Richard Scarr

About Richard

Richard Scarr brings a unique blend of business leadership, hospitality expertise, high-performance coaching, sponsorship development, and major event management experience.

Richard has successfully opened and operated four cafés and restaurants across Hobart, including launching three during the challenges of the pandemic — demonstrating resilience, commercial acumen, and the ability to deliver under pressure.

Before hospitality, Richard built an extensive career in elite sport as a National Paralympic Sailing Coach, coaching athletes through two Olympic campaigns, culminating in a Silver Medal at Rio. His coaching, leadership, and mentoring background continues to shape his practical, results-driven consulting style.

Richard’s event management and strategic planning expertise extends across some of Tasmania’s most significant sailing and adventure events, much of it through volunteer leadership and community contribution with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania.

He has volunteered in key operational roles with the Van Diemen’s Land Circumnavigation (VDLC) for the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania — a major international offshore sailing event — supporting participant engagement, stakeholder coordination, sponsorship activations, logistics, communications, hospitality experiences, and event operations.

Richard has also been actively involved, as a volunteer with the Royal Yacht Club of Tasmania, in the revival and reintroduction of the iconic Australian Three Peaks Race, helping drive event planning, sponsorship development, stakeholder engagement, media opportunities, strategic partnerships, and commercial activation to bring this legendary Tasmanian endurance event back to life.

With qualifications in Hospitality Management and more than 20 years’ experience managing cafés, restaurants, clubs, and event operations across Sydney and Hobart, Richard combines strategic thinking with practical, real-world delivery experience.

Richard also has a strong entrepreneurial background. In the late 1990s, he was an early digital entrepreneur, launching one of the first web-based businesses in his sector. The business attracted national recognition from IBM, where Richard became one of their featured small business success stories, appearing on Channel 9’s Small Business Show and Sydney Weekender.

Whether launching a business, solving operational challenges, securing sponsorship, building strategic partnerships, or bringing major events to life, Richard’s strength is simple: making things happen.