The co-founders of the world’s first online community management conference Swarm have announced the appointment of six leading industry figures to its inaugural board.

Swarm was established in 2011 by Quiip CEO Alison Michalk and Venessa Paech, a leading international expert in online communities and

Swarm was established in 2011 by Quiip CEO Alison Michalk and Venessa Paech, a leading international expert in online communities and Senior Manager – Content & Community Strategy at REA Group. Bringing together a who’s who of Australian and international digital and online community innovators and experts, Swarm sees the sharing of insights, discussion of industry trends and fostering of the next generation of emerging talent.

Following a call for nominations to join the new Swarm Board at the 2014 conference, Alison and Venessa recently announced the six community professionals who will help them guide and progress Swarm.

Joining Alison and Venessa on the Swarm Board are:

• Anne Shea – University of Melbourne Social Media Manager
• Matthew Cox – Dialogue Consulting Managing Director
• Nicole Jensen – Social Media Strategist
• Scott Drummond – Medium Rare Content Agency Social Strategy Director
• Nicole Thomas – SANE Australia Community Manager
• Sarah Hawk –FeverBee Head of Community

“Five years after its world-first launch, we are taking Swarm to the next level with the appointment of a board to shape the 2015 conference, as well as nurture and grow both the event and the community it represents,”said Swarm co-founder and Quiip CEO, Alison Michalk.

“Swarm has expanded rapidly since its inception to become a must-attend event for the online community management industry. To continue our growth trajectory and keep improving the Swarm experience for attendees, sponsors partners and the industry as a whole, we wanted to draw on the best in the business to help develop Swarm 2015 and beyond.”

The fifth annual Swarm conference will be held on 2nd & 3rd September at the University of Sydney.  The University has also been named as a new sponsor for this year’s event. Tickets are available at: swarmconference.com.au