Behind the scenes

Head Chef

Mike Scheumann

The National Convention Centre farewells Mike who has been promoted to Executive Chef at InterContinental Hotel and Resorts Aqaba in Jordan. The Centre is currently looking for a chef to replace Mike, these will be big shoes to fill.

Mike has travelled all over the world perfecting his love of fusion cuisine in exotic destinations such as Bermuda, Egypt, Maldives, New Zealand, Qatar, Dubai and now Australia. Some of the more colourful highlights of his career include creating elaborate menus for Michael Jordan, Tina Turner, Michael Douglas and the Crown Prince of Thailand. Mike was even appointed the private Chef for Sheik Al Thani, Ruler of Qatar at the Opening Ceremony of the 15th Asian Games in Doha, State of Qatar and has hosted his own live cooking show with one of the largest private European TV channels, RTL.

As Head Chef of the National Convention Centre, Mike’s vision is to offer guests a fresh, healthy and innovative culinary experience. Recognising the importance of food and wine to every event, his menus combine irresistible flavours and exquisite presentation that attest to his considerable talent. An ardent supporter of local producers, Mike places emphasis on sourcing local and organic produce to offer guests a true taste of the Canberra region.

Mike is firmly involved within the Canberra community, and is a passionate believer in the OzHarvest program giving his time and surplus food to help feed those in need. A testament to his culinary skills and passion for food Mike is the President of the ACT Chapter of the Culinary Federation.

Mike’s love of food is second only to his family, and outside of the kitchen he enjoys camping and skiing with his wife and young son.

Sous Chef

Shailesh Motwani

Shailesh completed his internship at one of the premier hotels in India, the Taj Hotel Mumbai. Some of Shailesh’s career highlights include working in Asia’s first 5 star Ecotel Hotel, The Orchid and at the Ayers Rock resort Sails in the Desert Hotel. As Sous Chef, Shailesh caters for events up to 2,500 people, while still maintaining quality and providing an innovative, distinctive and memorable culinary experience for each guest.

His passion for cooking lead him to compete in the Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Award where he won two 1st prize trophies and one runners up trophy at the college level. He then went on to win a silver medal at the national level.

Shailesh’s love of food is second only to his wife and family, outside of the kitchen he enjoys playing cricket, tennis and collecting foreign currencies.

Facilities Manager

Halim Othman

Halim’s passion for the hospitality industry started in Malaysia. He then began his career with Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, assisting with the launch of their hotels in Brunei, Darwin and Brisbane, where he held the position of Facilities Manager for twelve years.

Halim moved to Canberra in 1989 and has been with the National Convention Centre for over twenty years, now managing twenty two staff. His attention to detail, professional nature and extensive history working in the hospitality industry shows his passion for assisting with the smooth running of all events held at the Centre.

Halim enjoys fishing, listening to music and playing golf.