Senior Director, Product - Customer Experience & Platforms
Booking.com

Adrienne Enggist

As Senior Director of Product at Booking.com, Adrienne Enggist leads the product strategy for a diverse, cross-functional selection of teams charged with making Booking.com the easiest way for travelers to build, manage and experience their trips.

Adrienne joined Booking.com in 2010 as one of the company’s first dedicated product owners and has been an integral figure in growing and developing the consumer product department. Over the years she has helped launch and build teams for a number of consumer-facing product initiatives including email marketing, the Genius loyalty program, Guest Reviews, and the AI Trip Planner.

Adrienne has worked in the airline and online travel industries since 1998, holding a variety of different roles with Icelandair, XL.com, the Avion Group and the Holiday Extras Group. Prior to her career in e-commerce and digital travel, she was a professional chef. Adrienne is originally from the United States and currently lives in Amsterdam with her family.

Co-Founder & Director of Sales & Marketing
Section L

Akihiro Kitagawa

Akihiro is Co-Founder & Director of Sales & Marketing of Section L, an apartment-hotel management company with 10 branded properties across Tokyo and more in the pipeline. Section L’s vision is to build and manage Hotels-Without-Strangers, where guests can easily connect with and enhance each other’s journeys through intuitive, in-house social networking app and a community-centric service team. Akihiro started his career at The Boston Consulting Group as management consultant. He then pertook in the launch of HomeAway Japan (Expedia Group’s short-term rental brand.) and primarily worked in the lobbying project towards Japan’s New Home-Sharing Act.

Akihiro is originally from Tokushima, Japan and is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

Chairman, Managing Director & Group CEO
ixigo

Aloke Bajpai

Aloke Bajpai is the CEO & Co-Founder of ixigo, India’s leading travel search app. Aloke’s consumer-centric thinking, passion for technology products and deep knowledge of the travel industry make ixigo stand out as one of the most innovative companies of the online travel industry.

An IIT Kanpur Electrical Engineering alumnus and an MBA graduate from INSEAD, Aloke loves discovering new cultures, creative writing, history and gadgets. Prior to launching ixigo, Aloke worked in product & technology roles at Amadeus, Nice, France, where he was part of the team that built the world’s first web-based cruise-line booking engine for agencies.

Along with being a TiE charter member he is also an investor and advisor in several startups, incubators and accelerators.

Senior Product Director, Trip.com Group/
Founder, TripGenie/TrainPal by Trip.com

Amy Wei

Amy Wei is the Senior Product Director at Trip.com Group, where she exemplifies seasoned leadership in steering innovative product developments across diverse platforms including the Trip.com app, desktop, and mobile sites. Under her leadership, Amy oversaw the successful integration and launch of the revolutionary AI assistant TripGen on February 17, 2023, marking one of the first instances an OTA integrated advanced AI into its mobile app. Its successor, TripGenie, launched on July 26, 2023, employs cutting-edge large language model technologies to revolutionize travel planning and booking. It offers capabilities ranging from crafting detailed itineraries to facilitating instant bookings through both text and voice commands, and enhances user interactions with intelligently displayed images and links, leading to swift navigation within the app.

Prior to her tenure at Trip.com Group, Amy held significant roles in product management at global tech giants including Amazon, Motorola, and Nokia. In 2015, she transitioned to Qunar, a subsidiary of Trip.com Group, spearheading its international expansion in airline ticketing. Later, as the CEO of Trip.com Group’s global train ticketing division, she launched TrainPal in February 2018. This innovative platform for train and bus bookings saw unprecedented growth in the European markets, achieving a 520-fold increase in monthly ticket volume within 20 months, and becoming the second most popular booking service in the UK since 2019.

Amy holds an MBA from Tsinghua University and a Bachelor’s degree from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. She is renowned for her global perspective, exceptional leadership skills, and her adeptness at nurturing international businesses from inception to market leadership, consistently driving outstanding results.

Senior Vice President, Trips (Interim)
Booking.com

Austin Sheppard

Austin Sheppard is Senior Vice President (ad interim) of Booking.com’s Trips Business Unit, which is “everything but the stay” – flights, rental cars, airport taxis, attractions, and insurance.

Austin joined Booking.com in May 2021 as VP Engineering, after three years with online ticket exchange platform StubHub, where he was initially Global Head of Engineering and Technical Operations before becoming Chief Technology Officer in April 2020. Austin is a long time alumnus of Amazon.com – an organisation where customer obsession is the core of its culture.

He has held general management, software development, engineering and product roles across North America, Asia and Europe during a career spanning 25 years. He is originally from the US, spent 10 years living in China, and has now been in the UK since joining Booking in 2021. He loves travel and considers himself a citizen of the world.

Chief Financial & Sustainability Officer, Lodging, CapitaLand / Managing Director, Japan and Korea, The Ascott Limited

Beh Siew Kim

Beh Siew Kim is the Chief Financial & Sustainability Officer, Lodging at CapitaLand Investment, with a concurrent role as Managing Director, Japan and Korea at The Ascott Limited (Ascott).

Ms Beh oversees all aspects of the Lodging division’s finance, treasury, and investor relations functions, and leads Ascott’s sustainability strategy in alignment with the group’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals. In addition, she manages Ascott’s business and operations in Japan and Korea.

Ms Beh is also a non-executive, non-independent director of CapitaLand Ascott Trust (CLAS), the largest lodging trust in Asia Pacific that is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange with an asset value of S$8.7 billion as at 31 December 2023.

Prior to this, Ms Beh was the Chief Executive Officer of the Managers of CLAS. Under her leadership, CLAS was recognised for its excellence in sustainability and corporate governance. In 2021, CLAS was named the ‘Global Sector Leader – Hotel’ in the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark, and ranked first in the Singapore Governance and Transparency Index for REITs and Business Trusts in 2021 and 2022. CLAS was also the first hospitality trust globally to issue a sustainability linked bond in April 2022.

Ms Beh has over 30 years of experience in financial, investment, asset management, corporate planning, compliance, and audit.

Deputy Chief Executive, Mandai Wildlife Group/ CEO, Mandai X

Belina Lee

Belina Lee is Deputy CEO, Transformation & Growth at Mandai Wildlife Group, which is the operator of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve – dedicated to caring for the planet and protecting animals and nature. She also serves concurrently as CEO, Mandai X, the growth and impact accelerator for the Group that builds global ventures that empower everyone to contribute towards a sustainable future.

Economist by training, philosopher at heart, change agent by calling. Belina has over 25 years of success in building and leading award-winning and transformative business innovation across various disciplines at Fortune’s World’s Most Admired Top 50 Companies in fintech (MasterCard), lifestyle services (American Express) and travel (Singapore Airlines).

In her current role as Deputy CEO at Mandai Wildlife Group, she oversees the Product, Sales & Marketing and Transformation divisions which collectively cover group insights & strategy, guest experience management, product development & management, marketing & revenue generation, and capability building across data / digital / innovation.

As the CEO of Mandai X, she is responsible for spearheading purpose-led global corporate ventures that create better choices that facilitate harmony between people and nature. Bringing together communities, businesses and governments, to unleash the collective power of a billion consumers to drive positive change.

Belina drives the group efforts to transcend all boundaries and bring Mandai and wildlife closer to every Singaporean and to the world. Transforming Mandai from a physical precinct, into a globally relevant and impact everyday conservation brand.

CEO & Co-founder
BeMyGuest

Blanca Menchaca

Blanca Menchaca is the Co-founder and CEO of BeMyGuest, B2B travel technology and distribution specialists facilitating the digital sale of activities, tours, attraction tickets, transfers, events and other travel services.

Launched in 2012, the company connects operators with its expansive Distribution Network which includes online and offline travel agents
and travel companies buying via API or a web-based Marketplace.

Additionally, BeMyGuest offers a Booking System (Xplore) for operators who require automation of their ticket sales on their E-commerce or Over
the Counter systems.

Leading a highly multicultural Asian operation headquartered in Singapore, BeMyGuest are pioneers of the travel activity sector in APAC.

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

Boon Sian Chai

Areas of Expertise include: Marketing, Sales, Consulting, Management, Travel, Hospitality, and Technology

Boon Sian Chai currently serves as Managing Director and Vice President of International Markets at Trip.com Group. Based in Singapore, Chai oversees the entire International Hotel Supply team spearheading the growth of supply partners internationally.

Prior to joining Trip.com Group, Chai progressed through the ranks during his more than 14 years in the online travel agency (OTA) space. With an extensive knowledge and in-depth experience of the OTA space, Chai enjoys spending time consulting with hotel partners on their pricing, distribution and marketing strategies. His geographic coverage includes Asia Pacific, having spent time in Hong Kong and Shanghai, and he has extensive networks in these markets.

Before moving into the online travel space, Chai was the COO of an IT startup company specialising in online human resource systems and held corporate planning and e-commerce positions with various enterprises working on strategic planning, business development and sales and marketing.

Chai holds an MBA from the Chicago Booth School of Business and a BSc with first-class honours from Loughborough University.

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.

CEO
Pan Pacific Hotels Group

Choe Peng Sum

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 30 years in business. Today he is a co-founder and Managing Director of Thayer Ventures, a venture capital firm investing in emerging technology companies in the travel and transportation space. 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.

Founder & CEO
Magpie Travel

Christian Watts

Christian Watts, founder and CEO of Magpie Travel, has significantly influenced the travel industry for over two decades. He began his pioneering work by introducing San Francisco’s first Hop On Hop Off sightseeing service under the City Sightseeing brand. Addressing the inefficiencies within the sector, he established Magpie Travel, a company dedicated to revolutionizing content management in the experiences industry. Magpie offers a robust SaaS platform that enhances distribution and sales for tours and activities operators, streamlining operations and boosting industry connectivity. Under his leadership, Magpie swiftly ventured into the Generative AI realm, launching its first AI product in January 2023. Christian is a frequent and passionate speaker on the use of AI in the travel industry, advocating for its transformative potential.

CEO, Travix International/Vice President, Trip.com Group

CT Ooi

Chief Customer Experience Officer
Klook

David Liu

As Chief Customer Experience Officer, David is responsible for driving Klook’s product innovation and user experience. He joined Klook in 2016 as Vice President of Product and UX.

Under his leadership, the team has scaled and achieved multiple milestones, including the launch of Klook’s iOS App Clip and best-in-class merchant solutions, as well as localizing platforms into over 15 languages, supporting 40 currencies and various payment methods.

He also oversaw and evolved the app interface, expanding from experiences and services to other categories such as entertainment, mobility and staycations. David and his team have earned major accolades, including the Klook mobile app being featured over 100 times as the go-to app for trip planning and awarded “Best of the Year” by both Apple App Store and Google Play in 2015.

Prior to Klook, David was instrumental in building up multiple e-commerce, messaging and social network products for Tencent and Yahoo, with valuable experience in technology development and product management from both Greater China and the U.S.

Head of Travel, Strategic Partnerships
TikTok SEA

Eason Zhang

Eason Zhang is the Head of Travel, Strategic Partnerships for TikTok in Southeast Asia, where he spearheads initiatives aimed at enhancing collaboration with key OTA and Airline partners in the region. Over his 3.5 years at TikTok, Eason has successfully built and lead the Strategic Account team for Travel post pandemic, focusing on partnerships with key travel partners. His effort had driven innovative performance product solutions for TikTok globally, and shaped effective digital strategies that empower travel partners to leverage TikTok’s dynamic platform.

Before joining TikTok, Eason built up his industry knowledge and honed his skills at Skyscanner and Google, amassing nearly a decade of experience in travel space and digital marketing. He is well-versed in performance solutions and has developed a deep understanding of the travel landscape across the Asia-Pacific and Greater China region. Eason is also recognized for his thought leadership on the future of travel landscape, making him a compelling speaker and strategist in the industry.

Co-founder
Saab Shares

Elena Bensawan

Elena Bensawan is a student, entrepreneur & aviation enthusiast. Since she was 14, she runs Saab Shares together with her sister, Sabrina.

Elena graduated from Singapore International School with distinction award and prestigious academic awards. She is currently pursuing her studies at Raffles Institute of Higher Education, taking business management major.

While running several businesses, being a student and co-founder of Saab Shares, she also runs another social enterprise since she was 13 that also supports Saab Shares.

She received many awards Chosen as Forbes 30 under 30 2019, one of which is GRCC 2018 nationwide winner and chosen as CLEO changemakers 2017.

She is also invited as guest speaker and interviewed in various TV shows, magazines and radio such as Kick Andy show, Wanita Hebat Indonesia Trans TV, Metro Xin Wen, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire Magazine, and many more.

In her free time, she writes various aviation articles.

Co-founder & CEO
Klook

Ethan Lin

Senior Assistant Director, Sales, Business & Channels Development
Sentosa Development Corporation

Fabian Lim

Fabian has been in the hospitality industry for the past 11 years, currently leading the International MICE and Ticketing Sales & Operations at Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC). Since forming the MICE Team in 2017, he has focused on curating unique experiences for International corporate clients, showcasing Sentosa’s charm through collaboration with Island Partners.

Fabian and his MICE team has earned recognition as “Best Meetings Organiser” and for “Outstanding MICE Event Experience” at the Singapore Tourism Awards in 2020 and 2024, respectively.

Driven by a passion for hospitality, technology, and sustainability, Fabian actively seeks opportunities for professional growth and industry engagement. He values diverse perspectives and is open to innovative ideas that enhance guest experiences while promoting sustainable practices. Fabian welcomes connections with industry colleagues to exchange insights on industry trends and future possibilities.

Chief Executive Officer
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

Co-founder, Qunar / CEO, Queen's Road Capital

Fritz Demopoulos

Fritz Demopoulos has been an entrepreneur and investor in the Chinese media and internet industries for over a decade. He is currently the Founding Partner at Queen’s Road Capital, an early-stage venture fund focused on emerging markets. Fritz is a founder of Qunar.com, China’s largest travel portal, which was listed on the NASDAQ in 2013 and acquired by Ctrip in 2015. Qunar means “where are you going?” in mandarin Chinese. Prior to Qunar, Fritz co-founded Shawei.com, China’s largest sports portal. Shawei means “brave shark” in Chinese. The company was acquired by Hutchison Whampoa-affiliate Tom.com.

He also had senior executive roles at Netease and The News Corporation Limited. A native of Southern California, Fritz was educated at UCLA, Cal State Fullerton, the University of Heidelberg in Germany, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has lectured frequently on entrepreneurship and the Chinese market at Stanford, Harvard, Tsinghua, Beijing University, UCLA and the Communist Party College in Nanjing. He is a supporter of the Arsenal Gunners of the English Premier League.

Chief Commercial Officer
Expedia Group

Greg Schulze

As Chief Commercial Officer and president of Travel Partnerships and Media, Greg Schulze ensures Expedia Group’s global supply is the cornerstone of its marketplace. Additionally, Schulze is responsible for Expedia Group’s growing advertising business, considered the most valuable travel media network. With his experience in building transformational partnerships across all verticals, Schulze underscores Expedia Group’s commitment to strengthening relationships in the travel industry. His teams ensure Expedia Group customers have access to more than three million lodging properties, airlines, activities, rental cars, cruises, and more.

In 2023, Schulze was appointed by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce to the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. He also serves on the executive committee for the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) and the board of directors of Traveloka.

Previously Schulze was Senior Vice President of Strategic Travel Partners, managing all global relationships with travel partners. A long-time Expedia Group veteran, Schulze has held a wide variety of leadership positions for strategy, commercial, operations, and analytics in his almost 20-year tenure with the Company. Prior to Expedia Group, Schulze led pricing strategy for American Airlines.

Schulze holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Northwestern University and a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina. He embraces a global perspective, having lived and worked in North America, Asia, and Europe.

Sector Lead, Travel & Vertical Search APAC
Google

Hermione Joye

Hermione is a leader with 15 years’ experience in sales, marketing, strategy and business development in the technology & travel sector.

Hermione leads the APAC Travel team for Google’s Large Customer Sales business, working with leading online travel agents, airlines, hotel chains & vacation rental companies to develop digital business strategy & products for Asian consumers. Additionally she oversees the APAC Vertical search team, who help clients adopt our more technical solutions such as Hotel Ads, and work with our Product & Engineering team to build products for our region. Prior to this, Hermione worked in Google’s Sydney office managing major Retail clients.

Before her time at Google, she worked in the TV industry for 4 years, working for 7media West running the Key Accounts team. When she launched her career she started in Creative Advertising working initially for M&C Saatchi and then TBWA in Sydney.

Hermione was educated in Sydney Australia, completing a degree in Economics & Social Sciences from Sydney University and was awarded the Young Citizen of the Year (2009) by the Woollahra Mulinciptilty.

Hermione now lives in Singapore, and has done so for six & a half years. She is a mum to three young children and a Red Kelpie, and is an incredibly passionate traveler.

VP Strategic Relations & Development
Skyscanner

Hugh Aitken

Hugh has been at Skyscanner for ten years and is responsible for forging strategic relationships with partners as well as engagement with the wider aviation industry. During his time at Skyscanner, Hugh has led a number of key business areas and global initiatives including the B2B business and forging relationships with the likes of Microsoft, Yahoo! and Secret Escapes. He was also deeply involved in shaping the commercial and partnership strategy emerging from the pandemic.

Prior to joining Skyscanner, Hugh spent four years at the European low-cost airline, easyJet, where he looked after the commercial performance and market strategy for the airline across London, Scotland the North East of England, as well as the Middle East and Iceland. Hugh spent 13 years at UK airport operator, BAA, where he held a number of senior commercial roles. Hugh has a passion for travel, a unique insight into the entire travel ecosystem, and a deep understanding for how technology can help further enable the industry to better serve the traveller.

Chief Technology Officer
Agoda

Idan Zalzberg

Idan Zalzberg is the Chief Technology Officer of Agoda. In his former role as Chief Data Officer, Idan was monumental in managing and architecting Agoda’s data and security solutions.

Idan joined Agoda in 2014 as Advanced Technology Architect Director and was later promoted to Vice President of Data, then to Chief Data Officer and to his current role as Chief Technology Officer in 2022.

He was co-founder of Qlika, an award-winning UpWest Labs start-up specializing in online marketing optimization, which was acquired by Booking Holdings Inc. in 2014.

Idan received an M.S. Summa Cum Laude in Physics from Tel Aviv University and B.S. Physics and Mathematics from The Hebrew University. He is also a graduate from the prestigious Talpilot program of the Israel Defense Forces.

Chief Product Officer
Agoda

Ittai Chorev

Ittai Chorev is the Chief Product Officer of Agoda. In his former role as Chief Marketing Officer, Ittai was monumental all of Agoda’s global marketing functions including performance marketing, CRM, pricing and loyalty, brand marketing, and public relations. He joined Agoda in 2014 and held several roles leading teams including data science and PPC.

Prior to his role at Agoda, Ittai was the co-founder of Qlika, a startup specializing in online marketing optimization, which was acquired by Booking Holdings Inc. in 2014.

Ittai holds an M.Sc. in Mathematics, Magna cum laude, from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and B.S. in Mathematics and Physics. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Talpiot program of the Israel Defense Forces.

CEO & Co-founder
Seek Sophie

Jacinta Lim

Jacinta, co-founder of Seek Sophie, is a serial entrepreneur driven by the power of business to create positive change. From closing billion-dollar deals as an M&A lawyer at Linklaters, a top London law firm, to scaling a micro-insurance start-up that transformed millions of lives across Asia and Africa, her career has always been about impact.

But it was her travel adventures in over 60 countries that ignited her deepest passion. Jacinta saw firsthand how tourism could uplift communities and safeguard the environment, and was inspired to redefine how we travel. She founded Seek Sophie with a mission: to make travel a force for good, empowering local communities and safeguarding the planet we explore.

Seek Sophie now operates in 7 countries, offering earth-friendly adventures that empower thousands of small businesses across Asia. Jacinta’s vision is proof that sustainable tourism isn’t just a buzzword – it’s a movement, and it’s changing the way we experience the world.

Power Ranger/ Film Producer/ Co-founder, Cinewav

Jason Chan

Jason Chan is a co-founder of Cinewav and a filmmaker with over 15 years of hands-on experience in the film industry from writing, producing, directing, editing, composing, sound design, mixing and distribution. His startup Cinewav is a patented, scalable and personal audio system that allows that allows users to watch a movie on a big screen and listen to the audio on their mobile phones and headphones (perfectly in sync). This replaces speakers, scaling to as many users as needed and eliminates noise pollution allowing the activation of novel movie venues. The technology has since been used for many other applications including Vivid Sydney (world’s largest light festival), Sydney NYE fireworks, Danang Intl Fireworks festival and hundreds of movie outdoor movie screenings.

Founder
Intriq Journey, Singapore

Jess Yap

Background: Jess Yap, a visionary entrepreneur with a passion for travel and luxury experiences, founded Intriq Journey to cater to discerning travellers seeking unique and immersive adventures. With over 30 years’ experience in hospitality and luxury travel, Jess’ expertise spans across various facets of the industry.

Vision and Philosophy: Jess values the positive impact of travel and aims to craft journeys that creates memorable experiences for guests. By focusing on quality, personalization, and unique experiences, Jess ensures that each journey offers something truly special.

Personal Interests: Outside of her professional endeavours, Jess is an avid traveller herself, constantly seeking out new destinations and experiences to inspire her work. Her personal travels inform and enhance the bespoke journeys she creates for her guests.

CEO
Skyscanner

John Mangelaars

John has over 30 years experience leading multinational online and software businesses. John’s background is in product development, sales and consumer marketing. He spent over 20 years at Microsoft, latterly as European Vice President, and joined Travix International B.V. as CEO in 2013. John drove significant revenue growth at Travix, and it was bought by Trip.com, Skyscanner’s parent company, in December 2019. Outside of work, John is involved in a number of various investment and charity projects in Africa. He loves to travel with his family, and has lived in The Netherlands, the UK, the US and France.

Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC)
Marriott International

John Toomey

John Toomey is the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Asia Pacific excluding China (APEC) for Marriott International. In this role, John leads the region’s Consumer Strategy comprising of functions such as Brand Management, Marketing, Sales, Distribution, Revenue Management, Loyalty, Customer Experience, Digital and Communications; for a portfolio of more than 565 operating hotels and resorts in 22 countries and territories in APEC, across 23 leading brands including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, JW Marriott, W Hotels, EDITION, Sheraton, Westin, Moxy etc.

John has a strong track record for driving performance and collaboration that yields long- term outcomes. Under his leadership, Marriott entered a partnership with digital giant, Rakuten, tapping on their 110-million-member base to expand the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty platform. He continues to explore partnerships with digital eco-systems as one of the key growth engines for the loyalty program in the region.

CEO
Go City

Jon Owen

An experienced leader with a passion for high-growth digital businesses, Jon became CEO of Go City at the beginning of 2020, after stepping up from his role as Chief Commercial Officer, which he had held since 2017. Go City is the world’s largest sightseeing pass business, operating in over 25 cities across the US, Europe, and Asia. During his time at the company,

Jon has overseen rapid business growth, which has resulted in over 60% global pass market share, an expansion of the global destination footprint, and an increase in Go City’s customer base to more than 2.5m / annum.

As CEO, Jon has focused the business around a new mission of “transforming the way people see and experience the world’s greatest cities”, and driven a strong focus on customer satisfaction as a key measure. Jon is a passionate, customer-centric leader, focused on improving the sightseeing experience for travelers around the world. Go City enables its customers to see the best attractions, tours and activities in a city, whilst retaining the freedom to do what they want, when they want – all whilst making incredible savings.

Before Go City, Jon simultaneously served as CEO of Ribble Cycles, a disruptive, direct-to-consumer, technology-enabled cycling manufacturer, and a non-executive director
at OVO Energy. Prior to that, he worked at U.K.-based online retailer Shop Direct, where he ran Very.co.uk, a digital department store which he grew to a £800 million business and £100 million in profit.

Outside of Go City, Jon leads a team he’s just as dedicated to: his son’s football team, which he coaches at home in Harrogate, England. Jon has a growing passion for rewilding and biodiversity, and loves travelling to the mountains of Europe and North America with his family.

Senior Vice President, Airlines – Southeast Asia, India Subcontinent & Greater China
Amadeus

Jonathan Tong

Jonathan leads Amadeus airline business for Southeast Asia, India and Greater China. His responsibilities include commercial sales and account management for these regions. Jonathan plays a significant role in working with airline customers across the region to enable their digital transformation strategies; adopting the latest technologies to deliver capabilities that will enable airlines to drive traveler satisfaction and increase revenues.

Jonathan joined Amadeus Asia Pacific after spending over two years in the global Amadeus Airline IT Solutions organization. Previously based in Nice, France, he led the Solutions Performance and Strategy division where he was responsible for a variety of transversal functions including the global solutions strategy group, business planning, solutions cycle management and a few technical product lines. During his tenure, he developed Amadeus’ Airline IT Solution Portfolio’s investment governance and 3–5-year portfolio strategy.

Prior to working with Amadeus, he held management positions in Sabre Airline Solutions and Travel Technology Interactive (TTI). With more than 20 years’ experience in the travel technology space, he has also led sales, marketing, and account management functions with TTI, Abacus and global accounts with CarlsonWagonlit Travel. He holds a bachelor’s degree with a double major in marketing and accounting.

Assistant Chief Executive, International Group
Singapore Tourism Board

Juliana Kua

Ms Juliana Kua assumed the position of Assistant Chief Executive for the International Group in November 2021. In this role, she oversees an integrated network of regional offices located around the world. Together, they actively promote Singapore as a compelling leisure and business destination.

Prior to this appointment, Juliana was Chief Representative and Executive Director, Greater China. In this capacity, Juliana led the operations of STB in Greater China (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan), and spearheaded the strategic planning and execution of all marketing and promotional activities within these markets to champion Singapore as an attractive travel destination to both leisure and BTMICE visitors.

Juliana joined the Singapore Tourism Board in 2003, starting out in the Travel Services team followed by concurrent stints in the Investment Promotion and Leisure Planning teams. She was later seconded to CapitaLand and assumed the role of Business Development Manager, with a three-month stint in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. When she returned to STB in 2009, she was promoted to Assistant Director of Integrated Resorts, and was subsequently based in Hong Kong for one year managing special projects. She joined the Cruise team in 2011.

After her second secondment as a Senior Programme Officer with the World Bank Group, she returned to STB in 2014 and was Director, Strategic Planning and Incentive Policy. In this role, she drove STB’s strategy development for Destination Singapore and managed STB’s incentive policy framework and processes. In May 2018, she was appointed as Chief Representative and Regional Director, Greater China.

She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 2002. In the following year, she attained her Master of Science in Tourism from the University of Strathclyde. In 2017, she obtained her Master of Science (Sloan Fellow) from Stanford University, Graduate School of Business.

Co-founder & CEO
Venture Republic – TRAVEL.jp & Trip101

Kei Shibata

Travel & technology entrepreneur based in Singapore and Tokyo with 20+ years of experience. He led his company to an IPO, a MBO, two exits and one acquisition.

As a founding CEO, Kei is running Venture Republic that owns a group of online travel businesses across Asia and the rest of world, including “TRAVEL.jp”, Japan’s largest travel metasearch & travel guide media, “TRAVEL jp for Business”, a chat based corporate travel management service in Japan, and “Trip101”, Singapore based global online travel guide media that curates world’s best short-term rentals, accommodations and destinations.

In 2008, he took the company public in Japan after 7 years in operation. In 2018, company made a strategic partnership with LINE Corporation, one of the leading messaging apps in Asia.

He received the “WiT Hall of Fame” award in 2019 which honors individuals who have had the greatest influence on the progress and professionalism of the digital travel industry in Asia Pacific.

Angel investor in the travel & technology space. Serving as a board of director for various startups including BeMyGuest, Singapore.

As a co-founder/organizer, he also runs WiT Japan & North Asia, a leading international conference in North Asia focusing on technology & travel industry.

Harvard MBA. Keio University BA. Founder of Keio University’s alumni association for startup founders/CEOs.

Avid Nordic cross country & alpine skier/snowboarder. Love jazz, coffee and working from vacation homes.

Head of Platform Tech Business Unit
Ant International

Kelvin Li

Kelvin is the Head of Platform Tech Business Unit of Ant International. Since joining Ant Group in 2016, Kelvin took a number of leadership roles in our global FX, Treasury, Solution, Partnership teams, where he led the team in building the next-generation global payment and treasury infrastructures and products, leveraging cutting-edge DLT and AI technologies to support the growing needs of small & medium enterprises in a more scalable and sustainable manner. Under Kelvin’s leadership, together with our major partner banks, including JP Morgan, Citibank, Standard Charted, HSBC, Barclays and BOC, we were able to propel transformation of FX and liquidity management framework connecting five global treasury hubs in Singapore, Hongkong, Luxembourg, New York and London, covering more than 40 currencies and across 60 entities. Ant Group was awarded the Adam Smith Awards Asia in 2021 as the winner of the Best Liquidity Management solution and jointly with Alibaba group in 2022 as winner of the Best Technology Solution.

Prior to joining Ant Group, Kelvin was the Head of Corporate Solutions for Citigroup China. He was also the Head of FX of JP Morgan China from 2009 to 2010. Kelvin is an alumni of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

CEO
GLN International

Ken Kim

As Chief Executive Officer of GLN International, I oversee both domestic and international operations with a focus on driving innovation in financial technology. My key achievements and responsibilities include:

– Leadership and Strategy: Directing all aspects of GLN International’s global and domestic business operations.
– Pioneering Financial Solutions: Launched Korea’s first smartphone banking platform, ‘Hana N Bank,’ setting a new industry standard.
– Advancing Financial Services: Developed and managed ‘Hana N Wallet,’ featuring biometric authentication and text banking to significantly enhance financial service accessibility.
– Innovating with Technology: Introduced big tech solutions, blockchain-based authentication, and Decentralized Identity (DID) technologies. Led the transformation of Hana OneQ into a super app to integrate these advancements effectively.
– Expertise in Digital Banking:A digital banking expert with a robust background, having worked with Hana Bank’s E-Business Team, New Business Division, and Future Finance Headquarters.

Previous Roles:
– Head of Digital Financial Services Division, Hana Bank (Founding member of GLN International)
– Head of Future Finance Division, Hana Bank
– Director, Global Digital Center, Hana Bank
– Manager, Future Finance Division, Hana Bank
– Manager, Future Finance Support Team, Hana Financial Group

Managing Director & Vice President, Asia Pacific
Booking.com

Laura Houldsworth

As Managing Director & Vice President of Asia Pacific, Laura Houldsworth leads and oversees business growth, operations and strategy for one of Booking.com’s most vibrant and diverse regions globally.

Laura joined Booking.com in June 2021, following 10 successful years at SAP Concur where she last served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China. Laura has previously held regional roles in BCD Travel and ABN Amro Private Banking; and is a commercial leader with more than 15 years of experience managing successful, multi-cultural teams.

Laura has lived and worked in Singapore for more than 15 years and holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Marketing Management from Bournemouth University, United Kingdom. Besides being an avid traveller and runner, she enjoys a good game of chess.

Founder & MD
IN.Genius

Lim Seng

Mr Lim Seng, born in 1960, was awarded Government Scholarships to study in France and America. Between 1980-1986, he did a Bachelor of Science Mathematics followed by a Master in Science Electronics Engineer and a Physics Maitrise in the French Grande Ecole CPE in Lyon, and between 1993-1995 a Master in Science Computer Engineering in US Navy Post Graduate School at Monterey California. He returned from France to Singapore in 1987 and was posted to Ministry of Defence to develop the first Air Force Operations Commands Centre – which later he initiated to link-up with the Changi Civil Airport providing a total national air situation picture. Lim Seng was after designated to start pioneering the Singapore UAV [unmanned system] capability and he headed the UAV Programme Office between 1990-1993 and drafted the Unmanned Technology Master Plan. Mr. Lim Seng was awarded numerous Best Programme Awards, amongst which 3 times Star Awards at National level, consecutively for 3 years for innovative contributions, amongst which a first UAV Simulator in the World.

In 1999, Mr. Lim Seng was nominated by the Deputy Prime Minister then, Dr. Tony Tan, to set up and head Singapore’s first offshore Defense Technology Office DTO(E) for Europe in the Singapore Embassy, Paris. He directed the office till 2004, and succeeded in numerous Government-to-Government hi-tech collaborations with countries such as France, Germany, UK and Sweden. For his contribution towards technology cooperation with Europe, he was accorded by President Nathan an Administration Service Medal in 2004.

In 2004, Mr. Lim Seng joined EADS Corporate HQ (AirBus Group today) as the Senior Advisor, EADS Internati0nal for Global Business Strategy, and Vice President Cassidian Defence System Division, Asia Pacific. In 2007, he triple-hat to represent EADS CTO, for Asia Pacific. Mr. Lim Seng was instrumental in the set up Singapore EADS R&D lab. Mr. Lim Seng was involved and instrumental in many projects covering aircraft, helicopter, radar & missile, security & cyber, and space, notably in the R&D of deep space power generation; space-based solar energy, space guidance & nav. In 2010 he initiated the Hypersonic Space Plane Demonstrator project in Singapore, and at the Feb 2021 Airshow, the contract was signed. During which, he also kicked-off a techno-solutioning competition in Vietnam with the Academia of Science & Technology VAST, to save fishermen lives from typhoons leveraging satellite imagery technologies.

Currently Mr. Lim Seng Founder & MD of IN.Genius, in his personal capacity is aiming to send a 1st Singaporean to cross the Armstrong Line at 20km – to teleport Singapore to Space; and as Founder & MD of Singapore Astronautics pioneering “Space Education” for youths across the Nation as his personal contribution to SG50.

COO & Co-founder
Seek Sophie

Lina Gedvilaite

Lina Gedvilaite is the co-founder of Seek Sophie, a curated travel platform with a focus on sustainable travel experiences. Her key role at Seek Sophie is growing the Company’s experience and destination offerings, while enhancing the on-the-ground customer journey through collaboration with local partners.

Before starting Seek Sophie, Lina worked in finance, holding positions at the IFC (World Bank) and Zurich Credit & Political Risk. She graduated with an MBA from INSEAD and a BS from The George Washington University.

Executive Editor
PhocusWire

Linda Fox

Linda Fox has been writing about technology, distribution and the digital economy in the travel, tourism and hospitality industry since 1998, in roles across B2B media including senior reporter at Travolution and most recently, managing editor at tnooz.

She began her career as features writer on Caterer & Hotelkeeper, before doing a stint on the news desk and then moving to Travel Trade Gazette.

Linda has a degree in History and French.

Commercial Manager
Travelstart / Innovation City Cape Town

Linda Scott-Hayward

Advisory Board Member, ennea capital partners / SVP, Corporate Development & Strategic Partnerships, Etraveli Group

Lisa Katsouraki

Lisa Katsouraki has seen the full spectrum of the investing life cycle. From mentoring and investing in startups as an angel investor and as a VC, dabbling in start-up life as part of a founding team, scaling a company from 50 to 300 people as part of its management team to a successful exit. She has headed company strategy and M&A working alongside one of the largest PE funds. Lisa has completed 2 corporate acquisitions (from sourcing/deal origination, to DD, to replatforming) and entered an agreement to be acquired by Booking Holdings for 1.6b EUR. (Pending antitrust!)

Strong functional areas: strategy (strategic positioning and planning), corporate development, business development, M&A, investing, fundraising, go to market, marketing, process optimisation, dynamic pricing algorithms, product development, PMO (post merger/acquisition integration, replatforming), relationship / account management

– ex VC, has invested in marketplaces

– mentor in travel tech accelerator

– member of HeBan (Hellenic Business Angel Network)

– has worked with tech start-ups for 15+years

– well versed in travel tech, marketplaces, fintech, classifieds, price comparison, edutech

– Vice Chair, Greek Advisory Council for Tourism Culture and Creative Industries

Head of Global Solution Engineering
Sabre Corporation

Madhavan Kasthuri

Madhavan is responsible for Sabre’s Global Solution Engineering team focused on building Sabre’s next generation AI powered multi-source distribution platform. As part of his role, Madhavan and his team work closely with Sabre’s most strategic customers to understand their goals and translate these into capability requirements for the platform.

Prior to this role, Madhavan led Sabre’s Online business in the EMEA region. With his team of Online Sales & Account management professionals and eCommerce technology SMEs, Madhavan drove new Online Sales and provided world class account management services to Sabre’s OTA customers in the EMEA region.

Prior to this role, Madhavan established a Customer Enablement practice within Sabre. This is a global team responsible for enabling customers to, integrate rapidly with Sabre’s technology platform and leverage Sabre’s advanced technical capabilities on an ongoing basis.

Madhavan brings to Sabre close to 18 years of experience in management consulting, business development and software engineering. Prior to joining Sabre, Madhavan was with PriceWaterhouseCoopers UK for eight years in their management consulting division leading consulting engagements to help businesses across various industry sectors (financial services, insurance, pharma, healthcare) shape and execute their digital strategy.
Madhavan’s academic profile includes Electrical Engineering Degree from National Institute of Technology India and MBA from INSEAD Fontainebleau (Class of Dec 2006)

Executive Director, Destination Marketing
Royal Commission for AlUla

Melanie de Souza

Melanie is the Executive Director, Destination Marketing at the Royal Commission for AlUla where she leads a team of specialists to develop the brand, digital assets, trade and consumer marketing and PR to launch AlUla to the world.

Melanie has led the strategic positioning and audience and market prioritization for AlUla spearheading the first domestic brand campaign for AlUla, World’s Masterpiece, in 2022 and the first global marketing campaign which went out in nine markets in six languages, Forever Revitalising, 2024.

A marketing leader with an outstanding track record of achievement in the tourism and hospitality industries in Australia and Asia, Melanie was included in the list of Australia’s top 50 most innovative Chief Marketing Officers in CMO Magazine 2018.

Until January 2019 Melanie worked with Visit Victoria, the marketing and events acquisition agency for the state of Victoria, Australia. Melanie led the culturally diverse, global team of marketing professionals in achieving outstanding results for tourism in Victoria, Australia across a range of international and domestic tourism indicators which consistently outpaced Federal and other State Tourism Organisations (STOs).

Melanie successfully led the development of significant brand and tactical campaigns and pioneered export markets including China and India and is well-versed leading high-level negotiations on behalf of Government and in negotiating maximum financial and in-kind leverage from marketing partnerships.

Previous to Visit Victoria Melanie worked in the private sector in various marketing roles with the global luxury hotel chain The Oberoi Group of Hotels

Non-Executive Director, Ryanair / Chair, Hostelworld / Former Chair, Failte Ireland

Michael Cawley

Michael Cawley is a chartered accountant and joined Ryanair, Europe’s largest airline in 1997 as CFO prior to its IPO. He subsequently became COO and Deputy CEO in 2002. He stepped down from full time executive responsibility in 2014 but remains a non executive director of the airline. During his tenure the airline has grown from 3 million passengers to 185 million and from 9 aircraft to over 550. Since 2014 he has served on a number of Boards of both public and private companies in a variety of sectors including building materials, energy, betting, property development and motor. He chairs Hostelworld , the global hostel OTA and is a former chair of Failte Ireland, the Irish Tourism Authority.

Michael lives just south of Dublin, is married and has four children and eight grandchildren.

Vice President, Market Management, Asia Pacific
Expedia Group

Michael Dykes

Michael is leading the team who manage Expedia Group’s lodging inventory across Asia Pacific. In this role, he works with lodging supply partners to maximize their success and potential on the Expedia Group platform and stay ahead of digital innovation.  He also works with peers across Expedia Group to create great traveller experiences and be an advocate for the APAC region.

Michael joined Expedia Group in 2015 as Representative Director. In his seven-year tenure with the company, he has built a unique B2B knowledge that can benefit all supply partners as they charter the complexities of the travel ecosystem. Prior to joining Expedia Group, Michael worked at Microsoft where his last role was Director of Corporate Accounts.

Michael holds a degree in Applied Mathematics from M.I.T. He was born in Okinawa (Japan) and raised in the U.S. from the age of 7.

CEO & Co-founder
Meili

Mike McGearty

A senior travel industry executive with unparalleled experience of developing and leading global technology platforms, Mike’s ambition is for Meili to become the market leader in travel tech. As the former CEO of CarTrawler, Mike used his superior perspective on the mobility marketplace to oversee continual growth over a decade, the successful completion of two major private equity investments and multiple acquisitions. Mike’s commercial expertise and stellar track record make him uniquely qualified to guide Meili on its path to growth.

CEO
AirAsia MOVE

Nadia Omer

Nadia Omer joins AirAsia MOVE (formerly airasia Superapp) as its Chief Executive Officer effective 26 October 2023. Her key priority will be to drive AirAsia MOVE’s vision to be the best-value one-stop travel platform in Asean.

Nadia comes with deep experience within Asia and ASEAN in category conversion, habit change and building new categories that create shared value for the full ecosystem.

She began her career at P&G and subsequently moved to bigger roles at Nestle and PepsiCo and served as the Chief Business Officer of Cars24, Southeast Asia before AirAsia MOVE.

Innovation and building talent is something very close to Nadia’s heart. She has built her career as a working mum, and feels passionately about energizing and engaging other young female talents to unleash their potential. She is also a mentor at Antler focusing on helping young founders in tech and e-commerce.

Nadia holds a Master of Business Administration from the Lahore University of Management, and is a Bachelor of Science (Maths, Stats & Econ) graduate.

Head of Market Expansion
Juspay

Nakul Kothari

Nakul Kothari leads the international expansion at Juspay, a global payments platform serving major clients like Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and over 500 enterprise businesses, ensuring the best payment experiences for their customers. He played a key role in establishing Juspay’s business unit in Southeast Asia and successfully onboarded the first 10+ merchants.

Nakul has over 8 years of experience in Payments & Fintech. During his 5+ years at Juspay, he has contributed across various teams, including Business, Product, and Data. Prior to Juspay, he worked at American Express. Nakul holds an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

Branding & Communications Lead
HalalTrip

Nur Hazirah Jamaludin

Nur Hazirah Jamaludin is a the Branding & Communications Lead at HalalTrip, a leading global community platform for Muslim travellers. With an unwavering passion for travel and a desire to inspire Muslims of all ages to explore the world, Hazirah manages content and branding across all platforms. She is driven by the deep connections that are fostered within the community through travel and is committed to showcasing the joy and life-changing experiences that travel can offer. As a young individual, her mission is to enable Muslims of all ages to experience the exhilaration of travel and to share the realities and wonders of the world with all those who seek to broaden their horizons.

Partner & Co-founder
Asia Partners

Oliver Rippel

Oliver M. Rippel is a Partner and Co-Founder of Asia Partners.

Previously he was the CEO of B2C e-commerce for Naspers, which included all e-tail, B2C Marketplaces, and online travel operations globally. As of Dec 2017, the B2C portfolio of Naspers was yielding a total portfolio IRR of 30%, higher than Naspers’ total internet portfolio (outside of Tencent) IRR of 23% at the time, generating exits >US$4Bn.

Mr. Rippel led all of Naspers’ investments in Flipkart, where he served as Naspers’ appointed Director to the Board for six years, which included chairing the Audit Committee and being part of the Investment Committee.  In August 2018, Flipkart’s exit to Walmart was one of the very largest exits ever in the Internet and e-commerce space and India’s largest-ever exit of a technology company. Walmart invested US$16 billion to obtain an approximate 77% shareholding at closing. As part of this transaction, Naspers exited fully, selling its 11.2% percent stake for US$2.2Bn. The investment was a US$1.6Bn or 3.6x return over six years, at an estimated 29% IRR.

Mr. Rippel joined Naspers in January 2009 as head of business development in Southeast Asia before managing e-commerce in Africa and the Middle East shortly after. From 2011 to 2014 he oversaw e-commerce in Southeast Asia, India, and Africa, after which he was managing online services segments including e-tail outside of Europe, travel, real estate, and mobile services.

Before working for Naspers, Mr. Rippel spent nine years at eBay – first in his home country Germany and then as part of the Asia-Pacific region in China, Korea, and Southeast Asia. There, he mostly focused on strategy, business development, as well as category management, and marketing operations. Mr. Rippel is of dual Asian and European ancestry. He studied economics in Berlin, Germany, and holds the INSEAD International Directors Program Certificate. He is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization Singapore Chapter.

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.

Founder, CAPA/Co-founder, Greenerairlines.com

Peter Harbison

Peter Harbison is a perennial. He began his life in the first year of modern commercial aviation and has really had few other interests in the intervening decades. He established CAPA – Centre for Aviation in 1990 and today is Chairman of Greener Airlines, whose aim is to keep the airlines honest in their green credentials claims. In 2023 he published a book about Qantas and CEO Alan Joyce and is working on another one about the Australian airline industry.

Founder & CEO
In Residence, South Africa

Pieter Brudyn

Pieter is the founder and CEO of In Residence by Pieter Brundyn, the leading villa rental and lifestyle management platform in South Africa. Based in Cape Town, In Residence counts over 800 properties in 43 markets within its portfolio.

Conceived 9 years ago as a villa management service, Pieter has grown In Residence to include hospitality and concierge divisions, championing the ‘In Residence Difference’ philosophy, a holistic approach to guest relations that emphasizes intuitive service.

An ardent supporter of the arts, Pieter established the In Residence Foundation in 2021, working closely with NGOs such as The Lalela Project to pioneer community upliftment through arts-based initiatives, as well as supporting cultural institutions.

Chief Digital Technology Officer
Almosafer

Qais Amori

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.

Chair, Webjet & Iress/Founder, North Ridge Partners & Technology Queenstown

Roger Sharp

Roger has >30 years’ global experience building, financing and running growth companies.

In 2003 he founded North Ridge Partners, a regional technology investment bank based in Singapore. Before that Roger was CEO of ABN AMRO Asia Pacific Securities and Global Head of Technology for ABN AMRO Bank.

He has co-led dozens of travel / travel tech deals including the IPO of Air New Zealand, British Airways’ acquisition of 25% of Qantas, the partial privatisation of Thai Airways and the build / sale of travel.com.au Limited and lastminute.com.au Limited to Wotif (acquired by Expedia).

Roger was formerly Deputy Chair of Tourism New Zealand and today chairs Webjet Limited (ASX: WEB), Iress Limited (ASX: IRE) and Lotto New Zealand.

Having led Webjet through its A$343m refinancing during Covid-19, Roger turned his mind to transforming the economy of his hometown Queenstown, New Zealand from an economy dominated by tourism to a dynamic tech hub.

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.

Founder
Saab Shares

Sabrina Bensawan

Sabrina Bensawan is a student, social entrepreneur & entrepreneur. She established Saab Shares at the age of 16 out of her great passion to be positively impactful to the society.

Managing businesses since the age of 15, she also established a social enterprise called “Heritage by Sabrina”, which covers Saab Shares’ operational costs and supports some programs.

Sabrina is the youngest recipient of one of world’s most prestigious award, “Ernst and Young Social Entrepreneur of The Year 2018”, Chosen as Forbes 30 under 30 2019, nominee of “Kick Andy Young Heroes 2016”, “1 of 50 national role models chosen by the President of Indonesia, Ir. H. Joko Widodo”, awarded as “The most inspiring social activist” and Cleo Changemaker 2017.

Sabrina is also one of the best graduates of Singapore International School, and Academic Excellence recipient at Raffles Institute.

Vice President, Southeast Asia & South Asia Frontier
Google

Sapna Chadha

General Manager, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore
Klook

Sarah Wan

As Klook’s General Manager for Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, Sarah oversees the travel and leisure platform’s operations, including business development, marketing and e-commerce. Over the past year, Sarah has led her team in tackling the tourism market amidst a rapidly changing environment – from kickstarting Klook’s foray into hotels and cruises, to innovating and enhancing traditional tourism products to better suit local tastes.

Sarah was previously Southeast Asia Marketing Director (Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore) for Klook. Prior to that, she worked in Edelman’s Brand practice – where she led consumer campaigns for prominent international and local brands including Diageo, Shell, Singapore Tourism Board, Lagardère Sports, Kimberly Clark and Nestlé.

CEO
Lighthouse

Sean Fitzpatrick

Sean Fitzpatrick is the CEO of Lighthouse (formerly OTA Insight), the cloud-based data market intelligence platform for the travel & hospitality industry supporting over 65,000 clients in 185 countries.

As CEO of Lighthouse, Sean strives to nurture and develop his team as they continue to create customer success-focused innovations and help the hospitality industry visualize and leverage its data. Through the use of simple tools and data visualizations, Sean is passionate about empowering hotel operators & revenue managers to make smarter revenue and distribution decisions.

With more than 20 years of executive management experience in the technology industry, Sean joined OTA Insight in July 2018 after serving as the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Product at HotSchedules, where he oversaw product strategy and design across the HotSchedules portfolio, as well as scaling the company and customer operations through a period of rapid growth to become the global leader in the hospitality market. Prior to joining HotSchedules, Fitzpatrick was Global Vice President of Strategy and Product Management at Oracle Corporation focused on Advanced Customer Services.

Vice President – Global Development
Dusit International

Siradej Donavanik

Mr Donavanik is responsible for driving Dusit International’s global business expansion. He has a proven track record in identifying potential market opportunities, executing business development for Dusit Hotels and Resorts, expanding Dusit’s hospitality education portfolio, and ascertaining new investment projects for its food business. Furthermore, he is also co-developing real estate business for the company.

As a passionate advocate for sustainability, he has been leading Dusit’s group-wide sustainability endeavours. A next-gen business leader, he also heads business transformation initiatives designed to foster innovation and progressive management.

Beyond his role at Dusit, Mr Donavanik serves on the International Advisory Council for Singapore Management University. He is also a Director of Scratch First, the organisation behind Wonderfruit, a pioneering festival initiative he co-founded.

CEO
Travelstart

Stephan Ekbergh

Stephan Ekbergh married father of 4, lives in Cape Town. Ex professional DJ for 10 years. Entrepreneur in Travel. Started the E-commerce revolution in Scandinavia 1999. Is now doing the same in Africa. Passion for releasing gifts and entrepreneurship with people. Writes and speaks about business, life and taking risks. Investor and active boardmember, also works with and finances non profits organization Thembalitscha foundation.

Managing Director, Operations & Partnerships
JetBlue Ventures

Stephen Snyder

“COVID-19 accelerated disruption in the travel and hospitality industries. Beyond needing to overcome short-term challenges like those related to health and safety, it placed a renewed focus on building sustainable travel businesses. I’m excited to help define the future of travel, working to diversify and accelerate revenue generation and integrate game-changing cost-saving solutions.”

As Managing Director of Operations & Partnerships, Stephen’s role is to build an ecosystem of partners and deployment opportunities for the many technologies of JBV’s portfolio companies. He focuses on advancing innovation thinking and compelling value propositions throughout JetBlue and its partners. Stephen joined JBV from JetBlue where he spent time on the airline’s Strategic Planning team. He holds an MBA in entrepreneurial management from the Wharton School and also earned an MA from the University of Pennsylvania and a BA from the University of Michigan.

Jetting Personal

Favorite travel memory: “A few JetBlue colleagues and I developed our own version of ‘The Amazing Race.’ We picked a European destination out of a hat on Friday afternoon – the first team there won a small prize and immense bragging rights.”

JetBlue destination he’d like to visit next: Austin, Texas

Director, Global Business Development
Tidesquare

Sunny Chang

Sunny is the Director of Global Business Development at Tidesquare, South Korea’s leading technology-focused travel agency. She is responsible for spearheading business development and strategic partnerships across the travel vertical with the focus of enhancing Tidesquare’s presence on the global stage.

Sunny has over a decade experience in travel and hospitality with a Masters in International Trade and Economic Development from Yonsei University and a Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management from the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne. She has lived in six countries and considers herself a third culture kid. Currently located in Toronto and Tidesquare’s first North America employee, she is looking to connect with other like minded individuals passionate about travel, technology and hospitality.

Senior Vice President, Trips Partnerships
Expedia Group

Susan Spinney

As senior vice president for Trips Partnerships, Susan Spinney leads the global strategy for Expedia Group’s air, car, cruise and activities lines of business. Her team grows supply relationships by developing new services, increasing the visibility and reach of partners, and providing unique tools and insights to help them manage their business.

Since joining Expedia Group in 2001, Spinney has held several management roles, touching every line of business in Expedia Group’s offerings, including leading the lodging teams for the Northeast, including New York and Canada. Additionally, she served as vice president of Owner Relations, navigating Expedia Group’s relationships with hotel owners and franchisees. Prior to Expedia, Group, Spinney held management, sales and product management positions at various travel companies including Air Jamaica Vacations, Globetrotters and Lowestfare.com.

Spinney is passionate about growing internal talent across Expedia Group’s organization, with a focus on underrepresented groups. She lives in Massachusetts, raising two boys and a dog named Blue.

CEO & Founder
Reiwa Travel

Takaya Shinozuka

Takaya Shinozuka is the founder and CEO of Reiwa Travel, embarking on his second entrepreneurial journey. In April 2021, with the pandemic halting overseas travel, Takaya seized the moment to start the company, raising $20M USD, and introduced NEWT, short for New Travel, a booking app for overseas travel, achieving significant transaction volumes in its second year. Previously, Takaya founded Loco Partners Inc., launching Relux, a luxury hotel booking app that was acquired by KDDI, marking a major milestone in his career.

Chief Commercial Officer, The Ascott Limited / Managing Director, Digital Ventures, CapitaLand

Tan Bee Leng

Tan Bee Leng is Chief Commercial Officer at The Ascott Limited (Ascott), with a dual role as Managing Director, Digital Ventures, CapitaLand Investment (CLI).

As Chief Commercial Officer for Ascott, Ms Tan leads the company’s Commercial Services team which comprises Global Sales, Revenue & Distribution Management, Brand & Marketing, Loyalty & Partnerships, Digital Experience, as well as Public Relations & Communications.

With a global portfolio of 14 hospitality brands, Ms Tan spearheads the development and management of a comprehensive strategy to drive the commercial success of Ascott. In 2022, she successfully launched a global Brand360 exercise to strengthen Ascott’s portfolio through sharpened brand stories, introducing distinctive brand experiences and programmes. Driving tech-forward hospitality, Ms Tan also led the revamp of Ascott’s brand website and the launch of a booking app to support its fast growing loyalty platform – Ascott Star Rewards (ASR). A generative AI-powered web chatbot, named after Ascott’s mascot Cubby, was unveiled in 2023 to deliver personalised and seamless guest booking experiences and drive direct bookings on DiscoverASR.com.

In her dual portfolio role as Managing Director, Digital Ventures for CLI, Ms Tan is responsible for leading the group’s corporate venture arm, driving innovation through new digital business opportunities. She works closely with CLI’s executive team to uncover digital innovations with the potential to be incubated and nurtured into impactful start-up businesses for CLI.

Prior to her current role, Ms Tan was the Head of Group Communications for CapitaLand Group, where she was responsible for its corporate and executive communications, brand strategy and reputation management. Between 2009 and 2018, Ms Tan was also overseeing the philanthropic arm of CapitaLand as the General Manager of CapitaLand Hope Foundation. The Foundation focuses on supporting educational, healthcare and shelter needs of underprivileged children in Singapore and the region.

Ms Tan is a seasoned professional with more than 25 years of experience in developing and implementing effective communication and branding strategies.

Vice President, Corporate Development
Agoda

Timothy Hughes

Timothy Hughes is the Vice President Corporate Development of Agoda (Booking Holdings Company). Timothy is a “retired” blogger and pundit. Previously he was the editor and publisher of one of the top online travel industry blogs (the BOOT: the Business Of Online Travel) and a writer at Phocuswire.

Tim is a former lawyer and venture capitalist. As a venture capitalist and consultant he helped a number of start-ups (inside and outside travel) secure funding, set up online media companies, managed investments in public companies and held regular client briefing sessions for a brokerage house. As lawyer he represented technology, new media, Internet, telecommunications and broadcasting clients in Australia, Europe and Hong Kong.

He first joined the online travel industry in 1999 and has worked for top tier online travel companies in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Tim has a Bachelor of Commerce and Hons Law Degree from the Australian National University.

Principal
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.

Board Member, Manila Angel Investors Network/ Venture Partner, INVESTIBLE

Tina Di Cicco

Tina Di Cicco is a co-founder of two travel tech companies; has led the founding team of two Asian airlines; and managed commercial and marketing at Lufthansa and IHG.

A seasoned marketing and strategy professional, she drives market growth, geographical expansion and strategy for sustainability at start-ups and blue-chip companies in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Macau. Tina has led, financed, grown and exited multiple start-ups.

Currently, she leads Avaya, a consulting and investment company in travel and technology. Tina is passionate about aviation and tourism having led business at Viva Macau, the low cost carrier that challenged Macau’s national airline 25-year aviation monopoly; and at Air Juan, the first commercial seaplane operation in the Philippines. She also helped I-Quest Corporation, the first provider of Internet in hotel rooms in Asia and Europe, approved to list in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2000.

Tina has been in school boards and mentorship programs, including New York University (NYU) Singapore and German Accelerator for Southeast Asia. She also is a board member of ASKI Global, a non-profit devoted to financial literacy and entrepreneurship for overseas foreign workers. She speaks frequently on women leadership, sustainable tourism, mentorship and economic empowerment.

Commercial Advisor to CEO
flyadeal

Trevor Spinks

Trevor Spinks was appointed Commercial Advisor to the CEO of Saudi Arabian low-cost airline flyadeal at the beginning of 2024.

Travelling frequently between his adopted city of Singapore and Jeddah, Trevor is responsible for commercial operations of a young LCC that currently operates 33 aircraft serving 30 year-round and seasonal destinations with a plan to triple both fleet and network by 2030.

A commercial leader with over 20 years’ experience in the global aviation industry, Trevor has a strong background in revenue management, sales, loyalty, network, digital marketing and developing travel industry partnerships across airlines, hotels, tourism boards, cruise companies, OTAs and tour operators.

He has specialised in sales distribution systems and developed knowledge and experience in ancillary revenue channels for the LCCs he has worked at over two decades.

He joined easyJet in the UK in 2008 as manager route revenue working his way up to become senior commercial manager UK. In 2015, he moved to Singapore Airlines’ low-cost subsidiary Scoot during its early phase where he held leadership roles in revenue management, digital sales, distribution and partnerships.

During the five years prior to moving to his current position in Saudi Arabia, Trevor continued working in Singapore holding key positions in companies specialising in ancillary revenue, digital marketing, travel IT solutions, together with home-grown hotel chain RedDoorz and travel distribution giant Sabre.

SVP Brand, Marketing & Loyalty Premium, Midscale & Economy Division
– Middle East, Africa, Turkey & Asia Pacific, Accor

Victoria Sertic

Victoria attributes a wealth of experience, with a career spanning over 28 years in the Tourism sector. Possessing an entrepreneurial business acumen and extensive expertise in commercial management, brand strategy, brand management, marketing, sales, public relations and communications. Victoria has held various senior leadership positions in luxury hospitality and regional Destination Management companies initiating, driving and maximising opportunities across diverse initiatives.

CEO & Co-founder
ZUZU Hospitality Solutions

Vikram Malhi

Vikram Malhi is the Co-founder of ZUZU Hospitality Solutions, a Singapore based start-up that manages sales and online distribution for independent budget hotels across Asia. Before starting his entrepreneurial journey, Vikram was Managing Director for Expedia Asia and was instrumental in growing Expedia brand across 11 countries in Asia.

He spent a total of 8 years at Expedia, taking on multiple senior level roles including marketing, customer loyalty, operations and general management. In addition to his deep expertise in the online travel and hospitality sectors, he has strong experience in technology and business consulting. He worked at IBM Consulting early in his career and received MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Regional Director, Airports & External Relations, Asia Pacific
International Air Transport Association (IATA)

Vinoop Goel

Vinoop Goel is the Asia-Pacific Regional Director of Airports & External Relations for the International Air Transport Association (IATA). He is based at their Asia-Pacific regional office in Singapore. Vinoop leads a team that is responsible for all IATA’s activities in the Asia-Pacific region relating to Airports, Passenger Experience, Baggage, Ground Handling, Cargo Supply Chain, Security and Facilitation. In addition to this, Vinoop also heads the Member and External Relations department for the region that is responsible for IATA membership and government policy issues such as environment, taxation and aviation regulatory matters. Vinoop has a degree in Computer Science and Engineering from IIT, Delhi in India. He has 3 decades of aviation industry experience including a 15-year stint in Japan and has been with IATA since 2005.

Executive Vice President
RAKxa Integrative Wellness, Thailand

Wsinee Sukjaroenkraisri