CEO & Founder
Travelwings

Albert Fernando

Mr. Albert Fernando is a visionary leader and the CEO of Travelwings, a leading online travel platform headquartered in Dubai. Mr. Fernando is one of the rare insiders who built Travelwings with a passion for travel, keen business acumen, and hypersensitivity to the customer experience.

Inspired by the idea of taking customers on an enchanting journey without bounds, he established Travelwings as an enduring travel brand that offers authentic and exclusive travel experiences made possible with innovative technology and firsthand knowledge of every destination. Ever attentive to consumer demands, Albert is driven by a vision to position Travelwings as the world’s most trusted e-commerce tourism brand, known for its world-class technology, exceptional customer service, customer-centric approach, and seamless user experience.

Mr. Fernando’s extensive experience in the travel and hospitality sector has enabled him to understand the evolving needs and preferences of modern travellers. With an acute focus on personalised travel experiences, Albert has revolutionised the way we explore the world. Under his guidance, Travelwings has become renowned for its emphasis on customised travel ventures, tailoring every journey to meet the unique requirements of customers. Through innovative technologies and a customer-centric approach, Mr. Fernando has ensured that Travelwings remains at the forefront of the industry. His impressive career trajectory is marked by his unwavering commitment to excellence and his relentless pursuit of innovation in the travel sector.

Mr. Fernando possesses a wealth of experience and expertise, making him a respected leader in the industry. His visionary leadership has propelled Travelwings to become a trusted platform for travellers around the world. Under the guidance of Mr. Albert Fernando, the company has recorded over 300K bookings catered to over 1 million travellers, and gained a strong foothold in 32+ nations across the Middle East, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Morocco, Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Mauritius, and many more.

Throughout his tenure, Mr. Fernando has been recognized for his outstanding contributions. Recently, Albert was felicitated with ‘Africa’s Flight Booking Brand CEO of the Year 2023.’ The award celebrates the “Best Brains and the Most Successful Visionary Brands in Africa.” Moreover, in 2022, CEO Insights 2022, a program that honours emerging chief executives across the Middle East, bestowed Albert Fernando with the title of “Top 10 Leaders in the Middle East,” while the CEO Monthly program felicitated Mr. Albert with the “Most Influential CEO of 2022 in the United Arab Emirates” award. Additionally, he has been featured in CEO Insights India as a self-motivated leader setting an exemplary standard for others to follow.

Moreover, as a thought leader in the travel industry, Mr. Fernando has also been featured in various publications and industry journals. His efforts to offer well-curated travel experiences have been celebrated in The Guardian’s special focus on iconic drivers of Nigeria’s hospitality and tourism sector. His insights and expertise have been sought after by many, and he has inspired many others in the tourism sector. These prestigious accolades are a testament to his exceptional leadership skills and his ability to drive positive change within the organisation.

Driven by his relentless pursuit of excellence, Mr. Albert Fernando continues to steer Travelwings toward new horizons, ensuring that every traveller’s journey is nothing short of exceptional. He envisions offering his customers a journey filled with unforgettable memories and unparalleled experiences.

Guided by his vision to deliver exceptional customer satisfaction and his ability to navigate the ever-changing travel landscape, Albert Fernando continues to be a driving force in the tourism industry, shaping the future of online travel platforms.

Public Policy Manager, Middle East
Airbnb

Amani El Sehrawey O’Neill

Amani leads Airbnb’s public policy engagement in the Middle East as the Public Policy Manager for the region. In her role, she focuses on collaborating with governments and other partners to support the growth of the short-term rental ecosystem, and to encourage fair and proportionate regulations that allow the sector to thrive.

Amani’s experience prior to Airbnb similarly focused on public policy and government affairs in the Middle East, with a particular focus on the GCC. She joined Airbnb from GHD, an global consulting firm, where she led a public policy practice based in Dubai, and advised a variety of GCC government entities on topics ranging from government strategy, policy and organisational transformation. Amani also spent five years at Harvard Kennedy School of Government, where she led the university’s largest collaboration in the Middle East region, a multi-disciplinary public policy program delivered in partnership with the Abu Dhabi Government. Throughout her career, Amani has been an advocate for the transformational impact of the Middle East and the role that smart policy can play in the region’s growth.

Senior Vice President Digital & Distribution, Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Asia-Pacific | Premium, Midscale & Economy
Accor

Amro Khoudeir

Amro Khoudeir is a commercial leader with over 15 years of experience in digital marketing, products development and management. His expertise is steeped in international hospitality organizations such as Jumeirah Group and Movenpick Hotels & Resorts, where he has been instrumental in crafting and executing digital marketing strategies, as well as spearheading product development, integration, and transformation projects.

Since January 2023, Amro has embraced the role of SVP Digital & Ecommerce, steering the strategic direction and overseeing the execution of digital initiatives to enhance customer experience and drive web direct and indirect revenue growth. In this capacity, he manages an expansive portfolio of 1,000+ hotels across the MEA APAC region for Accor’s Premium, Midscale and Economy brands.

CEO
Aviasales

Anton Baitsur

Anton Baitsur is the CEO of Aviasales, one of the world’s largest independent travel search companies, actively growing in the Eastern European and Central Asian travel market. Aviasales has a monthly active audience of more than 18 million users in 2024.

Aviasales is part of Hong Kong-based Go Travel Un Limited, a travel company operating in 35 countries worldwide.

CEO & Co-founder
BeMyGuest

Blanca Menchaca

Blanca Menchaca is CEO and Co-founder of BeMyGuest, a travel technology company offering a Distribution Platform and a Booking System to Operators of attractions, activities, theme parks, museums, tours, events, and other travel activity services.

BeMyGuest’s distribution network enables real-time connectivity and transactions between Operators of travel activities and the rest of the travel industry (travel agents online and offline, airlines, hotels). Its network comprises top travel brands in APAC and has been increasing in popularity in the Middle East and Europe. The company’s reservation system ‘Xplore’ automates and captures B2C bookings on the Operators’ own websites, ticket counters and other direct sales channels.

Prior to taking over as CEO of BeMyGuest in 2018, Blanca acted as COO for the company since 2013 when she also entered the company as a majority investor.

Her experience in the travel and digital sector spans over 15 years, with former senior management engagements at start-up travel meta search Wego.com in 2010 and at a start-up incubator owned by Enero Group in 2007.

Blanca was born in Mexico City, obtained her BA and Masters in Sydney and Executive Certification in Global Management with INSEAD Abu Dhabi and Singapore. She has been referred to by the industry as “the face of a new global travel generation”.

Since 2021 Blanca and her business partner Ola Andersen, who is also her husband and CFO at BeMyGuest, embraced a digital nomad lifestyle. They spend most of their time between the office in Singapore, the desert in Dubai, soaking in nature in Malaysia, sailing in Australia and visiting family in Norway or Mexico.

Managing Director & Vice President, International Markets
Trip.com Group

Boon Sian Chai

Chief Executive Officer
Wingie Enuygun Group (WEG)

Caglar Erol

Caglar Erol is the Chief Executive Officer of Wingie Enuygun Group (WEG), the leading online travel marketplace in the MENA region. Prior to founding Enuygun in 2008, Erol launched cember.net, Turkey’s first online business networking platform, which was later acquired by XING AG. Erol holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bogazici University and an MBA degree from the same university.

Wingie Enuygun Group is a popular travel marketplace in the MENA region that primarily focuses on flights, operating under the domains wingie.com, sa.wingie.com, wingie.ae, kw.wingie.com, eg.wingie.com and enuygun.com. The company offers a range of products, including flights, bus tickets, hotels, rental cars, and transfers. With over 22 million monthly visits and millions of mobile app users, Wingie Enuygun Group is one of the most innovative players in the MENA online travel space, aiming to lead the transformation of the travel industry through digital thinking and pioneering technological advancements. With its global brand Wingie and its own virtual interlining technology LogiConnect, WEG serves travelers to find the best options all around the world.

Wingie Enuygun is available in 6 languages, and employs over 400 people.

Vice President
Thayer Ventures

Cara Whitehill

As a long-time operating exec, startup advisor, investor and road warrior, Cara is actively involved in numerous corners of the travel tech industry. She recently joined the team at Thayer Ventures to expand the firm’s partnership and business development initiatives with its strategic investors, portfolio companies and emerging startups across the travel and hospitality ecosystem. She is also an active angel investor backing early- and growth-stage B2B startups across the travel tech, enterprise software and healthcare sectors.

As a former leader at Expedia, Travelocity, Deem and venture-backed startup Traxo, Cara is a frequent speaker, panelist and startup pitch judge for PhocusWright, BTN and other industry events, guest lectures for NYU’s Hospitality Innovation program, and co-host of Travel Tech Insider podcast.

Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, she and her husband are avid golfers aiming to hit the links in all 50 states.

CEO & Co-founder
GlobalTix

Chan Chee Chong

Chee Chong is passionate about the tourism industry, so much so that his 15-year career has been centered around it. He has founded not one, but two start-ups to better meet the needs of the buoyant travel/tourism industry.

He is currently Chief Executive Officer and visionary of GlobalTix, an e-ticketing travel marketplace. Chee Chong was also one of the co-founders of Adventure Glamping, which has pioneered and built the first-ever “glamping” (glamorous camping) resort called Canopi, located in Bintan.

He began his travel industry career with SilkAir, the regional carrier owned by Singapore Airlines and subsequently was seconded to Singapore Airlines.

During his seven-year career with the two carriers, he handled various job functions, including postings to Thailand, Indonesia, and Central Japan which gave him invaluable exposure in the airline industry. In Central Japan, he started many initiatives, including several that continue to today, and the team was recognized with a CEO’s Merit Award for operational excellence.

Chee Chong next joined Sentosa Development Corporation as a member of the management team. He started as the Leisure Operation, Director where he was responsible for ongoing daily operations, from beach operation, attractions to ticketing and subsequently became the General Manager of Mount Faber Leisure Group.

Chee Chong holds a Bachelor of Engineering (2nd Upper) degree from the National University of Singapore.

Managing Director
Thayer Ventures

Chris Hemmeter

Chris has spent his entire professional life in and around startups and high-growth businesses in travel, hospitality and technology having founded six companies during his 35 years in business. Today he is a co-founder and Managing Director of Thayer Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in technology companies in the travel and transportation space, and co-CEO of Thayer Ventures Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: TVACU) a $176 million special purpose acquisition corporation (SPAC). Immediately Prior to Thayer Ventures, Chris was founder and President of iCare Marketing (sold to Sysco Foodservice Corporation in 2012) and founder and CEO of Dynamic Payment Ventures (sold to Elavon, a subsidiary of US Bank in 2007).

Prior to that, Chris was founder and CEO of CriticalArc Technologies, a supply-chain software provider to the foodservice industry, founder of E&O Kitchen and Bar, a casual dining restaurant based in San Francisco, founder of The Hemmeter Collection, a direct response retailer and founder of Hemmeter Publishing, a publisher and distributor of travel books and content. Upon graduating from Cornell University in 1986, Chris joined Hemmeter Investment Company, a real estate developer of destination-resort properties. Founded by his father in 1962, the Hemmeter organization developed major destination resort hotels in Hawaii and operated several related hospitality and travel businesses in the foodservice, gaming, retail and aviation sectors.

Chris received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Cornell University and his graduate degree from Harvard Business School in 1995, where he was recognized as a Baker Scholar for his academic achievement.

Corporate Vice President, Technology & Customer Experience
Rotana Hotel Management Corporation PJSC

Dominic Carr

Dominic Carr, based in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, is currently a Corporate Vice President – Technology & Customer Experience at Rotana, bringing experience from previous roles at Rotana. Dominic Carr holds a 1991 – 1995 Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Hons. in Hospitality Management @ Anglia University. With a robust skill set that includes Microsoft Office, Budgets, Strategic Planning, Negotiation, Team Building and more, Dominic Carr contributes valuable insights to the industry.

CEO
HalalBooking

Elnur Seyidli

Elnur Seyidli is the CEO of HalalBooking – the world’s leading search & booking website for halal-friendly holidays, launched in 2014.

He has a BSc (Distinction) in Computer Science and an MSc (Merit) in Management from the London School of Economics, and few other outstanding academic achievements, including a bronze medal at the International Olympiad in Informatics, annual UNESCO student competition in programming.

Prior to becoming a business leader of HalalBooking, Elnur had 14 years of senior IT leadership experience from British Petroleum and Shell. He is an expert on various matters including travel technology, halal economy, macro economy, etc. Besides the UK, he has lived and worked in five other countries, and travelled to over 50 countries. Elnur loves alpine skiing and tennis.

In 2014 he and a group of visionary British and German entrepreneurs with senior management experience from top travel and blue-chip companies came together to launch the HalalBooking® brand.

HalalBooking.com is the leading international search and booking website for halal-friendly hotel and villa accommodation. It features over 500,000 properties in over 100 countries worldwide, which can be filtered according to halal needs such as availability of halal food and alcohol-free areas. Leisure facilities such as beaches, pools and spas can be filtered according to the degree of seclusion and the type of swimwear which can be worn, so that women and families can find the level of privacy which suits their requirements.

HalalBooking has over 1,000,000 loyalty club members from more than 110 countries and more than 3,000 affiliate agency partners providing a unique service to halal-conscious travellers throughout the world. The platform has more than 50 API integrations, including strategic partnerships with major suppliers such as Expedia, Agoda and Hotelbeds.

In 2019, HalalBooking was ranked #33 in the UK in the prestigious “Sunday Times Virgin Atlantic Fast Track 100” and #237 overall in Europe in The Financial Times “FT 1000” league tables, making it the #1 fastest-growing travel company in the UK and #8 in Europe. In 2020, HalalBooking won Phocuswright’s Innovation Launch award, Travolution’s Rising Brand of the Year award, and a number of other awards. As of 2023 it was a $100M company, targeting to become a unicorn ($1B) in 2027.

Elnur lives in Sonning, Berkshire (west of London), and travels extensively around the world.

CEO
Saudi Tourism Authority

Fahd Hamidaddin

The founding CEO of the Saudi Tourism Authority (STA), Fahd Hamidaddin, is driving the establishment of new destinations, reshaping world travelers’ dreams of Saudi, and their experiences in it.

As the national tourism board of Saudi, STA sits at the centre of an ecosystem of government, private sector leaders and innovators. Saudi is now the world’s fastest-growing tourism destination, with a record-breaking 93.5 million visits in 2022. STA is the global-facing facilitator and partner for tourism companies, airlines, and travel global distributors – charged with creating Saudi Arabia’s national brand and taking it to the world.

Hamidaddin is Managing Director of Nusuk (the transformational platform for spiritual travel to Makkah and Madinah) and sits on the board of several major international and domestic tourism organizations, from Qiddiyah, the Saudi Air Connectivity Program, the Red Sea Authority and Saudi Airlines, all focused on high-impact delivery for the sector globally.

Since its launch in 2020, STA has harnessed the power of technology, bold creativity, and cutting-edge innovation to accelerate development. With sector investment of $800 billion by 2030 and through prioritizing partnership, STA is creating impact internationally, boosting Saudi’s connectivity and building excitement, interest, and demand in visiting the Kingdom.

Committed to elevating the visitor journey beyond anything experienced before and through engagement with the international community, STA is creating true value for visitors as the authentic home of Arabia.

Beyond launching the Visit Saudi brand and helping to open Saudi to the world, Hamidaddin has championed making travel more accessible for consumers and trade partners through innovation, from looking for new ideas and tech solutions through a “Tourism Sector Accelerator Program”, to the launch of the Nusuk platform.

Achievements

• As founding CEO and board member of STA, Fahd Hamidaddin is a global-facing facilitator and partner for Saudi tourism at the center of an ecosystem of government, private sector leaders and innovators.

• Under his leadership, Saudi tourism has matured fast. STA has gained international recognition at 120 global events, including 80 trade shows, signed key strategic partnerships with Wizz Air to increase air connectivity to European cities, making Saudi more accessible and affordable, as well as leading trade platforms Expedia, Booking.com, Dnata, Amadeus, and payment solutions such as UnionPay. More than 5,000 partners have been secured overall.

• The ‘Saudi, Welcome to Arabia’ brand was activated through an international Visit Saudi brand campaign, eVisa international campaign, Messi as STA global brand ambassador, high-profile sponsorships including TATA Indian Premier League and activations such as the Saudi Café at WEF Davos.

• At STA, Fahd oversees more than 500 employees and 16 representative offices globally, serving 38 countries.

• Together, Saudi has transformed into one of the world’s fastest-growing tourism destinations, with a record-breaking 93.5 million visits in 2022.

• He is Managing Director of Nusuk and sits on the board of several renowned international and domestic tourism organizations.

• Since its launch in 2020, STA has harnessed the power of technology, bold creativity, and cutting-edge innovation to accelerate development.

• With sector investment of $800 billion by 2030 and through prioritizing partnership, STA is making an impact internationally, boosting connectivity and accessibility.

• Beyond launching the Visit Saudi brand and sharing the Saudi tourist visa with the world, Hamidaddin has championed making travel more accessible for consumers and trade partners through innovation, from looking for new ideas and tech solutions through a “Tourism Sector Accelerator Program”, to the launch of the Nusuk platform.

• The journey continues towards achieving the tourism goals for Vision 2030

Founder & CEO
iOL

Faisal Memon

Chief Technology Officer
Accor

Floor Bleeker

Floor Bleeker holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Administration from Hotelschool The Hague, Netherlands and an MBA from the University of Colorado, USA.

Floor has over two decades of multinational experience in the hospitality industry, and a substantial background in IT leadership, strategy development and execution, business analysis and application development. In all his roles, Floor has prioritized team leadership and

CEO
Azerbaijan Tourism Board

Florian Sengstschmid

Florian Sengstschmid, holds a degree in tourism and sociology and has worked in almost every field within the tourism sector over the past 20 years. He started his professional career within the private sector, initially as an incoming and incentive operator in Austria before working for an international luxury brand 5 stars-hotel as its sales and marketing director. In 1999 he joined the Austrian National Tourist Board as their regional director for Russia and CIS countries. Whilst in Moscow he also worked as a Commercial Attaché at the Austrian Embassy. In 2003 he returned to Vienna, joining the headquarters of the Austrian National Tourist Board to oversee the international markets and partner management system. In 2006, he founded his own consultancy, providing tourism promotion and destination management to public bodies, including several government institutions, the European Union and the United Nations. He supported a wide range of countries – Estonia, Greece, Vietnam, Bhutan, Hungary, Lithuania, Georgia among others. This led him to oversee an EU Twinning project between Austria and Azerbaijan to strengthen the latter’s tourism industry. Following the conclusion of that project, he established the Azerbaijan Convention Bureau under the former Ministry of Culture & Tourism. After serving as the CEO of Pasha Travel, he became the CEO of the Azerbaijan Tourism Board in April 2018.

Regional Manager, Middle East & Africa
Booking.com

Fouad Talaat

As the Regional Manager for the Middle East and Africa, Fouad leads the Regional Commercial Team’s mission to create a robust relationship with accommodation partners and stakeholders within the travel ecosystem. With an extensive background spanning 18 years in the travel and hospitality industry, including the past 12 years with Booking.com, Fouad brings a wealth of expertise.

Co-founder & CEO
ZYTLYN Technologies

Houman Goudarzi

Houman is the Co-Founder and CEO of ZYTLYN Technologies, an AI startup focused on providing travel and tourism players with a unique AI Predictive Platform to co-steer commercial decisions, uplifting marketing ROI, sales, revenues and profitability.

He started his career at Cisco Systems as a software engineer, later on he moved towards product development. Prior to the founding of ZYTLYN, he was the Global Head of BI and New Product Development at the International Air Transport Association (IATA), where he was responsible for industry data products. Houman is an aerospace engineer, and visiting lecturer of data science in business at the EU Business School.

Chief Commercial Officer, Premium, Midscale & Economy
Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Asia Pacific, Accor

Kerry Healy

Kerry Healy is the Chief Commercial Officer for Accor’s Premium, Midscale & Economy division in the Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Asia Pacific. Kerry oversees the commercial function for this diverse region which comprises close to 900 hotels under iconic brands such as Pullman, Mövenpick, Swissôtel Novotel, Mercure and ibis. Based in Singapore, Kerry leverages her wealth of business acumen and over 25 years of hospitality experience to ensure all functions of the organisation are aligned to meet the Group’s strategic commercial objectives.

Kerry is an outstanding leader and a skilled negotiator who has a deep understanding of distribution, customer relationship management, partnerships and operations. With strong international experience across four continents, her commercial insight and wide connections play a key role in aligning Accor’s commercial strategy and driving increased revenue in an increasingly complex environment.

Kerry has a long history of managing teams to excellence through change, building trust and designing exciting robust strategies. She fosters a customer centric organisational culture based on quality, respect and trust.

With expertise spanning multiple continents, Kerry has held senior management positions in the UK, Middle East, Asia and the Pacific Rim.

Vice President, Sales, Northstar Travel Group
Travel Technology Group

Kimberly Newbury

As vice president of sales for Northstar Travel Media Singapore, Ms. Newbury heads up commercial and strategic efforts for the Global Travel Technology Group including partnerships with some of the leading brands in travel.

In her role with the Global Travel Technology Group, Kimberly and team leverage the strength of their brands to share market intelligence, research insight, craft positioning strategies through media and events and enable C-level connections to drive the travel tech industry forward. Kimberly led the launch of the Women’s Leadership Initiative and the Diversity in Leadership Initiative and was a key contributor to mentorship programs. She continues to cultivate partnerships that support these projects engendering connection and promoting professional development in the travel industry.

Prior to moving to Singapore for this role, Kimberly has held leadership roles in Phocuswright as well as other B2B intelligence-companies in the United States and United Kingdom. Kimberly started her career in the travel industry focused on economic development work in the then-emerging Central European region from a base in Prague, Czech Republic. She holds a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Travel & Tourism Industry Lead, MENA
TikTok

Mario El Feghali

Director General, Spanish Tourism Institute (TURESPAÑA) &
President, European Travel Commission ETC

Miguel Sanz Castedo

Miguel Sanz Castedo is the Director General of the Instituto Turístico de España, TURESPAÑA (Spanish National Tourism Organisation), since July 2020. Previously, he was the Director of Tourism of the City of Madrid. He graduated with a degree in European Business Studies in the United Kingdom, where he also completed a MSc in Politics and Economics in Latin American at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has lived and worked in several countries in Europe, the USA and Latin America.

Over the course of his professional career in Spain, he has worked on a range of cultural communication and marketing projects with extensive experience in the field of Tourism, where he has held different responsibilities such as Director of Marketing and Promotion for Turismo Madrid (Region of Madrid) and Director of Marketing and Partnerships for Madrid Visitors & Convention Bureau. He has also been an elected member of the Board of Directors of European Cities Marketing and he is currently member of the Board of the European Travel Association.

CEO
ExploreTech

Mona Faraj

Mona is a true business activist; her unrelenting energy and passion are the fundamental driving forces behind the 3 brands she actively works with. Mona is extremely well respected in the industry for her over 30 years’ experience, foresight and profound professional research. Her management knowledge is all embracing, ranging from her passion for hotel opening and start-ups, commercial management, to her in-depth market understanding across the Middle East region.

With a far-reaching network of key industry leaders, Mona is admired for her forthright opinions and desire to provide real, honest and productive feedback and work. Her entrepreneurial journey started in 2007 following an extremely successful hotel career with Hilton and Rotana. With her intuitive understanding that the region required real ‘hands-on’ support for rapidly evolving industry across all commercial disciplines, Insight Out, founded in 2008, quickly became the go-to consultancy with an agility that outstripped the traditionally larger, established companies.

In 2018 Mona resumed the role of the Managing Director of Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) for the Middle East Region totally believing in the mission of the global association and the value it brings to the region. Her latest venture is co-founding ExploreTECH in 2021 as the first digital marketplace in the Middle East and Africa regions.

Among her many accolades, Mona holds a Degree in Business Administration from the American University of Beirut with a Total Quality Management certification from Cranefield University, UK and the Market Analyst & Manager for Phocuswright.

CEO
Almosafer

Muzzammil Ahussain

Muzzammil is the CEO of Almosafer, Saudi Arabia’s leading Travel Company, elevating the journey for travelers from Saudi Arabia, the region & beyond, while harnessing Seera Group’s 40+ years of expertise. Muzzammil is passionate about creating teams that use the power of digital technologies and data to deliver delightful customer experiences at scale.

Muzzammil holds an MBA with Distinction from INSEAD and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of California, Irvine.

EVP Marketing
Global Hotel Alliance

Nicolas le Roux

Le Roux is responsible for leading the marketing team, encompassing owned channels including email, push, website, app, and social media, along with branding and positioning, design, and content strategy. His key responsibilities will cover GHA DISCOVERY customer acquisition, activation, engagement, experience, and analytics.

Originally from South Africa, le Roux started his career in account management and events, gained experience at the Travel Corporation, and was then appointed Head of Marketing for Travelport in MEA & South Asia. In his most recent role as Chief Marketing Officer at Mondia Group, he focused on strategic positioning in the mobile tech industry to act as a key partner to optimise profitability and win market share, while leveraging the end-user experience.

Le Roux holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and an IMM diploma in Marketing from the Graduate School of Marketing in Johannesburg.

Vice President, Destinations & Partnerships EMEA
Go City

Omar Ruiz

Omar is a seasoned travel professional who has developed a strong career in the travel tech industry over 10 years, with experience in companies such as Hotelbeds, Booking.com, and currently, Go City.

During this time, he has tackled roles in business development, sales, and leadership, across EMEA and North America, developing new business units and opening markets from scratch in several countries. In his various roles, Omar specialized in successfully launching new destinations, having launched over 10 new destinations, including big markets like Barcelona or San Francisco. His expertise is not only limited to successful launches but also market growth through strategic planning.

Omar’s initial background is in law and finance, however, his passion for travel, and his ambition to provide the end customer with the best travel experience, led him into his current industry. He likes to make his decisions based on data, from where he understands customer’s preferences and behaviour, and works towards building customer-centric products.

Omar joined Go City in March 2020, when the travel hit a standstill due to the pandemic. In four years, he has developed Go City products in destinations such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome. Under his command, pass products in markets like Amsterdam or Barcelona grew 3X in 2023 vs 2019. In 2023, Omar was promoted to become the maternity cover of the Vice President role, leading the destinations and partnerships department in the EMEA region. The success came in hand with the closing of strategic partnerships with players of the size of Merlin Entertainment or FC Barcelona. He is now leading the charge of launching a pass product in a new European destination this summer.

In his spare time, Omar enjoys countryside road trips, true crime documentaries, and drawing floor plans for various home improvement projects.

CTO & Co-founder
Chain4Travel

Pablo Castillo

Pablo Castillo, CIO and Executive Board member of Hotelplan Group from 2014 to 2021, has vast and proven experience delivering complex projects across all European markets with a strong business focus.

He started his career in tourism over 20 years ago, selling trips for Kuoni, and has held various positions within Tour Operating, Data & Content Management, eCommerce, and international Project & Innovation Program Management for various internal travel companies.

He co-founded Chain4Travel in 2021, delivering the first layer 1 blockchain for the global travel industry, “Camino”, ready to take advantage of the next iteration of technology and the web3 age.

Senior VP, Revenue Management & Distribution
Jumeirah Group

Paolo Federico

Paolo Federico has a diverse work experience spanning over 25 years. Paolo is currently serving as the Senior Vice President of Revenue Management & Distribution at Jumeirah Group / Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts since September 2019. Prior to this, they worked at Emirates for 15 years, starting as a Senior Analyst in International Planning and gradually advancing to the role of Vice President of Revenue Management & Market Operations. In this role, they were responsible for revenue optimization strategies impacting a significant portion of Emirates passenger revenue. Before joining Emirates, Paolo worked at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants as a Senior Consultant and at Northwest Airlines as a Manager of Alliances. Paolo began their career at Canadian Airlines, where they held various positions, including Manager of International Planning / Alliances and Manager of Marketing Planning & Development. Throughout their career, Paolo has demonstrated expertise in revenue management, distribution, pricing, strategic planning, and analysis.

Paolo Federico received a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) degree from Trinity Western University in 1993. Paolo then went on to earn a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The University of British Columbia from 1993 to 1995.

Managing Director
Phocuswright

Pete Comeau

Mr. Comeau is responsible for overall strategic and operational leadership at Phocuswright. Pete oversees all aspects of Phocuswright’s commercial activities including product, sales and service, and marketing. He also plays a key role in product development and business development strategy for Phocuswright research, events and media businesses globally. Pete is a frequent speaker at industry events and heads Phocuswright’s coverage of startups and innovation.

Mr. Comeau’s travel industry career spans over two decades. Previously, he managed strategic partnerships at Orbitz in Chicago, where he assisted in growing and managing accounts for the Orbitz Partner Network. Prior to Orbitz, Pete was the sales leader at Moguls Mountain Travel, a ski tour wholesaler in Boulder, CO. He helped design, implement and maintain four reservation systems during his tenure and managed and mentored a team of successful sales agents.

Based in the Denver, Colorado area, Pete holds an M.B.A. from Daniels College of Business and graduated magna cum laude from Bowdoin College with a degree in government and economics.

Leading International Market Development & MICE
Visit Qatar

Phil Dickinson

Phil is a highly accomplished travel industry executive with over 30 years of experience. He currently heads both the International Markets and MICE departments for Qatar Tourism, where he leads a team of market managers, international in-market representation offices, and regional managers responsible for global travel trade sales and marketing, cruise, MICE, and sport development.

Throughout his career, Phil has held senior management positions with prominent industry players including international airlines like Gulf Air and Qantas, luxury hotels such as Sandals & Beaches Resorts and Jumeirah Group, bed banks such as Hotelbeds, and tourism boards in the Bahamas, Namibia, and Qatar.

With extensive experience and a proven track record of commercial success, Phil is widely recognized as a leading authority in travel and tourism. He has lived and worked in multiple countries, including the UK, US, Caribbean, and Middle East, and has gained a deep understanding of diverse cultures and business environments. Phil’s strategic vision, exceptional leadership skills, and ability to develop and implement sales and marketing strategies have enabled him to build successful partnerships with travel trade, cruise lines, MICE, and sport organizers worldwide.

Chief Digital Technology Officer
Almosafer

Qais Ammouri

As Chief Digital Technology Officer at Almosafer, Qais Amori brings over 15 years of experience in the tech industry to his role, where he leads a talented team of software engineers, solution architects, DevOps specialists, cloud operations experts, and Data technology experts.

In his role, Qais oversees the software engineering, solution architecture, DevOps, cloud operations, and Data technology teams, ensuring that they have the tools, resources, and support they need to build products that are both innovative and scalable. He is a champion of state-of-the-art technologies and frameworks, and his passion for technical excellence is contagious, under his guidance, the team is responsible for delivering innovative products that enhance the customer experience of Almosafer’s brands.
Throughout his career, Qais has demonstrated a passion for building large-scale products, as well as creating dynamic and productive work environments that foster a culture of collaboration and technical excellence.

He has a proven track record of building strong technology teams, and his expertise in solution design, software architecture, and cloud computing has been a critical factor in the success of several major technology initiatives, including “dawriplus,” the largest online platform for watching the Saudi Professional League, and “jawwytv,” now known as STC tv, the leading Saudi OTT platform.

Qais possesses a wealth of technical expertise and a proven track record of driving innovation and achieving exceptional results, making him a valuable addition to Almosafer. He is a leader who inspires and motivates his team to deliver their best, and his unwavering commitment to excellence is evident in all aspects of his work.

Co-founder & COO
ExploreTech

Ralph Melis

General Manager, MENA
Checkout.com

Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo

Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo oversees the end-to-end management and business strategy in the Middle East and North Africa, for Checkout.com.

In his role, Abbondandolo is shaping the future of regional ecommerce through widespread seamless and secure digital payments, while bolstering data-powered insights to simplify complex payment landscapes for merchants in the region.

Abbondandolo orchestrated Checkout.com’s acquiring license in the UAE. His pioneering spirit combined with his deep understanding of the payments ecosystem have been instrumental in driving Checkout.com’s strategic growth in the MENA region.

Remo brings a wealth of knowledge as a business leader and strategist from various industries. He oversaw the expansion of Africa’s largest online travel agency, Travelstart into MENA. And was part of Africa Internet Accelerator (a Naspers’ investment) founding team which launched three of the fastest growing e-commerce businesses in South Africa.

CEO & Co-founder
Wego

Ross Veitch

Ross is CEO & Co-Founder at Wego, which is online travel marketplace that provides top ranked mobile apps and websites for users living in the APAC and MENA regions. Wego harnesses powerful technology that simplifies the process of searching, comparing and booking flights and hotels across hundreds of airlines, hotels and online travel agency websites. Wego is has dual-HQs in Singpaore and Dubai and is backed by top-tier investors including Tiger Global, Crescent Group, Square Peg Capital and the MBC Group.

Ross is a veteran of the Asian internet industry having established Yahoo!s Southeast Asian operations in Singapore back in 1998 and leading product development efforts across the region for 6+ years. He is also Singapore Co-Chair of H2, the premier global leadership network for the digital industry. Ross has been an active angel investor in the technology sector for a decade and enjoys working with other passionate entrepreneurs. He has worked in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Kuala Lumpur and is now splits his time between Singapore and Dubai. He travels frequently for business but not nearly enough for leisure.

VP Brand Marketing & Social Media
Wego

Roxana Nicolescu

Roxana currently serves as VP Brand Marketing & Social Media for Wego.

With more than a decade of marketing experience in the region, most of it in the aviation and travel industries, she passionately drives the brand marketing activities and brand awareness growth in the Middle East.

Roxana began in this role in October 2017 in Wego’s Dubai office where she focused on developing Wego’s Brand Marketing department as well as played a significant role in expanding the brand footprint across the region.

Over the years, Roxana has worked for several well-known brands in various industries, including aviation, media, and travel tech. Her expertise includes brand strategy development, product positioning, market research, and marketing communications. Roxana has also developed an impressive track record in building brand equity through effective brand management.

Prior to joining Wego, Roxana held senior marketing & corps comm roles with leading regional airlines and a radio network in the UAE.

Chief Technology Officer
Orascom Hotels Management

Sanjay Sharma

A passionate leader who thrives on driving business transformation and achieving tangible outcomes through innovation and technology – Sanjay Sharma is recognized as the top 10 CIOs in the Middle East and awarded the BT 150 (Business Transformation) in Silicon Valley.

As the Chief Technology Officer of Orascom Hotels Management, he is responsible for driving digital transformation and change within the Group. In his previous role as the Head of IT in Jumeirah Group, he has successfully led various strategic Programs to address the transformation of Customer Engagement, Business Processes, Back-office Operations, and IT Infrastructure.

Senior Manager, Market Research & Insights
InsightOut Consultancy

Shadi Kaddoura

Business consultant with hands-on experience in supporting companies across the business spectrum in making insights-driven business decisions and better understanding customers, competitors and market dynamics through market research. With 20 years of experience gained from managing projects around the globe, working with some of the biggest names in market research and business intelligence as well as prominent retail, travel and technology brands.

Founder & Managing Director
SG Technology Consultants

Shibu George

Landed in UAE in 1999, Shibu is one of the pioneer travel e-commerce contacts in UAE, who clearly understands the technology and market trends of the Middle East and Africa. He is familiar with and is connected with almost all types of players in the travel industry, including GDS, NDC Aggregators, Travel Technology Providers, Airlines, Consolidators, Corporate SBTs, Expense Management, Non-Air aggregators, Payment Gateways, CRM, ERP, HR & Payroll Solutions, Back office. etc. He has relations with 35+ travel technology providers across the region and beyond. As a person who is moulded for a performance-centric business model, he believes that for businesses, hits/ sessions/ Visits/ Likes/ Followers all have the deserved value only if it’s converted to numbers. Result-oriented companies will indeed find him a helpful contact.

SG Technology Consultants 

Based in the United Arab Emirates, SG Technology Consultants is a technology company specialising in e-commerce, travel technology, and digital marketing solutions for businesses in the Middle East and Africa. (www.sgtechconsultants.com)
Tripsnhub.com, The Leisure marketplace, is a venture of SG Technology Consultants.

CEO
flyadeal

Steven Greenway

Steven Greenway was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Saudi Arabian low-cost airline flyadeal in January 2024, bringing with him over 25 years of travel, airline, loyalty and advisory experience gained around the world. He was a founding member and Chief Commercial Officer of Scoot, Singapore Airlines’ successful LCC subsidiary; CEO of reward-U, a pioneering Hong Kong loyalty/lifestyle programme; and President of Swoop, WestJet’s ultra low-cost subsidiary in Canada.

With exposure in C-level and executive board roles in Europe, Middle East, Asia and North America, his expertise ranges from sales and distribution to planning and revenue management, ancillary revenue, digital commerce, loyalty and strategy.

In recent years, he joined Boards in the manufacturing AI space (T-DAB.AI – UK), Virtual Reality pilot training (VTR – USA) and airline commercial solutions (Caravelo – Spain).

Prior to joining flyadeal, he was President Commercial of Pangiam, a solutions and service provider of the efficient flow of people and goods across industries, including travel and
transportation.

Steven has Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Political Science degrees.

Managing Partner
T2Impact

Timothy O’Neil-Dunne

Timothy O Neil-Dunne, T2Impact’s Managing Partner, serves as the lead for the Airline, Aviation and Airport Practice. Timothy has worked in aviation and travel distribution for more 30 years, including time with Worldspan and Microsoft/Expedia before founding T2Impact in 1998. He leads the group’s efforts in the international arena, providing e-commerce services to travel and technology clients, and others involved in transaction processing oriented e-businesses.

Timothy was a founding management team member of the Expedia team where he headed the Ground Transportation and International portfolios. He was formerly Head of Technology for Worldspan where he managed all of the International Technology Services from product to infrastructure. Mr. O’Neil-Dunne is a published authority on Global Travel Distribution, a respected travel industry commentator, frequently writing in trade and consumer publications, and speaking at conferences worldwide. He is a permanent advisor to the World Economic Forum.

Timothy is a founder member of the Vaultpad Accelerator Group. Vaultpad provides mentoring and expertise to startups and innovators in the travel space.

He is also CTO and deputy CEO of Lute Technologies, a permanent advisor to the World Economic Forum and writes on the Professor Sabena Blog.

Founder
WiT

Yeoh Siew Hoon

Siew Hoon is a travel trade journalist, author, entrepreneur and podcaster who established WiT in 2005 to address the evolving landscape of travel technology and customer behaviour.

Over the years, WiT has grown into a prominent events and media platform in the Asia Pacific region, expanding its coverage to include markets such as Japan, South Korea, and the Middle East. Recognised as “Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Singapore Tourism Board, Siew Hoon’s efforts led to the acquisition of WiT by Northstar Travel Group in 2014.

Siew Hoon is happiest when platforming the future movers and shakers of the industry, lending a voice to those who are out to change, disrupt, and build back better. She thrives on launching unique, people-centric events by blending global insights with local knowledge, while exploring new markets and staying informed about industry developments.

Siew Hoon’s published titles include “Around Asia In One Hour: Tales of Condoms, Chillies & Curries,” and children’s books such as “Adventures of Habibie The Turtle” and “The Story of Baitong and Boon.” Siew Hoon also hosts the “A Life In Travel” podcast.