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Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Ananda R. Arawwawela City Developments Limited Mr. Ananda Arawwawela has a wealth of experience in hotel management spanning over 36 years in Singapore and the region. Prior to joining CDL in 2013, he was the Managing Director of The St. Regis Singapore and Area Managing Director responsible for Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ operations in Singapore. Other senior regional positions in the hospitality industry he has held include Managing Director of Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel and Towers and Area Managing Director of Hong Kong and Macau. He has also been involved with a number of hotel openings and conversions in the Middle East, China and Fiji. Mr Arawwawela has also served as Chairman of the Hong Kong Hotels Association and Board Member of the Hong Kong Tourism Board.

Aya Aso AGORA Hospitalities Aya Aso is the Founder & CEO of AGORA Hospitalities Co., Ltd. She founded AGORA in 2007 with a strong vision to establish “A Collection of Beautiful Japan”, a collection of boutique hotels and Japanese traditional ryokans throughout Japan. She has been actively expanding it’s portfolio comprises of 10 boutique hotels and traditional Japanese ryokans. Aya has a well-established career in the hospitality industry with prior experience in the ISHIN HOTELS GROUP, as Senior Vice President of Business Development. Her career began at the Sheraton Grande Los Angeles, from which she moved to the Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel as Marketing Manager. Returning to her roots, she later joined Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Japan Group, and then PricewaterhouseCoopers BPO Japan K.K. as financial accountant, after which she took on the role of Executive Director of Operations at Space Design, Inc. to develop and operate 14 serviced apartments in Tokyo. Aya graduated from the University of Southern California (USA) with a Bachelor of Music from Thornton School of Music, Piano Performance. She is also a Certified Public Accounting (CPA) and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from University of Wales (UK).

Marco S. Avitabile Hyatt Marco Avitabile serves as RVP Food & Beverage - Asia Pacific, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts based in Hong Kong. Marco oversees the preopening of Food & Beverage outlets, focusing on concept actualization, furthermore he supports Food & Beverage operations in talent development, performance management and strategic priorities, across 68 properties in the region. Born into hoteliers and restaurateurs family, Marco started his career in one of Germany’s leading hotels. After accumulating a wealth of experience across Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy and the UK in Michelin starred restaurants and hotels such as Grand Hotel Saint Jean Cap Ferrat, La Chevre d’Or, The Waterside Inn, La Maison Troisgros and Antica Osteria del Ponte, Marco joined Hyatt 1995 as Chef de Cuisine at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. Marco continued his culinary journey by opening mezza9 Grand Hyatt Singapore, Executive Chef Grand Hyatt Bangkok and Grand Hyatt Hong Kong before joining Hyatt’s regional office. Marco is Italian born in Germany. He is fluent in English, French, German and Italian. Marco graduated from Hotel School of Rothenburg, Germany as Certified Master Chef in 1993.

Ashwani Bajaj Amburaya Hotels & Resorts Sunny Bajaj has been in the hospitality development business now for 24 years, established Amburaya in 2000 and since then has forged business alliances with different internationally-renowned operators like Starwood & IHG. Today, the group has four hotels in operation, which are the Bel-Aire Bangkok, Sheraton Pattaya Resort, W Retreat & Residences Koh Samui, and the Holiday Inn Express Siam, the first of its kind in Southeast Asia. Amburaya under Sunny’s leadership continues to develop new and innovative lifestyle oriented accommodation and residential developments in different segments to new and well-established destinations, while also exploring the listing Amburaya assets via a REIT in 2015.

 

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Speakers as of

Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Peter A. Barge Barchem Pty Ltd Peter lives in Bali Indonesia where he has a range of business interests. He sits on boards in Asia, the UK and Australia. Prior to retiring from full time employment he spent 30 years outside Australia. During this period he lived in New York and Singapore twice and Chicago once. His most recent assignment was as Asia Pacific’s CEO of Jones Lang LaSalle where he oversaw 16,000 staff spread across 13 countries. Peter has held CEO and leadership positions in the Property, Hotel and Tourism, Education and Technology sectors. He has also authored or edited a number of books including his latest work published by McGraw Hill “Winning with Transglobal Leadership” which deals with cross-cultural management and leadership within global organisations. Peter is a sought-after presenter at high level business conferences and a facilitator for off-site workshops. Peter is married to writer Kinchem Hegedus, has 2 children and owns the New South Wales south coast Permaculture Farm “Jamberoo Valley Farm” that provides courses and workshops in a range of areas.

Bill Barnett C9 Hotelworks Bill Barnett is the Founder and Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks. C9 is a leading hospitality, tourism and property advisory firm in Asia Pacific who work directly with developers, investors, financial institutions and hotel operators. Their core business focus includes feasibility studies, asset management, operator selection and transactional due diligence. They are considered to be experts in hotel branded residences, blending experience from both a hospitality and real estate perspective. Bill has over 29 years of Asian experience across the region including holding corporate hotel roles with international hospitality groups.

Andrea Belfanti ISHC Andrea Belfanti is the Executive Director for the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC). Andrea has been with ISHC since April 2009, has over 15 years experience in the hospitality industry and has previously held positions with InterContinental Hotels Group, The High Museum of Art, Walt Disney World and Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club and Lodge. Andrea earned her bachelor’s degree from the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Administration at the University of South Carolina. ISHC is a professional society with 200 members with work experience in over 60 countries. Membership is by invitation only and members are owners, principals, directors and/or officers in their firms and are leaders in the industry in their respective areas of expertise.

David P. Berg Carlson Hospitality Group David P. Berg is chief executive officer of Carlson Hospitality Group. Berg leads the Carlson corporate center and its function and also leads and manages the global hotel business with the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group global executive team reporting to him. Most recently, Berg served as chief executive officer and chief customer service officer for the fastest growing reseller of Verizon services. Previously, he worked as executive vice president and president of Outback Steakhouse International, with full profit and loss responsibility for over 200 restaurants in 20 countries generating international system-wide revenues of over $700 million. Additionally, Berg served as chief operating officer of GNC with 7,200 retail locations around the world and revenues of $1.8 billion. Prior to that, he was executive vice president and chief operating officer of Best Buy International, leading the $13 billion international division for the global retailer. Berg currently serves on the board of directors for the Miller Retailing Center at the University of Florida and The Rezidor Hotel Group. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Emory University and a law degree, with honors, from the University Of Florida College Of Law.

 

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Vivek Bhalla CASAM Hospitality Vivek Bhalla is Co-founder of CASAM Hospitality, an asset management and consulting firm providing customized solutions to maximize the long-term value of hospitality assets. The company leadership has over 30 years of experience with the top global hotel chains (Accor, Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and Starwood) across 20 markets in Asia Pacific and the Middle East including Australia, China, India, and South East Asia. In addition the CASAM leadership has worked in senior management positions in all key functions in the hospitality space from sales and marketing, revenue and distribution, operations, development planning and finance, and asset management, enabling a 360 degree perspective to unlocking asset value and consulting solutions. Prior to this Mr.Bhalla was Senior Director Operations – South Asia with Starwood Hotels and Resorts and was responsible for the Pre-Opening and Operations of the groups 40+ hotels in India and South Asia. He has also held senior management roles in Sales and Marketing as Director of Revenue Management for Asia Pacific for Starwood Hotels, Corporate Revenue Manager Hyatt International Hotels and Revenue Manager – South East Asia for Hyatt International Hotels. Mr. Bhalla holds a Master’s Degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

David A. Blumenfeld Paul Hastings David Blumenfeld is the chair of the firm’s Asia Hospitality practice and the partner in charge of the firm's China Real Estate practice. Mr. Blumenfeld focuses his practice on hospitality and other real matters, particularly on the acquisition, disposition, financing, development and construction of significant office, hospitality, and other commercial, mixed-use and residential projects. Mr. Blumenfeld represents equity investors in hospitality transactions ranging from joint venture development platforms to individual development or repositioning transactions. He also represents private equity funds, financial institutions, investment banks and other capital markets clients in multi-jurisdictional equity and debt transactions, and China real estate acquisition, joint venture and financing transactions. Mr. Blumenfeld has advised clients on numerous market leading transactions including the formation of one of the largest hospitality joint venture developments in Asia, the development of the premier mixed-use/hospitality development in India, the largest foreign-acquired single asset real estate acquisition in China, and the restructuring of complex multi-jurisdictional multi-currency debt and equity structures. Mr. Blumenfeld received his B.S. degree in 1985 from the University of California at Berkeley, where he graduated with honors. He received his J.D. degree in 1988 from the University of California at Los Angeles. He is a member of the California Bar Association.

Robert Broadfoot Political & Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd. Robert Broadfoot is the Founder and Managing Director of Political & Economic Risk Consultancy, Ltd. (PERC). He moved to Hong Kong in 1975, when he founded PERC to help banks and multinationals identify and manage country risks in Asia. He currently resides in Seattle, Washington, where he is responsible for coordinating the firm’s overall research and consulting. He also edits PERC’s Asian Intelligence newsletter and monthly Country Risk Monitoring Service. His analysis of Asian developments is regularly quoted by such publications as the Asian Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, as well as by television broadcasters including CNN, CNBC and Bloomberg. He is a contributing author to a book called China Into the Future – Making Sense of the World’s Most Dynamic Economy. He has an honors degree in economics from Oberlin College.

 

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James E. Burba BHN Jim Burba is the co-founder and president of Burba Hotel Network LLC (BHN), the worldwide leader in developing and producing conferences for the hotel and tourism investment community. BHN hosts ten events each year around the world including: ALIS, ALIS Law, ALIS Summer Update, AOCAP, HICAP, HICAP UPDATE, HIFI, CHRIS, HOLA, and Hot.E. In 2008, BHN and Google teamed up to host Digital Discovery Day (D3) and in 2011, Burba was retained by the ITC, a joint agency of the UN and WTO to help organize WEDF which focused on tourism development in the least developed countries of the world. Actively involved in the hotel investment arena for 30 years, Burba was formerly: a principal at Pannell Kerr Forster, Senior Managing Director with Insignia/Hotel Partners, VP/Worldwide Director of Advisory Services at WATG, and President at Horwath HTL (US). A member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) and the Industry Real Estate Finance Advisory Council (IREFAC), Burba has received numerous honors including the Educational Institute Lamp of Knowledge Award, IREFAC’s first Crystal Ball Award, and the ISHC Pioneer Award. In 2007, California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, re-appointed Burba to his second term on the California Travel & Tourism Commission and he recently served on its Executive Committee.

Steve Carroll IHG In his role, Steve oversees the development and execution of short and long term investment strategies to ensure alignment with the company's growth plans, profitability and strategic objectives. This includes asset managing IHG's strategic real estate investments across Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA), and Greater China, driving growth through strategic real estate investments, and merger and acquisition activity. Steve has 18 years of experience and joined IHG from LaSalle Investment Management Singapore office, a subsidiary of Jones Lang LaSalle Inc. where he was based for five years. During that time, he was responsible for the group's hospitality investments and asset management across Asia Pacific and successfully concluded a number of hotel acquisition and disposal projects. Prior to this he was Asset and Investment Manager at The GPT Group (Australian REIT) where he managed the groups Hotel Portfolio which consisted of 22 hotels and mixed use sites across Australia. In addition to Steve’s Investment and real estate experience he has previously held senior revenue and finance management roles in hotels across Australia and the UK with IHG and Hilton. Originally from Australia, Steve has spent the last five years living in Singapore and is married with two children, Olivia and Hamish. In his free time, Steve enjoys watching rugby, taking part in triathlons and travelling with family and friends.

Stephen Chi Hsu Chen Infinity Global Real Estate Advisors Limited Stephen Chi Hsu Chen is one of the Founding and Managing Partner of Ithaca Investment Partners Holdings, and operates the cross boarder real estate investment management and asset management works via Infinity Global Real Estate Advisors Limited. Based in Shanghai, but frequently travels between Asia, North American and Europe, Stephen is currently focusing in the cross boarder investment opportunities between China and the developed markets in the U.S. and Western Europe. Stephen, in addition to having covered numerous investment mandates in Greater China regions and the United States for more than 10 years, has also managed assets and portfolios with combined values accumulated to more than RMB 15 billion. Previously, Stephen was the China Head of Project Development and Asset Management of METRO Properties China and held the Head of China position of CBRE China in Investment Properties and Capital Markets Advisories. Prior to 2008, Stephen was the Managing Director of Bascom China Real Estate, the China subsidiary of Irvine California based private equity company, The Bascom Group LLC. Stephen obtained a bachelor of architecture degree and pursued real estate graduate studies at Cornell University. Stephen is also a frequent speaker at various professional and business forums and has also lectured at various academic institutions in the U.S., China and Taiwan.

 

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Suchad Chiaranussati SC Capital Partners Pte Mr. Chiaranussati founded Real Estate Capital Asia Partners (RECAP), a series of Opportunistic Pan-Asian real estate private equity funds, in late 2004. RECAP I, II, III and IV have a successful 10-year cumulative track record and $2 billion in invested capital. RECAP IV, with a target of $750 million, had a first close in September 2014 and a final close of $850mm was achieved December 5, 2014. Mr. Chiaranussati leads RECAP’s team of 32 professionals, and has provided key leadership and direction since its inception. Mr. Chiaranussati serves as Chairman of the Investment Committee and participates in acquisition, value enhancement and realization activities. Before forming RECAP, Mr. Chiaranussati spent six years with Westbrook Real Estate Partners. He opened its Asia office in Singapore in March 1999 and served as a Managing Director. Before joining WREP, Mr. Chiaranussati spent seven years at J.P. Morgan in the Proprietary Investment and Investment Banking Groups, focusing on real estate and financial institutions. Prior to that, Mr. Chiaranussati worked with Temasek Holdings and the Central Bank of Thailand. Mr. Chiaranussati received an Honors Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and a Masters of Science in Management Science from Imperial College in London.

Raymond Clement Savills Hotels   Raymond Clement is the Managing Director for Savills Hotels Asia Pacific, overseeing and spearheading the expansion of Savills Hotels advisory services across the region. Raymond’s responsibilities include originating, marketing, structuring and transacting major hotel, resort, development and mixed-use leisure facilities. Raymond joined Savills Hotels in 2012 and brings 5 years of marketing, transaction, development, operator selection expertise and 10 years of operation and hotel experience. Prior to joining Savills Hotels Asia Pacific, Raymond spent the last 5 years as a Director with CBRE Hotels based in Singapore where he focused on developing key investor relations within the Asian region.  

Kevin Colket Starwood Capital Group Kevin Colket is Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and the Head of Hotels, Asia, for Starwood Capital Group. Prior to relocating to Hong Kong in 2015, Mr. Colket led Starwood Capital’s hospitality acquisition efforts in Europe from the Firm’s London office. Since joining Starwood in 2007, Mr. Colket has successfully led over $2bn in closed equity and debt transactions in the United States and Europe including the purchase and/or development of the 50-Hotel Principal Hayley/De Vere/Four Pillars UK Hotel Platform, the “1” South Beach in Miami, the “1” Central Park in Manhattan, the Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis, and 49% of Hersha Hospitality Management. In addition, Mr. Colket has asset managed many of Starwood's key hospitality investments. Prior to joining Starwood Capital in 2007, Mr. Colket worked as Director of Acquisitions and Development for Edinburgh Management, a hotel joint venture with the Bank of Scotland. Before that, Mr. Colket held various finance and investment banking positions at Goldman, Sachs & Co., Bank of Boston (now Bank of America) and Paine Webber (now UBS). Mr. Colket earned an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Economics from Trinity College.

Grant Colquhoun TripAdvisor Grant Colquhoun is Director of Account Management for TripAdvisor in Asia Pacific. Based in TripAdvisor’s regional headquarters in Singapore, Grant is responsible for its click-based advertising business in Asia Pacific and manages the accounts of leading online travel agencies and hotels with a team of 11 staff. With a career in travel spanning over 20 years, Grant began working for Sabre Holding in Global Account and Product Development. This was followed by Travelocity, which saw him leading a hotel contracting team of 40 staff. Grant has a passion for discovering new places and recently visited the Somerset Coast in the United Kingdom. His next stop will be enjoying the beaches of Zanzibar & wildlife of Tanzania.

 

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Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Jennifer K. Cronin Marco Polo Hotels In addition to her current role, VP Sales & Marketing for Marco Polo Hotels, Jennifer has been appointed President Designate and will assume the role of President in February 2016. At the same time, she is completing her PhD with Bond University in the field of crisis management leadership. Previously, Jennifer managed the rebranding of Dusit International and its portfolio of brands. This was after a six year assignment in Singapore, where Jennifer focused on the growth of intra-regional Asia Pacific travel for Singapore’s luxury hotel market while working with Grand Hyatt and Ritz Carlton. Whilst having established her career as a marketing professional, Jennifer’s first role as a General Manager was completed with the sale of The Kooralbyn resort, after a gruelling Voluntary Administration transition. She then went on to be the opening General Manager of Holiday Inn Hope Island before returning to the sales and marketing stream with Hyatt International. Jennifer seeks continual personal and professional development by bridging the world of academia as an industry practitioner, so that she can make make a positive difference in a fast changing market environment.

Ricco de Blank Sun Hung Kai Properties Ricco de Blank is the CEO of SHKP Hotels, a position he has held for the past since 2009. SHKP Hotels’ portfolio of 26 hotels includes premium and luxury properties in Hong Kong including: Four Seasons, The Ritz-Carlton, W Hotels and many others. Before joining SHKP, world’s largest property developer, de Blank spent over 15 years with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company in various executive positions, after 4 years with The Walt Disney Co.

Mieke De Schepper Expedia Singapore Pte Ltd Ms. Mieke De Schepper is the Vice President of Asia Pacific for the Expedia group’s Lodging Partner Services, responsible for managing relationships with Expedia’s growing and vibrant hotel portfolio in Asia. Mieke leads an experienced team based in more than 15 countries across the continent, focused on maximising hotel partners’ exposure on more than 150 global travel booking sites. Most recently Mieke was Managing Director of Philips Lighting Singapore, Myanmar, Brunei and other frontier markets. She started her career at Philips in the Video & Multimedia Applications business group in 2005 to develop the global marketing strategy for the home theatre, DVD and Blu-ray categories, where she developed the successful Ambisound SoundBar. In 2009, Mieke was appointed Senior Director of Consumer Lighting Marketing and Sales in Philips Lighting, Asia Pacific region, where she created a Philips-branded retail network in Asia Pacific. Before joining Philips, Mieke was a consultant in McKinsey & Company, based in Europe. Mieke is the President of the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. A Dutch national, Mieke moved to Singapore in 2004, her home ever since. Mieke holds an MBA from INSEAD and an MSc in Industrial Design Engineering from the Delft University of Technology.

 

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Ron H. de Wit AHS Advisory Ron has over 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry in Australia and the South Pacific from initially working in hotels and resorts, restaurants, clubs, catering and foodservice operations; and over the last 20 years as a consultant with leading professional services firms. AHS Advisory was established in 2003 and is Australia’s only specialist hotel market and hospitality real estate advisory firm. With industry qualifications in hotel management and catering operations, Ron’s career background lies in food and beverage cost control and financial management and spans numerous operational and managerial positions in hotels, restaurants, catering companies, club operations. Ron’s consulting skills are based on a deep understanding of the dynamics of hotel and foodservice markets, as well as a detailed knowledge of operational issues and business management aspects related to the hospitality industry. Core areas of Ron’s consulting expertise include research and analysis of market trends, market feasibility studies, financial viability evaluations, hotel business operational reviews, acquisition due diligence assessments, operator search and selection programs, industry best practice research and benchmark surveys, and asset management business performance reviews. Ron has authored numerous publications including market forecasts, infrastructure development reports and investment guides, and business benchmarking reports for tourism and hospitality industry lobby groups and hotel industry associations. He has been a regular speaker at industry events and a guest lecturer at hotel and club management training schools.

Regina DiBenedetto Aareal Bank Asia Limited Aareal Bank Asia Limited is the central hub for Aareal Bank AG’s Structured Property Financing throughout Asia. Aareal Bank, headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, is one of the leading international property specialists listed on Deutsche Börse’s MDAX index. Aareal Bank’s activities span three continents: Europe, North America as well as Asia Pacific and provides property financing solutions in more than 20 countries. In Asia, the bank is active in Singapore, greater China, Japan and select resort destinations. Following four years with Aareal Bank in Wiesbaden as a member of the Hotel Financing team, Regina DiBenedetto is now a Director with Aareal Bank Asia Limited. Prior to joining Aareal Bank, Regina worked with Ernst & Young’s Hospitality Advisory Services practice in Miami. She advised developers and owners in the US and Caribbean with a focus on development, operations, tourism and strategy. During her tenure with Aareal Bank in Wiesbaden, Regina worked on projects in various European countries, Canada and Mexico. Regina received a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration in 1997 and an MBA from George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 2001.

Graeme Dickson Baker & McKenzie Graeme is a partner in the Structured Property Group in Sydney and is Global Coordinator of the firm's leading Hotels, Resorts & Tourism group (76 offices in 47 countries). Graeme has worked extensively in many jurisdictions on hotel and resort leases, franchises and management contracts (including non-disturbance agreements) "man-leases" and "manchises", asset based and structured purchases and sales of hotel and resort properties, integrated resort developments and complex serviced apartment/mixed use developments. In the Chambers Asia 2011 Australian rankings, Graeme was referred to as a hospitality specialist where in the words of one commentator he "dominates the market and is an expert in management agreements relating to hotels". In the Chambers Asia 2012 Australian rankings it was stated that "Graeme heads the hotels group and is particularly well regarded for his work in this field". In the Chambers Asia 2013 it is stated "[Graeme is a lawyer] whose aim is always to protect his client - he takes a very commercial view of the issues that arise, and does not waste time on issues that are not important." Graeme is listed in the 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 Best Lawyers Guide as one of the leading lawyers in Australia in the Hospitality and Tourism category.

 

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Hamish A. Dodds Hard Rock International As President and CEO, Hamish Dodds oversees all aspects of Hard Rock’s worldwide businesses, which include both company owned and franchise cafes, bars, hotels, casinos and live music venues, all showcasing the world’s greatest collection of authentic music memorabilia. Hamish is responsible for the strategic development and operational results of all Hard Rock’s activities across 63 countries ensuring that all our guests enjoy the highest quality food, merchandise, service and entertainment experiences whenever they visit our locations. Prior to joining the Hard Rock team in 2004, Hamish worked as CEO for Cabcorp, and also held senior positions with PepsiCo Beverages International, where he worked for 13 years gaining extensive international experience in finance, franchising, joint ventures and brand management from a number of senior roles in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas. In his final position with PepsiCo, from 1997 through 2002, Hamish was President for South America, Central America and the Caribbean business unit and was responsible for the major re-franchising, brand recovery and financial turnaround in those markets. Hamish is also a Non-Executive Board Director for Pier 1, a public listed company on the NYSE.

Monika Dubaj Hyatt Hotels & Resorts Leaving her native Poland at the age of seven to live in a small university town in Nigeria, West Africa, was a turning point in Monika’s life, giving her a taste of travel, culture and hotels. Monika returned to Poland to complete her high school education, and went on to complete her education in the USA, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts degree at Washington University in St. Louis, and a Master’s degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. Monika now lives in Hong Kong, where she is Vice President – Development for Hyatt Hotels and Resorts. She previously held acquisition and development roles with Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Carlson Hotels Asia Pacific, and hospitality consulting positions with Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young. Monika has also worked in the government sector, and has been responsible for the development and administration of hospitality education institutions in Laos and Australia. Monika is a competitive swimmer and tri-athlete, and a proud mother of one son.

Andrew Fey The Gettys Group Andrew is the President/COO and Founding Partner of The Gettys Group, where he has spearheaded nearly three decades of growth for this innovative and award-winning global hospitality design, procurement, branding and consulting firm. With his dynamic leadership style and global sensibilities, Gettys has grown from one office in Chicago to six offices throughout the United States, Asia Pacific and Middle East. By leveraging Andrew’s diverse background of hotel operations, real estate finance, design and marketing expertise; The Gettys Group has established a worldwide reputation for having an effective and creative approach to the hotel design and development process. The firm has also earned rankings among the top global hospitality design and procurement firms while completing several hundred hospitality projects throughout the world. A noted industry speaker, Andrew is engaged to share his expertise and insight about the hospitality industry, business strategy, as well as global trends. Andrew is a native of Australia and an honors graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. He is also active with a number of civic groups in his hometown of Chicago.

Patrick Finn Hyatt International ASPAC Ltd. Patrick Finn is Vice President of Real Estate & Development for Hyatt Hotels Corporation in Asia Pacific. He is based in Hong Kong and is responsible for Hyatt's brand development efforts in Southeast Asia (Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore) and North Asia (Korea and Japan). Patrick has over 15 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has a successful track record of negotiating hotel and resort contracts in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Prior to joining Hyatt, Patrick was based in Belgium at the EAME headquarters of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and has also held positions in consulting and financial services in Chicago and New York. Patrick is a graduate of Boston University (BA Economics) and the Kellogg School of Management (MBA). He speaks French, Spanish, English, and German.

 

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Andreas Flaig Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Andreas Flaig is the Executive Vice President, Development, Asia Pacific at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Flaig is responsible for driving development strategies for growing Carlson Rezidor’s hotel portfolio in Asia Pacific across all brands – Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Radisson Red®, Park Plaza®, Park Inn® by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM. He oversees the regional teams based in Singapore, China, India and Indonesia in securing new management contracts as well as franchise opportunities.

Andreas has been in the hospitality industry for more than 20 years, 17 years of which were in Asia. He joined Carlson Rezidor after eight years with Jones Lang LaSalle’s Hotels and Hospitality Group where he held a dual role of Managing Director for both Advisory Asia and China, based in Shanghai. Prior to joining JLL, Andreas was First Vice President for Aareal Bank AG in Germany where he started the bank’s first hotel advisory and asset management practice and led its expansion in Asia with the establishment of the Singapore office. Andreas started this career with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in revenue management and thereafter opened Arthur Andersen’s first hospitality consulting practice in Hong Kong in 1997. Born in Germany, Andreas has a Bachelor of Science with distinction from Cornell University, School of Hotel Administration.

Christopher Ford Host Hotels & Resorts Christopher Ford is Senior Vice President of Asset Management for Host Hotels and Resorts Inc, a S&P 500 and Fortune 500 company, the largest lodging real estate investment trust and one of the largest owners of luxury and upper upscale hotels. The Company owns or by way of joint ventures approximately 130 properties with 65,000 rooms. Mr. Ford’s responsibility focuses on the Asia Pacific region and currently oversees 16 hotels in various levels of development in the countries of Australia, New Zealand and India. He and his team work closely with the property, regional and corporate management teams to maximize the operating performance of luxury, upper, and mid-scale assets flagged by five distinct brands. Prior to joining Host Hotels and Resorts, Mr. Ford served as the Vice President of Finance for Ritz-Carlton. At Ritz-Carlton, Mr. Ford provided financial and operational leadership to 24 luxury hotels and resorts, 10 condominiums, 3 fractional ownership clubs, and a private membership club totaling over $1B in revenue. He has held other executive management roles in hospitality with Marriott International in corporate, regional and property level positions. In addition, he has served as a guest lecturer for Georgetown’s Real Estate Program and San Diego State’s Hospitality program. Mr. Ford received a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from University of Kentucky, a Masters of Business Administration from Georgetown University, a Masters of Science in Real Estate at Johns Hopkins University, and received his CPA designation from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Mr. Ford is president of the Asia Pacific Hotel Asset Management Association, and a member of the Urban Land Institute, American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins alumni organizations.

Hisashi Furukawa Japan Hotel REIT Advisors Hisashi Furukawa joined Japan Hotel REIT Advisors Co., Ltd. as the President and Representative Director in June 2014. To date, Mr Furukawa has had 33 years of experience in real estate / fund management. Prior to joining Japan Hotel REIT Advisors, Mr. Furukawa was a Principal of Rockpoint Group, a U.S. real estate investment management firm for 9 years and he oversaw Rockpoint Group’s investment activities in Japan as Country Head. Prior to Rockpoint Group, Mr. Furukawa was an Executive Director of UBS Securities from 2000 until 2004, where he was responsible for real estate investment banking business in Japan. Prior to UBS Securities, Mr. Furukawa was an Executive Director of Morgan Stanley, where he served in various capacities in real estate investment banking business and was involved in Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund’s investments in Japan, from 1990 until 2000. Prior to Morgan Stanley, Mr. Furukawa worked for Sumitomo Realty and Development for 8 years in Japan and the United States.

 

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Kenneth Gaw Gaw Capital Partners Kenneth co-founded Gaw Capital Partners in 2005, and has been its President and Managing Principal. Gaw Capital is a real estate private equity firm that focuses on global real estate markets. Gaw Capital Partners has raised four real estate funds targeting the Greater China and Asia Pacific region, while Gaw Capital Partners USA is providing services for separate account direct investment and fund management in the US and UK markets. It has raised equity in excess of USD$ 4.26 billion since 2005 and currently commands assets of over USD$ 9.16 billion under management as of first quarter of 2015. He also joined Pioneer Global Group (listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange) since 1994 and remains to be Managing Director. Notable transactions under his direction in recent years include acquisition and repositioning of Pullman Hotel G Pattaya and Pullman Hotel G Bangkok, Thailand; AIA Tower in Macau; and Global Gateway, 68 Yee Woo Street building, Club Lusitano building, Kowloon City Plaza in Hong Kong. Through its associate company Strand Hotels International, Pioneer Global Group has been an investor in the Strand Hotel, Inya Lake Hotel, and the Thamada Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar since early 1990's. In addition, Kenneth holds directorships at Dusit Thani Public Company Limited (listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand), Home Inns & Hotel Management Inc. (listed on NASDAQ), and Hong Kong Thailand Business Council

Mike Goodson ADIA Abu Dhabi Investment Mike is Global Head of Hospitality at ADIA. He is responsible for management of the group’s hospitality portfolio, including acquisition and disposition activity and also all hotel asset management activities. In addition, he is a member of the ADIA Real Estate Screening and Executive Committees, and chairs the department’s Recruiting and Resource Development Committees. Prior to ADIA, Mike was Managing Director – Europe, for Host Hotels & Resorts, where he had overall responsibility for Host’s business in Europe, including its joint venture with GIC and APG. Prior to joining Host in 2006, Mike spent over 18 years in various roles with Intercontinental Hotels Group. His last role there was SVP Corporate Finance for IHG, where he spearheaded the global sale and manage-back programme for IHG’s hotel portfolio, disposing of approximately 175 hotels over a three-year period and maintaining flags on substantially all. A graduate of University of Florida, Mike resides with his family in Abu Dhabi and Atlanta.

Robert V. R. Hecker Horwath HTL Robert manages the Pacific Asia region for Horwath HTL with offices in Tokyo, Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Jakarta. Since his arrival in the region with Horwath in 1988, he has developed an extensive background and expertise in the region’s developing hotel and tourism industries through his direct involvement in the planning and analysis of more than 500 projects located throughout the Pacific Asia region. Overall, he has over 35 years of experience including work in hotel operations with Pacific Plaza Hotels at various properties in northern California and conducting market and financial analyses for hotels, resorts, cruise ships, convention centers, conference centers and restaurants while with Laventhol and Horwath in San Francisco. He is also a frequent speaker at industry-related conferences around the region and has published numerous research articles in regional industry publications.

 

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Scott Hetherington JLL Over the past 31 years with the Firm, Scott has been involved across the various disciplines of the Group’s services including advisory, transaction and management contract negotiations throughout Australia, Europe and Asia Pacific. Prior to his 10 years in Europe, Scott was based in JLL’s Sydney office, where he undertook sales, valuations and feasibility studies of hotels and resorts throughout Australia. Since relocating to Singapore in 2000, Scott has lead numerous key assignments including strategic advisory roles on the Venetian Macao masterplan Cotai project in Macao, the Marina Bay Sands project in Singapore and advisory assignments on hotel portfolios owned by Hong Kong and Shanghai Hotels, Mandarin Oriental and United Overseas Land. In 2006, Scott lead the landmark negotiations on behalf of All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd (‘ANA’) in the formation of their hotel operating joint venture with InterContinental Hotels Group in Japan, and subsequently in 2007 the disposal of ANA’s 13 owned and leased hotels, Asia Pacific’s largest hotel transaction at USD 2.36 billion. More recently, in the Indian Ocean, Scott has successfully orchestrated the sales of Banyan Tree Resort in the Seychelles, as well as Soneva Gili, Angsana Velavaru, Six Senses Laamu and Jumeirah Dhevanafushi, all in the Maldives.

Dan Hogan HOTELS Magazine Dan Hogan has spent over 25 years with HOTELS magazine. He began as an advertising sales representative, becoming sales manager, Associate Publisher, and in 1999 was appointed Publisher of HOTELS and HOTELS' Investment Outlook. In 2010, Dan was appointed Vice President of HOTELS/HOTELS’ Investment Outlook. Prior to joining HOTELS, he worked for Hyatt Hotels and Edward Don & Company. Mr. Hogan is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin. He currently resides in the Chicago area.

Ted Horner E Horner & Associates In 1989, he established E Horner & Associates Pty Ltd a Consulting Practice specializing in Technology Consulting to the Hospitality Industry and he is now widely respected as Australia's leading consultant in this area. In 2002 he was a founding member of HTNG (Hotel Technology Next Generation) a not for profit body which was established in the US to promote open systems integrations between vendors in the industry and today he is an Executive Advisor to HTNG. In 2004 he was the first non US person to be elected to the HITEC Technology Hall of Fame for his contribution to the advancement of technology in the hospitality industry. Since 2010 has been the principal conference moderator at the largest hotel technology conference in Europe The International Hotel Technology Forum. In 2014 was elected to the International Board of Directors of Hotel Technology Financial Professionals (HFTP) who run the largest hotel technology exhibition/conference in the world. Has done consulting assignments in the following countries over the last 25 years Singapore, Indonesia , Sri Lanka , USA , Malaysia , Dubai, Papua New Guinea, Is a member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants.

 

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Paul Hsu Elite Concepts Paul Hsu founded Elite Concepts in 1991 with a vision to bring high-quality free-standing restaurants to Hong Kong. Over the years, the company has evolved into a dynamic enterprise which transforms visionary ideas into commercial successes in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing and most recently Taipei, being ye shanghai. The company portfolio now includes 15 restaurants. ye shanghai in 3 cities (in which ye shanghai Kowloon was 2 Michelin Star in 2012 & 2013); Nanhai No. 1 (with Eyebar & Elite Dining) was 1 Michelin Star in 2011 & 2012; He Jiang (A tale of two rivers), and QUEMO, Spanish cuisine. Elite Concepts continued to forge new trends in Beijing with “1949 The Hidden City” since 2008. We now have two 1949 in Beijing and both carry the anchor restaurant, Duck de Chine which was No. 2 on the 2013 Best 101 Asian Restaurants by “The Daily Meal”. Paul believes that every hospitality concept must show an understanding of local tastes and maintain a strong connection with the people and their culture. This connection, as much as the company’s celebrated culinary and service standards, is the secret to the company’s success. “Hotel Food & Beverage is a huge window of opportunity for our group as we have the international expertise, yet local integrity.”

Jerry Huang Artyzen Hospitality Group Jerry is a veteran in the industry with more than 30 years of experience. He is the Vice Chairman of China Tourism Hotel Association and also serves as a member of the China National Tourism Administration Platinum Five-Star Grading Committee. His many accolades also include his selection as “One of the Top 10 Figures in China’s Hotel Industry” by the China Hotel Magazine for the years of 2006/07/08/12, “International Hotelier of the Year 2012” by HVS Global Hospitality Service, and “2005-2015 Top 10 Figures of the Decade – Outstanding Entrepreneurs of China Hospitality” by China Hotel Starlight Awards. Joining InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) in 1988, then becoming Holiday Inn’s first Chinese National company employee in 1994 and rising to become President of Greater China from 2011 to 2013, Jerry’s own career success has mirrored that of IHG’s in China, a company that he helped to propel to the top-ranked position in the region during his leadership tenure. Jerry is now at the helm of Artyzen Hospitality Group as President, Greater China, aiming to build unique and sustainable brands that can make culturally rewarding experiences.

Fran Hughes ITP Fran Hughes is Head of Programmes at the International Tourism Partnership (ITP). ITP’s role is to act as the voice for environmental and social responsibility in the global hotel sector. ITP works with its members to drive continual improvement in environmental and social responsibility through promoting and sharing best practice through its online magazine www.greenhotelier.org, offering a range of practical products and programmes, such as the Youth Career Initiative (YCI) and the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) - developed in partnership with the World Travel & Tourism Council - and setting the agenda on sustainability through collaborative working groups and issues management. Fran leads ITP’s programmes on human trafficking, labour standards, carbon and water. Fran has over 20 years experience in the tourism industry, having started her career leading adventure tours worldwide before moving into tour operation and sustainable tourism. In that time Fran devised and implemented responsible tourism strategy and reporting mechanisms for the tour operator Explore, conducted environmental audits on Nile cruiseboats with The Travel Foundation, and worked on sustainable excursion programmes in The Gambia. Fran holds a Master’s in Environmental Strategy and is an Associate of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment.

 

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Rory Hunter Song Saa Resorts Rory Hunter is an Australian citizen based in Hong Kong. He is the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Song Saa Hotels and Resorts, the developer and operator of the multi-award-winning Song Saa Private Island in the Koh Rong Archipelago in Cambodia (www.songsaa.com). Rory has pioneered sustainable development in Cambodia and is leading the private sector in ensuring the preservation of the country’s unique coastal environment. Rory co-founded the Song Saa Foundation in 2013 (www.songsaafoundation.org), an independent NGO that is dedicated to improving the wellbeing of local communities and the natural environment of Cambodia’s Koh Rong Archipelago and beyond. Prince Albert II of Monaco recently partnered with the Foundation to assist with the expansion of the Koh Rong Marine Reserve, Cambodia’s first, set up by Rory in 2006. In recognition of his professional accomplishments, his commitment to society and his inspiring leadership, in early 2015 Rory was selected by the World Economic Forum to join the Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGLs). He was also a guest speaker at the 2014 G20 in Brisbane sharing Song Saa’s story and his vision of ‘Tourism’s New Frontiers’. Prior to becoming an influential social entrepreneur, Rory was a successful advertising executive and worked for global firms including Saatchi and Saatchi. Rory has a Bachelors of Economics from the University of Sydney and is currently studying at Harvard Business School. He is an avid skier, sailor and multi-sport athlete and completed New Zealand’s challenging 243km Coast to Coast race in 2015. Rory is married to co-Founder Melita Hunter and they have one son, Naryth.

Michael Issenberg AccorHotels Asia Pacific Michael Issenberg heads Accor Asia Pacific. Accor is the world’s leading hotel operator with a broad portfolio of hotel brands including Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, the Sebel, Novotel, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles and ibis budget. Accor Asia Pacific is the leading international hotel operator in the region. Mr. Issenberg has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Accor Asia Pacific since 2008 based in the Group’s regional headquarters in Singapore overseeing the company’s overall development and management activities. He is also a member of Accor’s Global Executive Committee. Mr. Issenberg is a director of two public companies: A-HTRUST (Ascendas Hospitality Trust) listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange and the Reef Casino Trust listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. Mr. Issenberg, 56, holds a degree in hotel administration from Cornell University, USA and is a Lifetime Member of the Cornell Hotel Society. Mr. Issenberg is also a Lifetime Member of The Tourism and Transport Forum in Australia.

Chris Ivy MGM Hospitality Christopher Ivy is Chief Development Officer at MGM Hospitality. He joined the Company in September of 2014 and is responsible for overseeing the Company’s global development of Bellagio and MGM branded hotels. Mr. Ivy was previously Executive Vice President of Development and Acquisitions at Interstate Hotels and Resorts where he was responsible for growing Interstate’s management portfolio in the Americas. He joined Interstate in 2012 after spending seven years as Senior Vice President of Real Estate & Development for Hyatt Hotels Corporation. During his time at Hyatt, Mr. Ivy led a team that was responsible for the development of Hyatt branded hotels in the U.S., Canada and the Caribbean. He was also responsible for launching Hyatt’s select-service brands outside of the United States. Prior to joining Hyatt, Ivy served as Vice President, Lodging Development for Marriott International, where he spent eight years leading the expansion of Marriott brands in the western U.S. and Hawaii. His brand experience started at Westin Hotels and Resorts in Seattle where he was Director of Development. Mr. Ivy holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting from the Rawls School of Business at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

 

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Andrew Jessop Langham Hospitality Group Hailing originally from Australia, Andrew Jessop has over 30 years of hospitality experience with luxury hotel groups in Thailand, Australia and China. Andrew joined the Langham Hospitality Group as the group’s first Vice President for Brands when it was established. He then took up the role of Regional Vice President – Asia for Langham Hospitality Group where he was responsible for overseeing the Langham hotels in China, Thailand and Hong Kong. In tandem with the group’s expansion plans, he was recently promoted to his current role to spearhead the company’s development drive to secure new properties globally, and to lead the international development teams in North America, China as well as the greater Asia and Middle East regions.

Vijay Kant Scotiabank Vijay has been with Canada-based Scotiabank for over 7 years in New York and Singapore, most recently covering Real Estate, Gaming and Hospitality sectors in Asia Pacific. Scotiabank’s clients in these sectors include mid-to-large size corporates, REITs, private equity funds, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds and other large investors. Typical financing transactions include syndicated credit facilities, acquisition financings and bridge financings. Since moving to Asia in 2013, Vijay has completed financing transactions in excess of US$1.0 billion.

Sara A. Kearney Hyatt Hotels Corporation Sara Kearney, Senior Vice President – Brands, and 31 year Hyatt veteran, joined Hyatt Hotels Corporation in February 1984 as a reservation agent for the Hyatt Regency New Orleans. Following various operations roles in several hotels over 10 years,Sara joined the corporate team to oversee the implementation of new technology in North American hotels. In September 1996, Sara moved to the corporate team of Hyatt’s international division as Director of Rooms where she supported the companies expansion into Germany, Brazil and Switzerland to name a few, as well as directed the expansion of call center growth into Australia, Mumbai and Mainz Germany. In 2007, she was selected Vice President, Sales and Marketing for the international hotels and in 2010, Sara moved into the role, Senior Vice President – Brands where her goals were to define the customer experiences at the heart of every brand and differentiate and communicate the positioning of the Hyatt brands. She joined the Asia Pacific team as Senior Vice President, Operations in August of 2014.

David Keen QUO An evangelist for the power of experiential branding, David Keen is a successful entrepreneur and leading strategist for the travel and hospitality industries. Over the last 20 years, David has published and been interviewed in dozens of publications and has been a featured speaker at numerous conferences, tradeshows and professional events. David was born in London and educated in New York at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. After embarking on his career in London and the United States, David ventured to Asia as a writer and editor, travelling widely in the region. In 1997, David settled in Bangkok, where he founded QUO, a brand strategy and integrated communications agency. Today, QUO’s portfolio spans five continents and includes many of the world’s most venerated hotels and resorts, tourism destinations, United Nations agencies, and international organizations. As CEO, David leads a team of over 90 esteemed professionals from around the globe and continues to grow QUO.

 

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Mark Keith HVS Executive Search Mark Keith is Managing Director of HVS Executive Search Asia Pacific Division and oversees projects and assignments throughout Asia Pacific. Prior to coming to Hong Kong in 1982, he was trained in the international hospitality sector and worked and lived in Nigeria, Iran, Turkey, Lesotho, Switzerland and throughout the Middle East. He headed up the Hilton International executive development centre in Europe and has provided solutions for talent attraction and retention. He has provided training, executive development programs and pre-opening assistance for hotel openings across the globe, whilst holding senior human resources positions with: Hilton International, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Holiday Inns Worldwide and the Peninsula Group. In diverse enrichments to his extensive hospitality career he has been an Assistant Honorary Professor at the Hong Kong University, School of Dentistry where he taught service outcomes and served as an infantry officer with The Royal Hong Kong Regiment, receiving a commission from the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst. He has a Master of Science degree in Training from the University of Leicester and is a fellow of the Institute of Hospitality (FIH). He is married with two grown up children. Mark remains a keen athlete, racing and building downhill mountain bikes.

Mark Kemper KPMG Mark Kemper is a partner at KPMG China, and leads KPMG’s Leisure and Hospitality practice globally. He has over 20 years’ experience servicing listed companies, public bodies and multinational corporations. Mark has considerable experience working with audit committees and company board members in Hong Kong and internationally. Mark is a member of the Professional Standards Committee of the Asian Association for Investors in Non-listed Real Estate Vehicles (ANREV) and chairs the Hospitality & Tourism Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong. He is also a member of KPMG’s Global Real Estate and Construction Steering Committee.

John M. Kidd HNA Hospitality Group John Kidd is the president of the HNA Hospitality Group of China (which owns, operates and/or holds significant shares in more than 600 hotels worldwide). He is responsible for the company’s brands, operations and sales and marketing with daily oversight and providing long-term strategic direction to the company. He was born in New Zealand and has 42 years of hospitality experience gained in 17 hotels and seven countries across three continents. In 10 of those hotels he was general manager of large city and resort hotels – three of which he opened. Prior to joining the HNA Hospitality Group he was with Hilton Worldwide for almost 20 years in Indonesia, Korea, Guam, and Thailand as well as 11 years in three cities in China – the country in which he particularly enjoys living and practicing hospitality. He also formerly worked for Westin, Southern Suns Hotels and Holiday Inns in South Africa and the United Kingdom. He holds a Diploma in Hospitality Management, a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in Business Economics (specializing in International Marketing) and a Master of Business Administration. He is also a Certified Hospitality Administrator (CHA) and Certified Hospitality Accountant Executive (CHAE) of the United States and a Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality (FIH) and a Member of the Chartered Management Institute (MCMI) of the United Kingdom. John is often invited to represent the HNA Hospitality Group by joining panel discussions and delivering presentations at industry conferences and universities.

 

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Paul S. Kitamura M&C REIT Management Ltd Paul Kitamura is a 27-year veteran of the Asia Pacific hospitality industry currently serving as Head, Asset Management for M&C REIT Management Limited, a Singapore based hotel REIT comprising 16 hotels in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Maldives and Japan. Earlier, Paul served as Senior Vice President of asset management for GIC Real Estate responsible for the fund’s Asia Pacific hospitality portfolio. During his tenure, he successfully drove fast-track cost efficiency initiatives during the global down turn and led the re-branding of the 1,053-room Hilton Fukuoka Seahawk . His operating experience involved leading IHG’s overall business in Japan as country head from 2002-2008. Earlier, he worked for Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in a variety of sales & marketing management roles at the corporate, regional and property levels. Paul’s experience also includes data analytics and corporate real estate services having been Managing Director, Asia Pacific for Revenue Management Solutions (big data custom analytics consultancy for hospitality & retail) as well as Executive Director for Goldman Sachs leading hospitality services for the firm’s Asia Pacific offices. Paul holds an MBA from the Chicago Booth Graduate School of Business and a B.S. degree from Cornell University and currently resides in Singapore with his family.

Carl Kjellqvist Focus Hospitality Inc A first class honors graduate from the International Hotel Management Institute in Lucerne, Switzerland (I.M.I.), he has worked for several international hotel chains throughout Europe before joining the Portman Shangri-La in Shanghai, and has since twenty years worked for Focus Hospitality Inc based out of Singapore, on numerous turnkey projects throughout the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Australasia where he has gained unsurpassed operational experience in all facets of the food and beverage business. Since 1995 he has been spearheading the consultancy activities in South East Asia, working alongside some of industry’s most senior executives and entrepreneurs. Having traveled extensively throughout the world, he brings to the table not only an in-depth knowledge of the latest trends and concepts but have the ability to implement them operationally. He was instrumental in the conceptualization, space planning and tenancy mix of the food service facilities within the Marina Bay Sands integrated casino resort in Singapore and several large-scale mixed-used hospitality projects in the Middle East and South East Asia, including work for Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), Hilton, Kempinski, Starwood, Accor, Taj, Tata and Radisson. His expertise extends into multi-chain developments and franchising for “The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf”, “Tony Roma’s”, “California Pizza Kitchen” and “4Fingers Crispy Chicken” among many others.

Tasos Kousloglou JLL Tasos oversees the Asset Management function of JLL H&H in Asia Pacific. Over the last few years he has led numerous Asset Management and Hotel Operator Selection assignments in the region. He is currently the President of Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) Asia Pacific. Tasos has extensive Asset Management experience working with Hotel Owners and Operators in Asia and the Middle East. Prior to joining JLL in 2011, he headed the Finance and Asset Management function of Emaar Hospitality Group with a prime hospitality asset portfolio comprising luxury and upper upscale hotels, serviced residences, golf clubs and yacht clubs. He also spent six years with OUE Group and Meritus Hotels & Resorts based in Singapore supervising the Asset Management function of the Group’s prime hotel asset portfolio in Singapore, China and Malaysia. He holds a Master of Science in Real Estate from National University of Singapore (REDAS gold medal award), a Master of Science in Financial Engineering (National University of Singapore) and an MBA from University of Macedonia, Economic & Social Sciences. He has also undertaken several Hospitality courses in Cornell-Nanyang Institute of Hospitality Management.

 

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Marc Kramer Carlson Rezidor Marc Kramer is the Senior Director of Development, Southeast Asia and Pacific at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. From the Singapore office, Marc is responsible for driving the group’s development efforts for growing Carlson Rezidor’s hotel portfolio in Southeast Asia and Pacific across all brands – Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu®, Radisson®, Park Plaza®, Park Inn® by Radisson and Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM, with the aim to secure new management contracts as well as franchise opportunities. Marc has been in the hospitality industry for more than 20 years, of which almost nine years in Asia. He joined Carlson Rezidor after more than ten years with consulting firm HVS where he was Senior Vice President of Consulting, based in Singapore, and London. Prior to joining HVS, Marc spent five years at Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, in Jordan and Germany, respectively, in various operational and management roles. Born in the Netherlands, Marc has a Bachelor Degree in Hotel Administration from the Hotel School The Hague, in the Netherlands.

Kwek Leng Beng Hong Leong Group Kwek Leng Beng is the Executive Chairman of the Hong Leong Group of Companies in Singapore. He is Executive Chairman of City Developments Limited, Chairman and Managing Director of Hong Leong Finance Limited and Chairman of Hong Leong Asia Ltd, Hong Kong-listed City e-Solutions Limited and London-listed Millennium & Copthorne Hotels plc. Mr Kwek entered the hospitality industry with a single hotel in Singapore in 1971, and has since transformed the Group into a global hospitality player. Today, the Hong Leong Group is one of the largest hotel owners/operators in the world with more than 36,000 rooms in over 150 hotels across 24 countries. For his contributions to the hotel industry, he was awarded “Outstanding Contributor to Tourism” and “Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year” by Singapore Tourism Board in 1997 and crowned “Asia Pacific Hotelier of the Decade” in 2000 by Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels and Arthur Andersen. Other accolades include “Businessman of the Year” in 1996 by Singapore Business Awards and SG50 Outstanding Chinese Business Pioneers Award in 2015. Mr Kwek holds an honorary doctorate in Business Administration in Hospitality from Johnson & Wales University in the US and an honorary doctorate from Oxford Brookes University in the UK. He also serves as a member of INSEAD East Asia Council. Mr Kwek leads a business empire worth over US$32 billion in diversified premium assets worldwide and companies traded on seven of the world’s stock markets. He currently heads a staff of over 40,000 in property investment and development, hotel ownership and management, financial services and industrial enterprises across Asia-Pacific including China, the Middle East, Europe and North America.

Gerald Lawless Jumeirah Group As President and Group Chief Executive Officer of Jumeirah Group, Gerald Lawless has helped establish Jumeirah as one of the premier luxury hotel brands in the world. He joined the company in 1997 after a 23-year career with Forte Hotels. Graduate of Shannon College of Hotel Management in Ireland, holds an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management by the Johnson & Wales University, State of Rhode Island in the U.S.A., and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by the National University of Ireland, Galway. Member of the Executive Committee and Vice Chairman – Corporate Governance of the World Travel and Tourism Council; member of the Global Agenda Council for Aviation, Travel and Tourism of the World Economic Forum; fellow member of the Institute of Hospitality; member of the Advisory Group of the Global Irish Forum; member of the International Advisory Board of the Ecole Hôtelière Lausanne; member of the Dubai Holding Executive Committee and member of the Board of Trustees of the Emirates National Development Programme. Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, is a former Non-Executive Director and member of the Board of NASDAQ Dubai and Travelodge.

 

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Brian B. Lee Leefang Group Brian Lee serves as the Vice President for Leefang Group, headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan. In the role, Mr. Lee oversees group-wide acquisitions and development strategies, as well as operations for all brands. The brands include Royal Seasons Hotels, Airline Inn, and Space Inn, all owned and operated by Leefang Group. Brian has strong operations backgrounds in trainings and sales & marketing. He first joined Leefang Group in 2006 as Front Office Assistant Manager and has held various management positions across the group, including sales & marketing, operations, and human resource. Brian assumed the role of Vice President in 2013. Upon assuming the role he created the brand Space Inn and started the search for international brands to cooperate in Taiwan. His most recent works include contract negotiations with Starwood Hotels & Resorts and with InterContinental Hotel Groups. Brian receives his bachelor’s degree in Human Resource from North Carolina State University and Master’s degree from the school of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

Niki Leondakis Commune Hotels & Resorts Niki Leondakis, Chief Executive Officer, joined Commune Hotels & Resorts in 2012, and has led the global expansion of the company's hotel brands which now include Alila, Thompson, Joie de Vivre, and tommie hotels. Previous to Commune, Leondakis led Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants as President and Chief Operating Officer, where she held various senior executive positions since 1993. Prior to joining Kimpton, Leondakis worked for Ritz-Carlton Hotels from 1985 to 1993. Leondakis has received numerous industry awards, including being named one of the "100 Most Influential Women" by the San Francisco Business Times every year from 2002 to 2015. She was recognized as one of "30 Women Power Players" by Nation's Restaurant News and was named one of the "Most Powerful Women in Travel" by Travel Agent Magazine. Tempering business with community stewardship, Leondakis served as Chair of Dress for Success World Wide, an international non-profit organization that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women, from 2009-2011 and continues to serve as an active board member, chairing the strategic planning committee. Leondakis resides with her husband in San Francisco, California.

Eric J. Levy TSI Eric Levy is Managing Director of Tourism Solutions International (TSI). TSI is a hospitality investment firm with more than 20 years presence in Asia. In addition to its investment and asset management activities, it conducts select advisory work that is investment related. With TSI, Eric was a founding partner with Octagon Capital Partners in 2002 to 2005. At Colony Capital Asia Pacific, Eric was Executive Vice President, where he was involved in various sectors of the real estate industry. His main focus was to drive Colony’s hotel investment efforts in Asia. Prior to returning to TSI, he was the Senior Vice President Growth and Development for Pan Pacific Hotels Group where he had global responsibility for growing the company through acquisitions and third party management contracts. He was also a Senior Partner with Horwath Asia Pacific and a Founder and President of Horwath Hotel Partners, providing hotel brokerage services primarily to Asian hotel owners. Eric has lived in Singapore for the last 24 years, dating from when he opened the Singapore office of Horwath Asia Pacific. He joined Horwath in the early 80’s, and was based in Hong Kong prior to his move to Singapore. Throughout his tenure in Asia, he worked on hundreds of projects in various countries all over Asia Pacific – Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, India, China, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, the Philippines, Guam (USA) and Saipan.

 

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Damien Little Horwath HTL Damien Little is a Director of Horwath HTL in Asia and is based in the Singapore office. He has previously been based in both the Beijing and Hong Kong offices of Horwath HTL, having worked for the company for the last 14 years. Damien has 16 years of consulting experience and has significant experience in financial modeling. During this time he has undertaken hotel related projects in 17 countries across the Asia Pacific region, being involved in more than 400 projects. Damien has been involved in projects across all industry segments including 5 star city hotels, golf resort properties, mid-scale regional hotels, budget hotels, backpacker accommodation, restaurants and clubs. He has significant experience in the China market having traveled to more than 70 cities across the country. Prior to joining Horwath HTL in 2001, Damien worked for both Arthur Andersen and PricewaterhouseCoopers in Sydney He is also a frequent speaker at industry related conferences around the region and has published numerous research articles in regional industry publications.

Wei Li Liu Starwood Hotels & Resorts Liu Wei Li is Senior Vice President, Design & Technical Services for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific. Mr. Liu joined Starwood in 2006 and oversees all creative and design resources for Starwood’s nine brands in Asia Pacific including St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element. Mr. Liu and his team are currently involved with more than 250 new hotel projects across Asia Pacific. AP DTS team has successfully opened, renovated more than 290 hotels in the last 8 years. Prior to Starwood, Mr. Liu worked for major developers and hotel owners in Singapore and China. He had extended experience in Hospitality, Retail and Residential design & developments and his projects cover USA, Europe and Asia Pacific. Mr. Liu, licensed architect in New York State, holds both Architectural and Urban Design degrees from Harvard Graduate School of Design.

James Mabey Jumeirah Group Dr. James Mabey is the Senior Vice President of Development – Asia Pacific, for Jumeirah Group, and is responsible for the company’s growth and development across the Asia Pacific region. Part of Dubai Holding, Jumeirah Group is a Dubai-based international luxury hotel chain with award winning hotels and resorts throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Dr. Mabey holds an MBA in Hospitality and Tourism, and a Doctorate Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Dr. Mabey has lived in Asia since 1999, and has over a decade of business consulting and real-estate development experience in the region. He is fluent in Mandarin, Thai, Laotian, and Spanish. Prior to joining the Jumeirah Group, Dr. Mabey previously held key positions as Senior Director of Development for Marco Polo Hotels, and Director of Development for Jumeirah Private Island, Phuket, as well as China Operations and Development Manager for the International Resort Development Group. He also served as Economic and Tourism Development Advisor to the Thailand Ministry of the Interior, and Phuket Governor’s Office from 2005 to 2011. Dr. Mabey is a frequent speaker at industry and academic conferences, and guest lecturer at universities throughout Asia Pacific. He is also Associate Professor of Hotel Development and Strategy with the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management. Dr. Mabey was also the recipient of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Face of the Future 2013 award.

 

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Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Andrew P.B. MacGeoch Mayer Brown JSM Andrew MacGeoch is a partner of Mayer Brown JSM and is the head of the firm's Asia Hospitality and Leisure group and a member of the Real Estate practice and its Development & Commercial team. He represents developers, owners, institutional investors, governments and statutory corporations. He has extensive experience in dealing with infrastructure developments and mixed-use projects including drafting and negotiating the full range of commercial agreements required for such projects. Andrew regularly advises on the drafting and negotiation of hotel management and related agreements and has been involved in transactions involving more than 50 hotel and lodging brands. These include the Four Seasons, Ritz Carlton, Marriott, Aman, Shangri-la, St. Regis, W, Sheraton, Regent, Mandarin Oriental, Six Senses, Meridien and other brands for hotels predominantly in Hong Kong, Macau, Mainland China, Vietnam and Thailand. He is a regular writer on hotel topics and a regular presenter and moderator at hotel and real estate conferences. Andrew has most recently been listed as a Recognised Practitioner - Real Estate (China) by Chambers Asia Pacific (2014 and 2015); a Leading Real Estate Lawyer by The International Who's Who of Real Estate Lawyers (2013); a Leading Franchise Lawyer by The International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers (2013) and a Leading Lawyer for Sports and Entertainment by The International Who’s Who of Sports & Entertainment Lawyers (2013).

Peter A. Mack Landor Associates Peter Mack is executive director of marketing, responsible for strategy and client relationship management in the Asia Pacific region. He has been responsible for managing key client relationships with ICONSIAM, CGB, Haier, Mahindra & Mahindra, Masdar, and Jinjiang Hotels, among others. Peter worked in Landor’s Hong Kong and San Francisco offices for 11 years, where he began as a technology manager and then as senior brand consultant, managing strategic brand and design projects for Cathay Pacific Airways, Charles Schwab, Deere & Company, Hewlett-Packard, Lincoln-Mercury, PepsiCo, Singapore Telecom, and Singha beer, among others. Before moving back to Asia, Peter was executive vice president at Enterprise IG (now The Brand Union) for eight years, where he was responsible for managing client relationships with Tesla Motors, Caterpillar Inc., Fujifilm USA, Nestlé, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, and AMD. Peter holds a BA degree in political science and Asian languages with honors from the University of California, Berkeley.

Kenneth Macpherson IHG Kenneth was appointed Chief Executive, Greater China in January 2013 and become a member of the Executive Committee on joining the Group in April 2013. Responsible for the management, growth and profitability of IHG’s fastest growing region, which includes mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR and Taiwan, Kenneth manages a portfolio of over 200 hotels in operation, and oversees the development of another 180 hotels in the pipeline. Kenneth joined IHG from Diageo, one of the UK’s leading branded companies, where he worked for over 20 years. As a result, Kenneth has extensive management experience, with a background in sales, marketing strategy, business development, and operations. Kenneth also brings to IHG substantial knowledge and expertise in Chinese and international business operations.

 

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Speakers as of

Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Paul Alick Macpherson Kerzner International Paul Macpherson joined Kerzner International in March 2015 as the EVP Global Business & Real Estate Development. In his role at Kerzner, Paul will drive the business development strategy to continue the global expansion of Kerzner International’s brands. Paul joined Kerzner from Whitbread PLC, where he held the position of President & Managing Director for Whitbread Hotels & Restaurants International since 2011. At Whitbread, Paul implemented the 10-year international expansion strategy for Premier Inn hotels. He built that company’s international presence, as well as established a robust development pipeline spanning from Saudi Arabia to Indonesia. Prior to joining Whitbread, Paul worked with Jumeirah where he held the position of Chief Development Officer from 2005, overseeing the entire development strategy of global expansion for the brand. He has also worked at Hilton International where he held the position of Vice President Development for Asia Pacific and Middle East since 1999. Paul has also held the position of Vice President - Asia Pacific at PKF Consulting in Hong Kong and Singapore since 1994. Prior to moving to Asia, Paul worked for the Royal Bank of Canada, Price Waterhouse and Air Canada.

James W. McBride Nihiwatu Resort, Sumba James McBride is a globally known hotelier who has led some of the best hotels in the world during his twenty-five year professional career. James turned hotel entrepreneur in 2012 when long-time friend Chris Burch approached James to partner with him in the acquisition of Nihiwatu on the island of Sumba. The subsequent investment and redevelopment of the resort, with its philanthropic and adventure focus has positioned it as one of the best resorts in the world. The success of this has spawned the birth of Nihi Resorts and the development of Nihioka a sister resort on Sumba with a vision to develop an Island in Komodo connecting all with a classical Indonesian phinisi. James started his journey working globally for fourteen years at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. James was then sought to run two of the world's most famous grand dame properties in quick succession; in 2002 James became General Manager of The Grosvenour House of London's Park Lane and in 2003 as Managing Director of The Carlyle. James' six years with Rosewood Hotels included the regional Directorship of all of Rosewoods Caribbean Resorts - before Tan Sri Francis Yeoh a long time friend and Managing Director of YTL, one of Asia's most admired companies, approached James to take over the reins as President for the YLT Hotel Group globally.

Roy Melick Baker & McKenzie Roy is an active and a founding member of the Baker & McKenzie's Hotels, Resorts and Tourism Group and the Asia Pacific REITs Group. He is a well-established and highly experienced practitioner in sales, acquisitions, workouts, developments, financing of the land and buildings and the businesses of hotels and resorts and hotel management agreements. Roy has a particular niche in structured transactions with multi-layered offshore and onshore tax structures and utilizing the Management Investment Trust regime or a leveraged model. He is also highly regarded for his knowledge of various hotel business models. Roy is respected by his peers and clients as one of the leading practitioners in his field as indicated by Legal Media Group’s Expert Guides, the Australian Financial Review's Best Lawyers, Chambers Asia Pacific, PLC Cross-Border Real Estate Handbook and PLC Which lawyer?. He is also regularly sought after by industry associations for his counsel in relation to their forums, policies and research. Roy is an active and long-standing committee member of the Property Council of Australia (Tourism Committee) and board member of the Australian Chapter of Asian Public Real Estate Association. He is a regular presenter at conferences and contributes articles to various journals.

 

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Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Henk Meyknecht Kempinski Hotels Henk Meyknecht (Netherlands) studied at Hotel school Maastricht (Netherlands) and Cornell University New York (US). His career in the international hotel industry spans over 30 years with assignments in Europe, Middle East, North America and the Far East. He held management position with Hilton, Intercontinental Hotels, Peninsula Hotels, Marco Polo Hotels and Langham Hotels. His first assignment in China dates back to 1987 at Jianguo Peninsula Hotel in Beijing. He is currently General Manager of the 700 rooms Grand Kempinski Hotel Shanghai. He is vice chairman of the International Branded Hotel Association Shanghai (IBHS) and member of the advisory board of the Hotelschool Maastricht (Netherlands). www.kempinski.com.

Jasper M. Muller citizenM hotels Jasper Muller joined citizenM hotels in 2006 as director of Development & Investment, responsible for the international expansion of the citizenM brand. He is currently based in Hong Kong as Brand Manager Asia, working together with the team of citizenM's joint venture partner Artyzen Hospitality Group. Prior to citizenM hotels, Jasper worked as a real estate consultant at Arthur Andersen and Deloitte. He is a graduate of the Amsterdam School of Real Estate and Delft University of Technology.

Bruce L. Musick Vanguard Hotels Pte Ltd Bruce Musick, is a 31-year veteran of the US, European and Asian hospitality industries which includes the past 22 years in Asia. Mr. Musick has held positions for both private and public companies that range from marketing, operations, distribution, new product development, financial management and executive management. He has lived and worked in most all of the key markets in which Vanguard is targeting, including Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia. Mr. Musick currently serves as the Group CEO of Vanguard Hotels Pte Ltd (Singapore). In this capacity, he oversees the overall business strategy, joint venture partners and investor relations.  Vanguard Hotels aims to become a market leader in the affordable hotel space in Asia, through the development of its own brands as well as joint venture partnerships for other branded products in selected markets. The company, headquartered in Singapore and with its Regional operating headquarters in Manila, is active in hotel development in the Philippines, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and

Vietnam.

Khirstie Gunn Myles InterContinental Hotels Khirstie joined InterContinental Hotels Group in May 2012 to lead the Design and Engineering function. An architect with many years of experience in the global hospitality sector - both from an investor and operator’s perspectives. She brings extensive experience working with some of the world’s largest hotel operating groups where she has led technical services teams delivering in Latin America, Europe, India, Middle East, Africa, Australia and Asia. Passionate about design, Khirstie is chairperson for the Asian Hotel Design Awards in 2014, their inaugural year in Singapore. She also enjoys contributing to various design forums around the globe as well as visiting lecturer to design and hospitality schools in Europe and Asia. Born in Edinburgh, Scotland – Khirstie is an enthusiastic global citizen who has enjoyed living and working on all of the habitable continents!

 

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Speakers as of

Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Clint Nagata BLINK Design Group Clint Nagata sees the symphony of space, form and function that a vacant site invites. Ideas are his currency. Culture shapes his credo. But instinct is his watchword. Nagata has it. He trusts it. As do the rapidly expanding ranks of BLINK’s clients, among them legends of luxury like Conrad, Hilton, Rosewood, Jumeirah, Six Senses, Westin, Regent, Marriott and Alila. Nagata has spent two decades at design’s cutting edge, testing limits, winning plaudits, pushing room envelopes and exploring space. As his visions have become reality in many of the world’shotspots, he has built up an enviable track record of success, a coterie of contented clients and a growing reputation as a speaker of insight and originality. His recent accolades include the prestigious Hospitality Design Award for Conrad Sanya Haitang Bay; Conde Nast Traveller Hotlist & Asia Pacific Interior Design Award for Jumeirah Dhevanafushi Maldives; Gold Key Finalist for Best Resort in the World & International Property Awards Highly Commended for Regent Phuket Cape Panwa; and Conde Nast Traveller Hot List and Gold Key Finalist for Best Resort in the World 2014 for Regent Bali. Educated at the University of Hawaii, Nagata cites Sri Lankan design luminary Geoffrey Bawa as the enduring influence on his philosophy of design, and the mercurial mind of author Malcolm Gladwell as a source of inspiration.

Jonathan C. Nehmer JN+A Jonathan C. Nehmer, AIA, ISHC is the Chairman and Founder of Jonathan Nehmer + Associates, Inc., an international Architecture, Interior Design, Project Management, and Design and Construction Consulting firm that specializes in the hospitality industry. He is a Principal with HVS Design. Mr. Nehmer is an expert in the development, design, and construction of hospitality projects. A licensed architect, Mr. Nehmer has more than 35 years of experience as an architect, designer, and owner’s representative for the hospitality industry. Prior to founding Jonathan Nehmer + Associates, Inc. in 1989, Mr. Nehmer directed the design and construction of real estate development projects for several major hotel chains, including Marriott International and Ramada, Inc. In 2009, Mr. Nehmer and the JN+A team created the first Hotel Cost Estimating Guide, a comprehensive guide that provides rule-of-thumb ranges of costs for various levels of renovation that is published with new data each year. He is also an author of the ISHC 2014 Capex Study which documents the history of capital expenditures in the hotel industry.

Gert Noordzy Northside Consulting Gert Noordzy is an international hotelier, organisational project management expert and doctoral candidate. Gert graduated from Hanze College Hotel Management School in Zwolle, the Netherlands, and holds an MBA from the University of Saint Joseph in Macau, China, with majors in strategic management and marketing, as well as financial and business analysis. He is also a Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) from the Project Management Institute and holds a Financial Advisors’ International Qualification (FAIQ) from the Chartered Insurance Institute. Gert has more than 20 years of professional experience in Greater China and Southeast Asia. He has been involved in the opening of over 30 new hotels and 2 integrated resort destinations. He first started researching hotel opening processes in 2008. His personal objective is to help the hotel industry transform itself and embrace project management as a strategic competence. Gert is Managing Director of Northside Consulting Company Limited, which specializes in Organisational Project Management for the hospitality industry. Services provided include pre-opening support for new hotel projects. www.northside-consulting.com.

Kitaro Onishi Vista Hotel Management Kitaro Onishi is a senior advisor of Vista Hotel Management Co., Ltd., (VHM) the Japanese hotel management company. Onishi began his career at Mitsui Real Estate Sales in Japan. He has been involved in cross-border real estate investment and investment banking business for more than 30 years with companies such as Goldman Sachs, Kajima Corporation and Credit Suisse. Onishi also has been actively involved in hotel transactions in Japan last several years worth of more than US$436 million. Onishi received B.A. in Law in 1977 from Waseda University.

 

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Speakers as of

Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Victor K. Osumi Prince Hotels (Seibu HD) Victor began his hospitality career by joining Hyatt Hotels Corporation (HHC) in 1991. Thereafter he was appointed as Regional Director Japan for Mandarin Oriental Hotels Group in 1998. He joined Marriott International in 2002 as Vice President, Japan and in 2006 promoted to Vice President Global Sales North Asia in addition to serving as Vice President of Operations, Japan. He was responsible for the growth of InterContinental Hotel Group (IHG) branded properties as Vice President of Development from February 2009 to November 2011. Then he took a break from the operator’s roll by joining Cerberus Operations and Advisory Company (COAC) to extend operational advisory to entities that Cerberus Capital Management invests in. At present time, he is responsible for new developments and projects for Seibu Holdings and Prince Hotels, the leading upscale hotel group in Japan. Victor is US Citizen, Graduate of Florida Institute of Technology, the School of Aeronautics.

Jesper Palmqvist STR Global Jesper Palmqvist is based in Singapore as Area Director Asia Pacific for STR Global - leading the regional team in sales, strategy and development for the region. He has twenty years of experience in both supplier and aggregator sides in hospitality, online travel and IT through various verticals in regional European IT start-ups and hotel chains, as well as global companies such as Orbitz Worldwide, Wyndham Hotel Group and Groupon. As a strong supporter of big data facilitation he works to increase the engagement in hospitality data intelligence and clarify the decision making for hospitality, research and investment companies in APAC. Jesper frequently presents the latest trends and updates at industry events in the APAC region.

Guy Phillips Hilton Worldwide Guy Phillips is Vice President Development – Asia Pacific for Hilton Worldwide. In this role, Guy is responsible for brand expansion and portfolio growth of Hilton Worldwide’s Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton, Curio, Canopy, DoubleTree by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, and Hampton by Hilton brands in the Asia Pacific region. Guy has over 20 years of experience working and living in Asia, and since joining Hilton Worldwide in 2002, has negotiated a broad range of transactions across the region. Before joining Hilton Worldwide, Guy gained extensive hotel operations experience holding management positions for seven years with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group in Hong Kong and Jakarta, and prior to that, with Four Seasons and Hyatt International in Australia. Guy obtained his Masters in Business Administration from INSEAD in Singapore. Originally from Australia, Guy now resides in Singapore with his family.

Dennis Rehill WATG Dennis leads the Seattle office of WATG with a focus on commercial, residential and hospitality projects – on a variety of scales from urban infill to supertall. He has an extensive background and impressive portfolio of highly sustainable, mixed-use urban design projects, in the Middle East, Asia, North America, and Europe. Dennis holds certifications from the Passivhaus Institut, BREAAM and LEED. He is also co-chair of the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat in Seattle. At Gensler, Dennis was Design Director and Tall Buildings Practice Area Leader. Dennis directed a pair of residential towers, as well as major building competitions including Skanska 2&U Tower and 888 2nd Ave Tower. Prior to Gensler, he designed a series of highly sustainable supertall towers and comprehensive masterplans for AS+GG Architecture. Most notable projects include: Goldenland Suzhou, Kingdom Tower and Tianfu Eco-City. Before joining AS+GG in 2008, Dennis was an Associate Director for Scott Tallon Walker Architects in Dublin where he led the design of sustainable office and residential developments. Prior to AS+GG, Dennis was a design architect at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, where he worked with Adrian Smith on a number of projects, including the Burj Khalifa and 7 South Dearborn in Chicago.

 

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Speakers as of

Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Eric E. Ricaurte Greenview Since founding Greenview in 2008, Eric has helped several global hospitality organizations measure and report on sustainability and ESG, in addition to his 10 years of experience in operations and consulting in diverse nature and cultural tourism projects globally. Greenview is a leading sustainability consultancy and research firm for travel and tourism, with clientele including hotel companies, lodging REITs, citywide event organizers, destinations, cruise lines, and industry organizations including the WTTC and UNWTO. Eric earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration and a Master of Science degree in Tourism & Travel Management from New York University. Eric is a member of the International Standards Working Group of the Global Sustainable Tourism Council, the UFI Committee on Sustainable Development, the ASTM Technical Committee 60.02 for Sustainable Events, and the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board Hotels & Lodging Industry Working Group. He is a researcher at the Cornell University Center for Hospitality Research and adjunct instructor at the NYU University Tisch Center for Hospitality and Tourism.

Barry Robinson Wyndham Hotel Group SP Barry Robinson has been the President and Managing Director of Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific since September 2003. In 2009, Barry launched Wyndham Hotel Group in the South Pacific. Barry has been the driving force behind many significant new property acquisitions, enhanced resort developments and has brought a renewed customer focus to the business. Under his leadership, both Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific and Wyndham Hotel Group in the South Pacific have expanded their portfolios throughout Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and South East Asia. Appointed President and Managing Director of Wyndham Hotel Group South East Asia and Pacific Rim on January 1, 2015, Barry continues to lead the expansion of both Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific and Wyndham Hotel Group across the region. Barry oversees a property portfolio of more than 81 hotels and resorts under seven different brands. With more than 30 years’ hospitality experience, Barry has a vast knowledge of the hotel and resort industry – from management, operations, development, branding and franchising. He has held a number of senior leadership positions in the Asia Pacific region and has worked for some of the world’s largest hospitality companies including Swiss-Belhotel International, Swissôtel Worldwide Partner Hotels and Choice Hotels International.

Tony Ryan Ryan Lawyers Tony Ryan has almost 30 years of experience providing commercial and legal advice to the real estate, hotel & tourism industries across the Asia Pacific region. Tony provides strategic and practical advice, assisting clients to grow their local and international businesses through both corporate and asset acquisitions. Ryan Lawyers was established in Sydney during 2004 and enhanced its presence into Asia by opening an office in Singapore mid 2012. Tony is based in Singapore and with his team works throughout the region. Tony’s experience encompasses, Hotel and resort development, sales, acquisitions and financing, Hotel management and franchising agreements - including related structuring arrangements for property developers, owners, and international hotel operators, Mixed use projects which have included hotel, commercial, residential and transport facilities in Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, China, Australia and New Zealand, and Capital raising and fund structuring. Tony regularly speaks at industry conferences in Asia and Australia and is the retained lawyer and adviser for the Property Council of Australia and Tourism and Transport Forum, the peak bodies for the property and tourism industries in Australia. In February 2013, Tony was appointed as Chairman of the Centennial Park and Moore Park Trust. Tony holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney and is admitted as a lawyer in New South Wales (1984). He is also a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at the Hotel School, Cornell University, New York, USA (1999).

 

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Speakers as of

Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Enrique Sarasola Room Mate Hotels Enrique José Sarasola Marulanda, known as Kike Sarasola, has enjoyed a successful, multifaceted career as an athlete and businessman. As President of Room Mate Hotels, Kike has further defined his business understanding to lead a collection of 29 boutique hotels and more than 1.400 rooms worldwide. In 2014, Kike Sarasola goes one step further creating BeMate.com, a new collaborative community that, will contact houses owners and travelers so that they can enjoy all kinds of services to make their stay an unforgettable experience. In the past, He has also been awarded as a world class equestrian winning four Spanish championships, three trophies in Barcelona, Atlanta and Sydney Olympic Games, and a bronze medal in the 2001 European championship (the first ever won by a Spanish horseman). After suffering a severe back injury in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Sarasola was forced to retire from his career in sports, which took him to focus on his entrepreneur career

Peter Skinner Outrigger Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific “Skinner’s job responsibilities include leading the design direction for projects Outrigger has planned across the Pacific, Asia and the Indian Ocean. From the planning and design direction of new ‘greenfield’ hotel projects down to redesigns of restaurants and other internal facilities, Skinner will drive brand consistency and help Outrigger create new, innovative and exciting resort products. With 25 years of experience in the design industry, Skinner has been responsible for a large number of international design projects. Core areas of expertise include feasibility, concept planning, architectural and interior design. Most recently Skinner was design director at The Beaumont Partnership, an interior design consultancy with its head office in Bangkok, Thailand. While there, he was responsible for numerous architectural and interior designs including the concept planning and interior design of Outrigger Mauritius Resort and Spa and concept work for Outrigger Surfers Paradise. Before that Skinner was equity principal and creative director for Hassell, Bangkok, principal for Hassell in Perth, Western Australia, and hospitality interior and senior designer for GA Design International in London.”

Arne Sorenson Marriott International Arne M. Sorenson is President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, Inc., a global leading lodging company with more than 4,200 lodging properties in 80 countries and territories and reported revenue of more than $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. Previously, Mr. Sorenson was Marriott’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Earlier, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and President of Continental European Lodging. Mr. Sorenson was elected to Marriott International’s board of directors in 2011. In January 2015, he was elected chair of the Brand USA board. He also serves as Vice Chair of the President’s Export Council, the Luther College board of regents, and, in April 2015, he was elected to the board of trustees for the Brookings Institution. Mr. Sorenson co-founded Marriott’s Global Sustainability Council in 2007 and in 2008 he launched Marriott’s rainforest preservation partnership with the Amazonas Sustainable Foundation in Brazil. He is also chairman of Marriott’s Global Diversity and Inclusion Council and on the Marriott board of directors’ Committee for Excellence. Prior to joining Marriott in 1996, Mr. Sorenson was a partner with the law firm Latham & Watkins in Washington, D.C.

 

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Speakers as of

Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Kenneth Sorensen Miramar Group More than 25 years’ experience in strategically leading and driving the performance of hospitality businesses to new heights. Have held leadership positions in the key disciplines relating to the business, be it Sales & Marketing on area VP level, General Management, Area VP Operations, Asset Management and the Development of Hospitality components within mix-use developments. In-debt experience in operating within management companies as well as owning companies and relates to the business from diverse perspective and end objectives. Was EVP Hospitality with Pacific Century Premium Development in Hong Kong spearheading hotel development within mix-use developments and in current role Head of Hotels and Serviced Apartments with Miramar Group, the hospitality and lifestyle arm of Henderson Land. The group manages, operates and owns a multitude of properties under diverse brands, with the key objective of maximizing real-estate value and operational returns.

Linda H. Stiles Stiles Capital Events LLC Linda Stiles is Managing Director of Stiles Capital Events, LLC. Stiles Capital Events is a host and partner of HICAP (Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific), the longest-running hotel investment event and group of premier hotel investment conferences in Asia Pacific. Linda has been involved with HICAP since 1997. Before forming Stiles Capital Events in 2009, Linda was Director of Communications for Asia at MTV Asia, based in Singapore and was responsible for corporate communications strategy and managing a regional team to promote MTV Asia’s localized programming and general communications. Prior to joining MTV Asia, Linda was employed at Asian Business Press (later Miller Freeman), a trade publisher based in Singapore, involved in various aspects of trade publishing, include marketing, design, business development and event management. Linda is a graduate of the National University of Singapore and holds a BA (Hons) in Sociology. Linda is based in Marin County, California.

Robert B. Stiles RobertDouglas Rob Stiles is a founding Principal & Managing Director of the national hotel investment banking services platform, RobertDouglas. Mr. Stiles specializes in structuring and executing capital solutions and sales for hotel investors and owners. Prior to his role at RobertDouglas, Rob was the Co-Head of the National Hospitality Group at Cushman & Wakefield Sonnenblick-Goldman. He joined Sonnenblick-Goldman as a Managing Director and Partner in early 1999 and has since completed many of the largest and most complex hotel sale, financing and development transactions internationally. Before joining Sonnenblick Goldman, Rob was a founding partner and Group Managing Director of HorwathHTL in Hong Kong and Singapore, where he was responsible for advising both US and Asian clients on over US$5 billion in development, finance and investment transactions since 1986. Rob serves on the International Advisory Board of HOTELS Investment Outlook magazine, is the founder of HICAP (HICAPconference.com), Asia’s premiere hotel investment conference in Hong Kong, and is a Co-Chairman of the International Lodging Finance Council (ILFC). He has a Bachelor of Science degree with a focus in development and finance from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

Ivan Suardi Rosewood Hotels & Resorts Ivan Suardi has more than 22 years’ experience in the food and beverage industry, conceptualizing new restaurants and supporting the technical and culinary aspects of luxury hotel food and beverage projects. Before joining Rosewood Hotels & Resorts®, Ms. Suardi was the Director of Food & Beverage projects in Asia Pacific for Hyatt International. He was with the Hyatt Hotels for more than 16 years where he held various positions regionally and hotel-based in Hong Long, Taipei, Manila, Almaty, Jakarta and Dubai. Prior to joining Hyatt he worked for IHG in various European cities and in Asia. Mr. Suardi began his career in his native Italy.

 

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Yuval Tal Proskauer Yuval Tal is head of Proskauer’s Hong Kong and Beijing offices and a Partner in the Private Equity Real Estate and Lodging & Gaming Groups. He has a broad range of experience in cross-border mergers and acquisitions, securities offerings, and corporate and real estate finance. Yuval has a particular focus on the general real estate industry and more particularly in hospitality, and has worked on virtually any kind of hotel and mixed use related transactions from the formation of funds and other vehicles for investing to their final sale. He has many years of experience with hotel licensing, franchising and management. He has worked on single and multi-property acquisitions, sales of chains and brands, as well as restructuring and public offering of hotel and casino companies. Yuval has worked on transactions spanning across the United States, Europe and Asia, and regularly represents investors, owners, managers and lenders. Most recently, he represented Accor in the first of its kind strategic long-term alliance with Huazhu Hotels involving the master franchising of brands in the Greater China region and the creation of a unique alliance between two competing hotel companies. Yuval is recognized in the Corporate/M&A chapter of Asia Pacific Legal500 and Chambers Asia-Pacific where clients appreciate his "instrumental business knowledge and practical advice."

Shirley Tan Rajawali Property Group Ms. Shirley Tan Ling Ling is Chief Executive Officer for Rajawali Property Group. Ms. Tan is responsible for determining the strategic direction and overseeing the overall business performance of the Group. Ms. Shirley Tan has more than 14 years of development experience in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Ms. Shirley Tan was previously the Senior Vice President responsible for spearheading a new phase of strategic growth, acquisitions, and rapid expansions for the Group from 2011 to 2013. She has chaired and held directorships in various subsidiaries and management companies of the Group including PT Canvas Developments, PT Canvas Developments Malaysia, LIRSB, PKN, IHMSB, EHP GC and GRU. Prior to joining the Group, Ms. Tan held senior roles in development, finance, global marketing and corporate development including a director with Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts responsible for global development of hotels and resorts in Asia, Europe, Middle East, and Americas.

José Maria Trénor Praktik Hotels   José María Trénor (Barcelona, 1974) is the founder and one of the main investors of the Spanish chain of innovative, stylish-looking and budget-friendly Praktik Hotels. In 2003, he took over a family hotel in Barcelona. He had no hotelier background: since graduating from University, he worked as a banker in JP Morgan. After some years managing the hotel and gaining a lot of experience (he franchised it with AC Hotels, now a Marriott brand), he decided to go on his own and open The Praktik, the first of the current 5 Praktik Hotels. They share a common philosophy: boutique-style hotels with great attention to design, competitive prices and unmatched locations in the city center. His ambition is to build hotels that offer an experience not just a bed. More than that: he believes that hotels should be a meeting point for locals and guests to mingle with each other. Best example is Barcelona’s Praktik Bakery that integrates a real bakery within the hotel, always crowded with both locals and clients, run by one of the most well-known bakeries in town. He is excited to keep on growing. His goal: to open a Praktik Hotel in every important city in the world!

David Turnbull SnapShot Analytics Hailing originally from Scotland, David is the co-founder and COO of SnapShot GmbH, a Berlin based start-up that provides useful analytics tools and services for hotels to manage their demand and visualize their cost of acquisition. David leads the product development of the SnapShot Demand Management Platform and oversees the operations, consultancy & education divisions.

 

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Suma Venkatesh Taj Group of Hotels Suma Venkatesh, Senior Vice President – Real Estate & Development, The Indian Hotels Company Ltd., heads Taj Group’s initiatives for growth through green field developments, acquisitions, licenses and management contracts. Over the last 12 years with the Taj Group, she has been involved in doubling the Group’s inventory to 131 hotels with 16200+ keys. Ms. Venkatesh is an Electrical Engineer by training and holds a Master’s Degree in Management Studies from the Mumbai University in India. She has over 23 years of cross functional experience across industries. Before joining the Taj Group, she has worked in different functions across multiple industry sectors in India.

Kevin Wallace Plateno Hotels Group Kevin Wallace has over 30 years of senior leadership experience in the hotel and cruise industries in all major global markets. He is currently Managing Director of Plateno Hotels Group Australasia. Plateno has 14 brands and over 3000 hotels and over 400,000 rooms in Asia including 7 Days Inn , one of the world’s largest budget hotel chains with hotels and resorts in Australia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, the Maldives, the Philippines and Sri Lanka . He was formerly President of the Hospitality and Leisure Group of PT Lippo Karawaci Tbk which owns and operates Aryaduta Hotels in Indonesia. Prior to that he was President and CEO of JA Resorts and Hotels in Dubai, President of Centara International Management In Bangkok , President and COO of Grand Circle Cruise Lines, and President and CFO of Mirage Resorts and Hotels.

Li Wen Horwath HTL Ms. Li Wen has been working as a senior consultant of Horwath HTL based in the Beijing office for four years. Her experience in feasibility studies expands from city center or outskirt business hotels to different types of resorts by the beach or in the mountains, and ranges from selected service hotels, large convention hotels, to luxury boutique hotels. She has also demonstrated her knowledge through projects on brand development strategy, renovations, and management contract negotiation. She is particularly experienced in destination development and has led a number of projects in Changbaishan, Jiuzhaigou, Daocheng Yading, Nanxun, and Qingdao. Prior to joining Horwath, Ms. Wen had worked at the revenue cluster office of Marriott International that oversaw the Beijing/Tianjin market and Sawgrass Marriott Resort and Spa, Florida, US, in hotel operations.

Robert Williams Ryan Lawyers Robert Williams, Principal, Ryan Lawyers works from the firm’s Sydney and Singapore offices. Since qualifying in London in 2000, Robert has focused on transactions in the real estate sector, and particularly the leisure, hotels and tourism industries across the Asia Pacific region. Prior to joining Ryan Lawyers in June 2012, Robert was a partner with Baker & McKenzie from 2006 to 2012. He has also worked in London for Taylor Wessing and Andersen Legal. Robert’s experience encompasses, Hotel and resort sales, acquisitions and financing including transactions in Asia and Australia; Hotel management agreements - including related structuring arrangements for property developers, owners, and international hotel operators across the Asia Pacific region; Fractional ownership schemes, advising clients on establishing new shared ownership schemes (including in Australia under the managed investment scheme regime) and existing operators on regulatory and compliance. Cross-border and domestic corporate and structured property transactions. Robert holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Durham and was admitted in England and Wales (2000) and New South Wales (2004). Robert regularly speaks at industry conferences in Asia and Australia, and has presented Master Class sessions at HICAP in the past. He has also held a position on the hotel panel of the Australian Tourism and Transport Forum.

 

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Speakers as of

Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

Andre A. Wiringa Performance Solutions Chief Experience Officer & Managing Partner at Performance Solutions; Andre works with Senior Business Leaders to (re)define their core reason for being (WHY), and their desired identity (WHO) as a crucial foundation for their brand strategy. Uses Reverse Thinking & Engineering to develop and implement concepts that lead to consistent and memorable experiences (HOW) in a way that shapes leadership and culture to facilitate optimal staff behavior / interaction (HOW and WHAT); Specialties include game changing, steward leadership, engagement and customer experience. Performance Solutions are Experience Engineers: Developing and implementing experience concepts that will help turn guests, customers and co-workers into Raving Fans. André partners with several leading brands, including citizenM Hotels, Worldhotels, Jumeirah Hotels, Emaar Hospitality, Accor Hospitality Group, Microsoft, adidas, Calvin Klein, Tommy, G-star, Shell Retail, IKEA, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, British Airways, Renault and Mazda.

Rosana Wong Yau Lee Holdings Limited

As the Executive Director of Yau Lee Holdings Limited, Rosana Wong leads and manages the Group’s integrated business sectors: from building construction, IT solutions, MEP Services, architecture & engineering, energy optimization solutions, precast and low carbon building materials, curtain wall & steel works, to investment, property and hotel development. She has over a decade of entrepreneurial experience and plays a pivotal role in formulating overall strategic planning, overseeing corporate business development, management of construction projects, implementation of full life cycle management and Virtual Design & Construction. Under her leadership, Yau Lee has excelled into a green integrated corporation internationally. Rosana is driven by technology, science and innovation. She is passionate about building a sustainable ecosystem by conceiving and formulating new business development in Water Sustainability, Energy & Environmental Systems, Nanotechnology & Digital Fabrication, Artificial Intelligence and Networks & Computing Systems. Rosana holds a Bachelor Degree in Design from the De Montfort University, a Master Degree in Design from the Royal College of Art in the UK, and Executive Master Degree in Business Administration, Master Degree in Philosophy both awarded by the Chinese University of Hong Kong and an Executive Programme in Technology from the Singularity University in the US.

Mr. Eric (Haibing) Wu Plateno Hotels Group Mr. Eric Wu has over 15 years of experience in the financial field, and is currently the chief financial officer and board director of Plateno Hotels Group (formerly “7 Days Group Holdings Limited”). Prior to that, Mr. Wu worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in the United States and later in China from 2000 to 2007. Mr. Wu received a bachelor’s degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and an MBA from Michigan State University. Mr. Wu serves as an independent director of Country Style Cooking Restaurant Chain Co., Ltd （listed on the New York Stock Exchange), and an independent non-executive director of Dong Peng Holdings Co., Ltd (listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange).

Shunsuke Yamamoto Fortress Investment Group Shunsuke Yamamoto is head of hospitality investment for Fortress Investment Group in Japan responsible for acquisitions as well as asset management. He serves as director for a number of hotel companies including a limited service and extended stay hotel company with 50 hotels under management. Prior to joining Fortress in February 2011, he was Vice President, Acquisitions for Westmont Hospitality Group’s Tokyo office. Mr Yamamoto’s prior experience includes real estate structure finance at JP Morgan and corporate advisory at UBS. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree from INSEAD and a LLB degree from Waseda University.

 

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Speakers as of: 1 September 2015

María Zarraluqui Meliá Hotels International María Zarraluqui is Global Development Managing Director for Meliá Hotels International Group, she is heading the worldwide development for the Group and is responsible for executing together with her team of developers the growth strategy of Meliá worldwide, having signed over the last 3 years more than 110 deals worldwide. María holds a Law degree from the University of Navarra in Spain, as well as a Master’s degree in Enterprises Legal Consultancy for the Deusto University in, Spain, a Postgraduate degree in Urban Development Law from the UIB University and got a Mention of honour as number 1 of the 2008-2009 Executive Tourist MBA, IE Business School, in Spain. She joined Meliá´s legal Department in 1999, on 2008 she joined the Development team as Development Director and was promoted to Global Development Managing Director in 2011.

Tao Zhou Luneng Group Hotel Management Tao currently serves as CEO of Luneng Group Hotel Management Co. Tao oversees both operation and asset management for all Luneng Group’s hotel assets including its fast growing pipeline in China. By 2020, Luneng’s hotel portfolio will have over fifty assets with a total room-count exceeding 15,000 among which a small portion will remain self-operated with the rest being managed by Hilton, IHG, Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons and other international brands. Prior to joining Luneng, Tao worked for close to six years at hotel asset management division of Morgan Stanley Capital in Tokyo overseeing a large hotel portfolio in Japan. Before moving back to Asia, Tao worked for over sixteen years in the areas of hotel operation and asset management in North America. Tao earned a BA from Shanghai International Studies University in China and an MBA from Queen’s University of Canada. Tao is a Certified Management Accountant from British Columbia, Canada. He was a board member of Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) Japan. At present Tao serves the president of HAMA China. Tao speaks Chinese, English and Japanese.

Linhai Zhu Atour Hotel 2002 Graduated from Northwestern Polytechnical University in China Master in Engineer. 13 years’ experience in Telecom Industry 2015 join Atour Hotel as CTO. Dedicated in bringing new technology into hotels and making new lifestyle for travelers in 4th Space.