Steve Cox leads the global marketing strategy, destination branding, and sector-wide communications for the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi). In his role, he aims to elevate Abu Dhabi’s profile as a world-leading cultural and tourism destination, sharing its compelling story to diverse audiences worldwide.

Joining in June 2025, Cox provides strategic leadership across marketing and communications initiatives, giving direction for brand positioning, campaign rollouts, creative content, reputation management, media outreach, and stakeholder alignment.

Previously, as Chief Executive Officer of Destination New South Wales (NSW) in Australia, he oversaw the state’s postpandemic recovery, spearheaded the ‘Feel New’ brand launch, and delivered NSW’s most expansive event calendar on record. In parallel, he served as Non-executive Director of Business Events Sydney.

Prior to that, Cox held the positions of Director of Australian Tourism Warehouse and Managing Director of Dymocks Group.

He holds an MBA from Macquarie University’s Graduate School of Business and a Postgraduate Diploma at the Macquarie Graduate School of Management. He has also served on the boards of Business Events Sydney, Australian Tourism Data Warehouse (ATDW), and the NSW Australian of the Year awards.