committed to supporting brands at every stage of their journey and helping them engage Australia’s most active and influential hairdressing audience.