SPEAKERS
Regional Senior Manager, Partner Apps
Grab
Adilla Arantika
Adilla Arantika is Regional Senior Manager, Partner Apps at Grab, where she leads a group-wide initiative expanding the range of services available to Grab’s 50 million monthly transacting users across Southeast Asia. She is also driving the development of an AI-assisted partner onboarding and business management system to help businesses launch and scale on the platform.
Adilla brings more than a decade of experience across digital products, technology, financial services, e-commerce and strategy. Prior to Grab, she was Head of Digital Product & Monetization at Principal Financial Group, where she owned the P&L of a B2B2C digital investment platform with USD271 million in assets under management and more than 3.5 million retail investors. She also held commercial leadership roles at Lazada and consulting roles at Frost & Sullivan and CIMB Group.
Her work sits at the intersection of technology, digital transformation, customer experience and business growth, with a particular interest in how emerging technologies can make products and services more accessible and relevant across diverse Asian markets.
Adilla has been recognised as a rising business leader and has spoken at industry forums on customer journeys, buyer behaviour, digital business and fintech. She is also the founder of Sinau Purwokerto, a family-run initiative providing free English classes to underprivileged children in Indonesia.
Industry Veteran
Adrian Currie
Adrian held numerous senior leadership roles at Booking Holdings for almost 20 years. This included CFO and MD APAC roles at Booking.com, Chair at Agoda and RocketMiles, and SVP Group Strategy. In 2021, he “retired” to dedicate most of his time to Tinwald Farm in New Zealand with his wife, Amanda, and shape its journey to regenerative farming and EOV accreditation from the Savory Institute in the US. In addition, he continues to advise and invest in a few travel and hospitality businesses in NZ and overseas. Prior to BKNG, Adrian spent 12 years with EY Corporate Finance. He has an MBA from London Business School.
Head of Commercial
HeyMax
Alice Goh
Owner & Farmer
Tinwald Farm New Zealand
Amanda Currie
Amanda Currie is a farmer and food producer based in Central Otago, New Zealand. She and her team steward Tinwald Farm, a regenerative farming and vineyard property where food, landscape, and care for the land are inseparable.
A central focus of Amanda’s work is the restoration of soil health through rebuilding microbial communities—the unseen life that underpins resilient landscapes, nutritious food, and distinctive flavour. Through on-farm composting, microbial inoculants, and biological monitoring, she works to return balance and vitality to the land.
With a background in economics and public policy, Amanda brings a systems perspective to tourism, exploring how authenticity, provenance, and care for place create meaningful visitor experiences that endure beyond the journey.
VP, International Business /
Regional GM of ASEAN,
Alibaba Cloud
ANdy Lee
ANdy Lee is the Vice President of International Business and Regional General Manager of ASEAN at Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group, where he leads the growth of cloud and AI adoption with a focus on building resilient, future-ready businesses.
A seasoned technology leader with decades of experience, ANdy has driven large-scale digital transformation across public and private sectors, including leadership roles at Cisco and Google Cloud Singapore, where he led public sector initiatives and advanced the adoption of GenAI and agentic AI for public good.
He is recognised for building high-performance teams and a strong organisational culture, and is the only Managing Director in Singapore to have held leadership roles in organisations recognised by Great Place to Work as both a #1 tech company and Cisco as a #1 workplace.
ANdy’s expertise spans AI, cloud infrastructure, and cybersecurity, with a focus on translating complex technologies into real-world impact. He is also an active contributor to the ecosystem, serving on the Executive Committee of the Singapore Computer Society and advisory boards at NUS (CDE-EE) and Temasek Polytechnic.
CEO
Achievego
Anthony Chen
Founder
Talk to Magpie AI
Astha Kalbag
Astha Kalbag believes confidence is the currency of the future, and she is building an AI platform to help customer facing teams earn it. As the founder of Talk to Magpie AI, she builds an empathy-driven voice AI roleplay training platform for hospitality staff.
The AI platform helps upskill customer facing staff across front desk, sales and events, and F&B teams by giving them a safe space to practice 1:1 guest interactions with an AI coach getting feedback based on tone, empathy, resolution approach.
Before founding Talk to Magpie AI, Astha spent over a decade building and scaling go to market functions across major technology companies. She was part of the early team at Skyscanner APAC and later managed $200M growth portfolios at Google, Meta, and Uber, working with over 300 customers across growth marketing, marketing science, and insights led consulting. She holds an MBA from London Business School.
Astha is a vocal advocate for AI for good. She speaks regularly on how AI can unlock humanity’s potential by helping people uplevel themselves, rather than replacing them.
Her work has earned recognition as a Top Woman in AI and Digital, Top 100 CMO, Young Promising Leader, and Digerati Top 50. She has spoken internationally at DigiMarCon, Futr Conference, TERN, Connect-e-com, and AdWorld, and hosts the podcast Europe on the Bull.
CEO
Jazeera Airways
Barathan Pasupathi
Barathan Pasupathi (Bara), Chief Executive Officer of Jazeera Airways is Singaporean and has more than 30 years of global aviation experience spanning finance, commercial strategy, operations, and aircraft procurement and leasing. A seasoned airline leader, he has built a strong reputation for leading organizations with purpose, turning around businesses, driving transformation, delivering performance, and sustainable growth in competitive markets.
Since assuming the role of CEO in March 2024, Bara has led Jazeera Airways through a period of strategic expansion and operational discipline, culminating in the airline achieving record profitability in 2025, its strongest financial performance to date. Under his leadership, the airline has advanced its growth agenda through network expansion, fleet optimization, digital innovation, and a continued focus on safety, efficiency, and customer value.
He joined Jazeera from Jetstar Asia where he was the CEO for 12 years in Asia growing Asian markets as well as founding executive and CFO between 2004 to 2007 guiding the airline through multiple phases of growth and industry change. From 2007 to 2010, he served as CFO at Jazeera Airways and listed the airline on the Kuwait stock Market and set up Sahaab Aircraft leasing.
A prominent industry leader shaping the future of aviation, Bara has been featured by Forbes for his leadership influence and contributions to the sector. He is also an acclaimed speaker on aviation strategy, airline economics, and industry transformation, frequently addressing regional and global aviation audiences.
Bara holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Murdoch University and a Master of Business Administration from Deakin University in Australia. He is a Fellow of CPA Australia and a distinguished alumnus. He was also ranked among the Middle East region’s top 100 leaders by CNBC Arabia in 2026.
Group CEO
Wakanow
Bayo Adedeji
Adebayo Adedeji is a dynamic business leader and entrepreneur, best known as the Group CEO of Wakanow, one of Africa’s leading online travel companies. Under his leadership, Wakanow has expanded its operations to multiple African countries, the UK, and the UAE, offering a seamless platform for booking flights, hotels, and holiday packages, along with unique features like “Pay Small Small,” which allows travelers to spread travel costs over time. Wakanow also provides corporate travel solutions and innovative travel experiences through its subsidiaries. Before joining Wakanow, Bayo had an impressive career in finance and retail, serving as a Senior Finance Manager at Amazon and holding leadership roles at Walmart and PetSmart. He is also a serial entrepreneur, founding Dundu Nation, a food truck business specializing in local delicacies, and Wave Beach Lagos, a leisure destination. Bayo is recognized for his customer-centric approach, innovation, and strategic vision, which have transformed the travel landscape in Africa. He emphasizes continual learning, adaptability, and empathy in leadership and is deeply committed to driving positive change in the industries he engages with.
CEO & Co-founder
Purple Elephant Ventures
Ben Peterson
Ben Peterson is the Co-Founder and CEO of Purple Elephant Ventures, an innovation hub for Africa’s travel and tourism sector. He has over eighteen years of experience investing in, founding, growing, and managing companies and non-profits across Africa. We have some great conversations about focusing on the big picture and not getting worked up about the minutia in our everyday lives. Ben also gives some great insight on failing fast, learning from our failures, and their venture studio business model.
Co-founder, Shinta Mani Hotels /
Executive Director, Montara Hospitality Group
Bill Black
Bill came to Asia in 1982 as Resident Manager at the Regent Hong Kong. He was later transferred to Bangkok as General Manager.
During the HIV/Aids pandemic of the 90’s, Bill co-founded the Thailand Business Coalition on Aids which provided education and workplace policies for businesses to effectively addresses the issues that were effecting their workplaces.
In 2002, Bill formed his own hotel management company focusing on small and independent hotels in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
He then started to work for Sokoun, as he was opening Hotel de la Paix and had just opened Shinta Mani in Siem Reap. The early work at Shinta Mani was to incorporate the foundations work with the guests experience. This not only drove business but also raised substantial funds to help the foundation fulfill its objectives.
After the Asian tsunami in 2005 he joined the board of Montara Hospitality where he has worked with both the owner and the managers to help improve operational performances.
Bill’s company in 2010, was bought by a family office company in Singapore where Bill continued to be involved in philanthropy with the family’s efforts in India. He remained there until the COVID outbreak when he re-turned to Canada.
Being able to continue being engaged in the Asian hospitality industry he believes is a true blessing.
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.
CEO
Skyscanner
Bryan Batista
Bryan leads Skyscanner in its mission to become the world’s number one travel ally. He’s held senior international roles at Booking.com and Tesla. He was previously the Chief Operating Officer for Skyscanner, implementing the company’s long-term strategic vision across the company, which sees Skyscanner search 100 billion prices every day to help travellers plan and book their trip with ease and confidence.
Co-founder, Travel Tech Insider /
Venture Partner, Thayer Investment Partners
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, including co-hosting the popular Travel Tech Insider podcast. As Venture Partner at Thayer Investment Partners, the leading travel technology venture capital firm, she advises portfolio companies and helps connect the dots between emerging technology players and the leading travel brands and suppliers across the industry. She is a frequent speaker, panelist and startup pitch judge for numerous industry events, and enjoys coaching growth-stage teams on effective go-to-market strategy.
Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, she and her husband are avid golfers aiming to hit the links in all 50 states.
Co-founder & CEO
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.
Co-founder & COO
GlobalTix
Chan Chee Kong
Chee Kong is the COO and Co-Founder of GlobalTix, a reservation and distribution platform dedicated to the tourism industry. At GlobalTix, Chee Kong leads efforts to simplify and enhance ticketing processes for tours, activities, and experiences, empowering partners through their digital transformation journeys. His vision is to ensure that technology elevates every aspect of the tourism sector, making experiences more accessible and enjoyable.
Prior to his role at GlobalTix, Chee Kong amassed extensive experience in the finance sector, where he specialised in investments across diverse asset classes and capital structures. He remains active in the financial sector through his participation in investment committees and directorships in funds and family offices. His broad experience in both financial and operational areas allows him to steer innovation and strategic growth at GlobalTix.
Vice President, Global Connectivity & Partner Solutions
Expedia Group
Chris Hodges
Chris Hodges is the vice president of global connectivity and partner solutions at Expedia Group, leading the team responsible for scaling Expedia Group’s supply engine through technology partnerships and operations teams. Chris oversees efforts to improve accuracy and efficiency across the distribution ecosystem through integrations with third-party connectivity providers, channel managers, property management systems, central reservation systems, reservation management systems and more.
In 16 years at Expedia Group, Chris has held multiple roles across the supply side of the business spanning pricing and business analytics, global account management, strategy and transformation, strategic tech partnerships and global Connectivity and sales operations. Prior to Expedia Group, Chris served as a tech and research analyst at Citigroup.
Chris holds a BA from the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University.
Founder
George Town Heritage Hotels
Chris Ong
Investment banker turned international hotelier Chris Ong first ventured into the hospitality business when he moved to Sri Lanka in 2003. He bought a 17th-century Dutch mansion in Galle and restored it into a 12-suite heritage boutique hotel and named it “Galle Fort Hotel”. In 2007, Galle Fort Hotel was one of the recipients of the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award of Distinction in recognition of the conservation work done on it. In 2011, it was sold to a Sri Lankans public company and remains to this day as one of Sri Lanka’s top hotels.
Upon returning home to Penang in 2007 due to family reasons, and in 2007, he purchased a decrepit Anglo-Indian bungalow on Clove Hall Road on what was once the Sarkies Brothers’ estate. Chris lovingly restored it and turned it into a 5-suite cozy heritage boutique hotel. Clove Hall was his first project in Penang, which was later sold when the purchaser made him an offer he could not refuse.
George Town, Penang, was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008, which spurred Chris to save more heritage buildings in the core heritage zone. In 2009, two more properties were added to his portfolio, namely Muntri Mews and Noordin Mews. Noordin Mews was sold during its first month of operation when Chris was again made an offer he could not turn down. Chris then used the gains from the sale to save more crumbling buildings.
Where others saw decay and neglect, Chris could visualize grace and beauty. Shortly after that, more properties were acquired, namely, Seven Terraces and Muntri Grove. and the latest addition to the list is Jawi Peranakan Mansion, which started operations in January 2017. Each hotel showcases a range of 19th-century architecture, integral to Penang’s history and heritage, with hip and yet comfortable interiors for today’s living.
George Town Heritage & Hotels (GTHH) is now a portal for Chris Ong’s portfolio of hotels to better serve guests with seamless bookings, reservations, and inquiries for each hotel in the group. In the near future, GTHH will also serve as an information hub for Penang’s cultural events.
Founder
The Sundowner Nature Experience Centre
Clarence Chua
Clarence is a multiple-award winning entrepreneur specializing in environmental sustainability, hospitality, and tourism.
He started his career in government at NParks, then joined the pioneering team to launch Gardens by the Bay in 2012. During this time he founded landscape firm Country Cousins in 2014, and sold it in 2019 to a SGX-listed IFM company.
During the covid pandemic he pivoted to the sustainability sector, founding The Sundowner Nature Experience Centre which offers honeybee tours and F&B classes. To date it is Singapore’s only hospitality outfit with a 5-star rating across Google across 900 reviews. His newest venture is the House of Melissa Boutique Farmstay at Changi Village, Singapore’s only premium farmstay.
His award-winning work in nature conservation centres around his not-for-profit Bee Rescue programme, which relocates rather than exterminates honeybees — of which he has saved 6 million to date.
Senior Manager, Research & Market Intelligence
Phocuswright
Coney Dongre
Ms. Dongre joined Phocuswright in 2014. Coney supports various syndicated, special and custom projects and helps the team in data collation and management. She is adept in travel market sizing and travel trends’ analysis. She is the author or co-author of Phocuswright’s annual reports for different regions, with a focus on the APAC travel market. Coney is a frequent speaker at Phocuswright’s conferences and other strategic company partner events.
Prior to joining Phocuswright, Coney worked as an IT consultant with Infosys Limited, where she used her analytical skills to understand the requirements for projects and lay a foundation for project development. Coney is an engineering graduate from Bhopal University and holds an M.B.A. (marketing) from Symbiosis University. Apart from work, Coney enjoys gardening and bird-watching.
Deputy General Counsel
Airbnb
Darrell Chan
Darrell Chan serves as General Counsel for Airbnb in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, leading a dynamic legal team that shapes and drives the company’s legal strategy across numerous diverse and complex markets. As an integral member of the leadership team, Darrell partners closely with cross-functional executives to support Airbnb’s mission.
Recognising the critical importance of innovation within the legal profession, Darrell serves as executive AI Champion and sponsors Airbnb’s Legal Technology work. He is passionate about digital transformation and has been instrumental in driving the adoption of technology that enhances the legal department’s efficiency, agility, and ability to deliver strategic value to the business.
As a strong advocate for corporate responsibility, Darrell is an active member of Airbnb’s Business and Human Rights Committee. In this role, he works to integrate the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights into Airbnb’s global operations, striving to embed human rights considerations in the company’s decision-making and operations.
Prior to joining Airbnb, he held executive legal roles at two of the world’s leading tech and media companies. As Vice-President for Legal and Policy at Discovery Communications, Darrell oversaw legal, public policy, and compliance matters for the APAC region. Before Discovery, he served as Head of Legal for Asia at Expedia, where he managed legal and public policy for one of the region’s most innovative travel technology platforms.
Outside of work, Darrell enjoys spending time with his family, serving in church, playing sports, and – of course – travelling.
President
Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore)
Dr. Andie Ang
Dr. Andie Ang is a primatologist with over a decade of field experience studying wild primates in Southeast Asia. She has served as President of the Jane Goodall Institute (Singapore) since 2018, leading outreach and capacity-building initiatives to foster wildlife awareness and protection. Beyond her work in Singapore, Ang collaborates with governmental and non-governmental organisations in the wider region, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, on long-term research and conservation of endangered primates. In 2014, she received a National Geographic Society grant to construct aerial crossings for endangered Indochinese silvered langurs in Vietnam’s limestone karsts, a project aimed at mitigating habitat fragmentation. She earned her Ph.D. in Biological Anthropology from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Co-founder & Managing Partner
Monk's Hill Ventures
Dr. Kuo-Yi Lim
Dr. Kuo-Yi Lim is an established technology investor, board director, and financial steward with a 16+ year record of deploying institutional and public capital across global technology markets. As Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Monk’s Hill Ventures and former CEO of Infocomm Investments, he has backed more than 80 technology companies across Southeast Asia, the United States and Japan. His directorships span publicly-listed financial institutions, Singapore government statutory boards, and regional technology startups. Kuo-Yi holds a Ph.D. from MIT with specialization in the nanofabrication of photonic devices.
Head of Apps & Strategic Partnerships,
Southeast Asia
Tiktok
Eason Zhang
Eason Zhang is Head of Apps & Strategic Partnership, for TikTok Southeast Asia, where he leads partnerships and commercial strategy across some of the region’s largest digital businesses. His portfolio spans travel, local services, fintech, crypto and gaming, working with leading brands including Trip.com, Agoda, Klook, Traveloka, Grab, Binance and OKX etc.
With extensive experience across the travel and technology industries, Eason previously held roles at Google and Skyscanner before joining TikTok in 2021. He has worked closely with travel platforms and destinations across Asia Pacific, helping businesses navigate shifts in consumer discovery, content, performance marketing and digital commerce.
At TikTok, Eason is particularly focused on how short-form video, creators, search and AI are reshaping the traveller journey—from inspiration and destination discovery to consideration and booking—and how travel brands can turn these changing behaviours into sustainable business growth.
Chairperson
JTB Corp.
Eijiro “Eddie” Yamakita
The JTB Group traces its roots back to 1912 when “Japan Tourist Bureau” was formed to attract international travelers to Japan and assist with their travel needs. While our activities and clientele have expanded greatly since then, the JTB Group remains aligned around a core purpose: bringing people, places and possibilities together.
Eijiro “Eddie” Yamakita has held key leadership positions throughout his career, with a focus on the group’s international business. Early on, he led the development of the company’s global strategy before moving to Europe, where he served as European Head of the JTB Group and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Kuoni Travel Investment Ltd.
Following his return to Japan, he served as President and CEO from 2020. In this role, he led a comprehensive strategic transformation during the COVID-19 pandemic, establishing a solid foundation for the group’s global expansion and long-term growth. He also leads global advocacy to the tourism industry through international organizations such as UN Tourism and the WTTC.
In 2026, he assumed his current role as Chairperson Representative Director and Executive Officer of JTB Corp.
Co-founder & President
Klook
Eric Gnock Fah
A Mauritius native, educated in the U.S., Eric is an avid explorer with a multicultural upbringing that taught him to speak seven languages. Before co-founding Klook in 2014, Eric worked in finance at a global investment bank in Hong Kong, traveling extensively worldwide.
As Chief Operating Officer of Klook, Eric spearheads the company’s global expansion and oversees various business units. He is instrumental in establishing partnerships with key travel players such as Universal Studios, Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTR), Japan National Tourism Organization, Hong Kong Tourism Board, and many more. Eric’s leadership contributed significantly to Klook’s diverse offerings and the brand’s rising popularity across in the globe. Today, as one of the world’s leading travel activities and services booking platforms, Klook offers its services in eight different languages, supporting 36 currencies with localized payment methods.
Eric was featured on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2017 List and China’s Yicai (CBN) Brilliant 20 List, recognizing his entrepreneurial spirit and game-changing attitude. Eric has been invited to speak in various world-class tech and travel conferences including TechCrunch, RISE, WIT (Web In Travel), Phocuswright, Arival and ITB.
CEO
Queen's Road Capital
Fritz Demopoulos
In 2005 Frederick “Fritz” Demopoulos co-founded and was the CEO of Qunar. Qunar was acquired by Baidu in 2011.
Fritz also co-founded and was the CEO of Shawei. Shawei was acquired by Tom.com in 2000.
Fritz held senior management positions at various online and traditional media companies in China including Netease, Hai Run Media Group and News Corporation.
Fritz currently coordinates his personal investment and entrepreneurial activities through Queen’s Road Capital.
A native of Los Angeles, Fritz was educated at UCLA, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Karls-Ruprecht University in Heidelberg. He has lectured on entrepreneurship and the Chinese Internet at Stanford, Harvard, UCLA, Tsinghua, Beijing University, Singapore Management University and the Communist Party College in Nanjing.
Director of Operations & Chief of Staff
OAG
Gemma Timmons
Gemma Timmons is Director of Operations and Chief of Staff at OAG, a 96-year-old aviation data company undergoing significant technological transformation. She brings a rare blend of strategic, investment, and operational experience in travel tech and B2B software.
At OAG, Gemma leads operational and AI transformation efforts, with a focus on modernising data infrastructure for an increasingly agentic world. She holds a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford.
Vice President, Hotel Market
Partnerships and Air
Expedia Group
Golan Shakéd
Golan Shakéd leads global partnerships across hotels and airlines for Expedia Group. In this role, he works closely with partners to strengthen strategic relationships, unlock growth opportunities, and drive commercial performance across a fast-evolving travel landscape. A seasoned commercial and growth leader, he brings over 25 years of experience scaling digital businesses and driving high‑impact transformation across corporate, private equity, and high‑growth technology environments.
Before joining Expedia Group, Golan held senior leadership roles across travel technology, media, and gaming. At Kiwi.com, he helped steer the company through the COVID‑19 crisis, led a shift toward a more customer‑centric, direct‑to‑consumer strategy, and strengthened airline partnerships through closer collaboration. Prior to that, he served as Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at Deezer, reshaping its global commercial strategy and accelerating its move to direct‑to‑consumer across EMEA, the Americas, and APAC. He also played key roles in major fundraising and transaction milestones, including private‑equity raises, Deezer’s management roadshow, and the bwin–PartyGaming merger and subsequent acquisition by GVC Holdings. Earlier in his career, he led global campaigns for Fortune 500 brands and helped scale Celltick’s mobile business while moving the company into profitability.
Golan holds a BA in Marketing and Communications and an MBA from the New York Institute of Technology. He advises early‑ and mid‑stage start‑ups and has served on the Advisory Board of the International School of London.
Global Head of Travel & Loyalty
Rappi
Guido Becher
As the Global Head of Travel at Rappi, Guido is in charge of building and running this new vertical inside the fastest growing “superapp” and ecommerce platform in the Latin American region. Guido brings with him over 20 years of experience in travel tech, launching and building teams and businesses across Latin America. He is a passionate entrepreneur and travel industry enthusiast. After founding a reverse auction model OTA in 1999, 123vendido.com, he started and was the driving force behind Netactica, one of the top travel technology providers in Latin America.
CEO
Hotel 101 Global
Hannah Yulo-Luccini
Hannah Yulo-Luccini has served as Director of HBNB since 2024 and Chief Executive Officer of HBNB since March 3, 2025. In addition, Ms. Yulo-Luccini has served as Director and Chief Executive Officer of Hotel101 Global from 2022 to present, Chief Investment Officer of DoubleDragon Corporation, a company listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange and the indirect parent company of HBNB, from 2015 to present and Director of Chief Financial Officer of MerryMart Consumer Corp., a company listed on the Philippine Stock Exchange and an affiliate of HBNB, from 2009 to present. Ms. Yulo-Luccini has also served as Chairman and Director of Mbox Smart Lockers Corp., an affiliate of HBNB, from 2021 to present, Director of M Supplies Corp., an affiliate of HBNB, from 2009 to present, Director of Carlos Drugs-Lucena Inc., an affiliate of HBNB, from 2002 to present, Director of Z.C. Ramthel Corporation, an affiliate of HBNB, from 2009 to present, Chief Financial Officer of Beedragon Global Corp., an affiliate of HBNB, from 2021 to present, Director and Treasurer of Mevorechet Corporation from 2012 to present, Director of CanopyProperties, Inc. from 2020 to present and Director and Chief Financial Officer of Young Focus for Education and Development Foundation, a non-profit organization, from 2018 to present. Ms. Yulo-Luccini holds a bachelor of science in business administration from Palawan State University and a masters in business administration from University of St. La Salle.
CEO & Founder
VoiceMaps
Iain Manley
Iain is the founder of VoiceMap, the leading platform for self-guided audio tours. The app has been installed by over a million travellers, and its almost 1,000 publishers offer tours across over 600 destinations worldwide. They’ve earned over $1 million in royalties along the way.
Before launching the platform in 2014, Iain spent a decade living, working and travelling around the world – including an 18-month journey from London to Shanghai by land, which he documented at Old World Wandering. It was one of the first travel blogs, and a place where – in the words of an editor at National Geographic Traveler – “thoughtful, well-written slow travel writing with a strong sense of history and culture…can be reliably found.” His long-form dispatches were regularly featured by curators like The Browser, Longreads and Longform.org.
His favourite travel experiences almost always have one thing in common: someone shows him their corner of the world. They connect opinions, anecdotes and emotions to places, and use phrases like “I love”, “I remember” and “I hope” to describe things that might otherwise have been ordinary.
He likes to think that VoiceMap has become a place where these human perspectives can be reliably found.
CTO
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.
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.
Senior Director, Global Travel Partnerships
Visa
Jay Patel
Jay has spent over five years at Visa, holding roles across the Commercial Solutions organisation. During this time, he managed a range of Visa’s European commercial issuers before playing a key role in establishing the Global B2B Travel team. He went on to assume global responsibility for Visa’s key strategic partner within the travel vertical, helping to drive partnership strategy and commercial payments innovation across the global travel ecosystem.
Prior to Visa, Jay spent seven years at AirPlus International as Head of Sales and Partnerships, and two years at Barclaycard Commercial, building deep expertise in commercial payments and their application across the travel industry. Jay resides in North London with his wife, eleven-year-old son, and dog. He enjoys participating in sports, cooking, listening to music, and traveling.
CEO & Co-founder
Belli
Jeff Pan
Jeff is the former Chief Product Officer at AirAsia cargo, a former Associate Partner at McKinsey (aviation & logistics), and built the flight system for SpaceX. Belli has raised 2 fundraising rounds from VC’s in 24 months and is the fastest growing startup in aviation history, signing up 1 new airline customer every month.
Founder & Recovery Atelier
RAPIDÉ
John Abraham
Mr John Abraham is a renowned physiotherapist in Singapore with over 25 years of clinical expertise in orthopaedic rehabilitation, pain management, and musculoskeletal physiotherapy. As the Founder and Senior Principal Physiotherapist at Rapid Physiocare, he has shaped primary care physiotherapy and delivered patient-centered care across both public and private healthcare systems.
CEO
Montara Hospitality Group (Thailand)
Kittisak “Kitt” Pattamasaevi
Kittisak “Kitt” Pattamasaevi is the Chief Executive Officer of Montara Hospitality Group, where he leads the company’s vision of creating exceptional hospitality experiences that enrich people’s lives while generating lasting value for communities and the environment.
Under his leadership, Trisara, Phuket’s iconic luxury resort and private residential community, has earned international recognition for its service, culinary excellence, and commitment to responsible hospitality. He is also leading the development of Tri Vananda, an integrated wellness community that brings together luxury residences, regenerative agriculture, hospitality, and preventive healthcare. At its heart is the Clinique La Prairie Health Resort Phuket, opening in 2026 as the first destination of its kind in Southeast Asia.
Beyond hospitality, Kitt is passionate about creating places with long-term social and cultural impact. His work focuses on fostering wellbeing, strengthening local communities, supporting Thai craftsmanship and agriculture, and developing destinations that celebrate Thailand’s natural and cultural heritage.
Kitt holds a Bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He also serves as a director of the Niyom Pattamasaevi Foundation, which supports education, arts, and cultural initiatives in Lampang, Thailand.
Managing Director, 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 20 years of experience managing successful, multi-cultural teams.
As a people-first leader, Laura is a keen advocate for causes such as gender equality in the workplace and sustainability. She serves as an executive sponsor for multiple employee resource groups, such as B.Equal and B.Sustainable, supporting grassroots initiatives to make Booking.com APAC a great place to work.
Laura has lived and worked in Singapore for more than 20 years and holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Marketing Management from Bournemouth University, United Kingdom.
Head of Travel Vertical Search APAC
Google
Laura-Marie Arens
Laura-Marie Arens is a global business leader with over 16 years of expertise driving sales, digital strategy, and commercial development across the technology and travel sectors in APAC and EMEA.
She currently leads the APAC Travel sector for Google’s Large Customer Sales (LCS) business in Singapore, partnering with top OTAs, Airlines, and global hotel chains to develop digital business strategy. In addition, Laura-Marie oversees Google’s APAC Vertical Search team—driving the regional adoption of ad tech solutions like Travel Ads and collaborating with global Product & Engineering teams to develop products for the region. Passionate about talent development, she also heads the Google Sales Associate Program across Southeast Asia, empowering early-career talent in Google’s Sales organization.
Prior to her role in Singapore, Laura-Marie held key leadership positions at Google across EMEA and US, including Business Leader for Travel Search EMEA in Berlin, Industry Manager for Travel in Hamburg, and Global Product Lead for Vertical Search in San Francisco.
Laura-Marie holds a Master of Science in Business Administration from the WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management (Germany), with international business studies completed at IE Business School (Spain) and Trinity College Dublin (Ireland). Based in Singapore for nine years, she enjoys exploring local parks and beaches with her Shiba Inu and discovering new destinations across APAC.
SVP Sales & Partnerships
Nuitee
Leyla Allahverdiyeva
Leyla Allahverdiyeva is SVP of Sales & Partnerships at Nuitee, where she leads the company’s global commercial organisation. She and her teams play a key role in expanding Nuitee’s international presence and driving growth through strategic partnerships with leading travel brands, fintechs, super apps and hospitality businesses building on Nuitee’s infrastructure.
She brings more than 15 years of international experience across hospitality, API-first travel technology, distribution and embedded travel solutions. Her expertise lies in navigating complex distribution ecosystems and helping partners launch and scale travel products efficiently.
Before joining Nuitee, Leyla held commercial leadership roles across the hospitality and technology sectors, including leading Sales Excellence at Delivery Hero and senior sales roles within travel technology companies. She also co-founded an aviation touring company, giving her a broad perspective across traditional travel operations, digital platforms and technology-led business models.
Passionate about people, innovation and collaboration, Leyla is committed to building meaningful partnerships and using technology to help shape a more connected and accessible future for travel.
Senior Advisor
ennea Capital Partners
Lisa Katsouraki
Lisa is a seasoned professional with 15+ years in strategy, corporate development, and M&A. As SVP of Corporate Development at Etraveli Group, she leads strategy, M&A, and partnerships for the global flight platform backed by CVC Capital Partners. She is also an angel investor, startup mentor, and member of the Hellenic Business Angel Network. Boards include the upcoming role at Nezasa.
Co-founder, The Reset Practice /
Adjunct Lecturer, Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Luke Clark
Luke is a narrative strategist and editorial leader with more than two decades of experience across journalism, content strategy and brand storytelling. Former editor of Discovery Channel Magazine. Loves to help turn complexity into clear, human narratives, with a focus on energy, story structure and audience. Besides The Reset, Luke is an adjunct lecturer in Digital Writing at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Vice President, Global Marketing
Klook
Marcus Yong
As Vice President of Global Marketing at Klook, Marcus has been privileged to contribute to their mission of transforming travel experiences since joining the company as employee #51 in 2016. Working alongside a dedicated team, they’ve navigated the company through 6 successful funding rounds, including a recent $100 million investment led by Vitruvian Partners . These milestones have enabled them to enhance our platform and better serve travelers worldwide.
In 2023, Marcus and his team spearheaded the launch of Klook’s Kreator Program, building a community of over 20,000 content creators across 16 markets within a year. This initiative has positioned Klook at the forefront of social commerce in the travel industry.
Prior to Klook, Marcus led digital marketing efforts at Scoot, enhancing global digital acquisition and managing social media across seven markets. He began his career at the Singapore Economic Development Board, focusing on digital brand and channel management for North America.
Principal
TravInvest
Martin Symes
CEO & Co-founder
Atlas
Mary Li
Mary Li has built her entrepreneurship career in solving flight problems and is back with a new start-up. Atlas is a global airfare aggregator, offering unique content from low-cost carriers and domestic airlines. Before Atlas, she was co-CEO of Mystifly where she managed its product, technology, operations, human resource, and APAC sales from Bangalore, India. Her first flight start-up was ASLAN, which she ran for eight years, building it from a 40-person offline travel agency into the largest B2B air ticket platform in China. In 2014, Aslan was acquired by Alitrip (Fliggy), Alibaba’s online travel platform.
CEO
Etraveli Group
Mathias Hedlund
Mathias Hedlund joined Etraveli Group as CEO in 2014 and has since, together with his team, transformed the company into the world’s leading Flight Tech Platform selling and fullfilling more flights than anyone else outside of China. Based in Europe but with meaningful presence on all continents, Etraveli Group has during the last decade grown with >20% CAGR at consistent 20%+ EBITDA/Net Sales margin focusing solely on Flights. In recent years, Etraveli Group has successfully pivoted to become a leading global B2B Flight Tech Platform with fulfillment capabilities to support the development of Booking.com Flights and others.
Mathias has for the last 25 years been leading online businesses in many different sectors in public and private settings. From Executive Management or Board positions he has been part of developing international companies within financial services (Klarna), gambling (Netent, Betsson, Svenska Spel), e-commerce (Euroflorist, Cheffelo) and search (Eniro) before joining Etraveli. He currently serves as Chairman at Namecheap (a leading US domain registration and web services company)
Mathias has attended Executive Management Programs at Harvard and at the Stockholm School of Economics. He has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Stockholm.
Senior Director
Think City, Malaysia
Matt Benson
Matt Benson is Senior Director at Think City, a Malaysian Government urban agency specialising in evidence-based city planning and urban regeneration across Southeast Asia. A trained urban geographer with a PhD from the University of Western Australia, Matt leads programmes spanning waterfront redevelopment, precinct planning, heritage conservation, climate adaptation and public realm improvement across multiple Malaysian cities.
Over 25 years Matt has developed a reputation for combining rigorous analysis with genuine community voice – translating complex data into investment decisions that make cities more liveable. Recent work includes securing Malaysia’s first internationally funded urban climate resilience programme (USD10 million, Adaptation Fund), leading the Penang Economy 2030 scenario planning exercise, and directing major urban regeneration projects from Kuala Lumpur to George Town.
Matt has served three terms on the UN-Habitat International Advisory Board for the World Cities Report (2020, 2022 and 2024), participated in UN-Habitat Expert Group Meetings on the Global Urban Monitoring Framework, and serves on the Chief Minister of Penang’s Penang2030 Advisory Committee and the Penang Resilient Infrastructure Taskforce.
Co-founder & CEO
Timeshifter
Mickey Beyer-Clausen
Mickey Beyer-Clausen is a Danish-born, New York-based entrepreneur and philanthropist, and the Co-founder and CEO of Timeshifter, the global leader in circadian technology. Under his leadership, Timeshifter translates complex circadian science into breakthrough solutions addressing challenges that impact billions of people. In 2018, Timeshifter launched its first product — now the world’s most-downloaded jet lag app. More recently, the company introduced its second product, a shift work app that provides an entirely new, personalized way for shift workers to optimize their sleep, alertness, health, and quality of life. Before founding Timeshifter, Beyer-Clausen co-founded several successful ventures, including Trunk Archive and Ascio Technologies. He is also the Founder and Chairman of the Happiness Foundation, which offers an alternative to traditional philanthropy by providing pro bono consulting services rather than monetary donations to nonprofits.
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 & Co-founder,
Brand Karma
Executive Director,
Montara Hospitality Group
Morris Sim
Morris has spent three decades at the corner of tech and hospitality, usually loitering there a few years before everyone else shows up. At Microsoft he helped build the software you’ve definitely rage-quit (MS Office) and founded the Imagine Cup, now the planet’s biggest student tech competition (20 years and still going strong!). After Microsoft, he co-founded Brand Karma, which figured out how to turn hotel guests’ online opinions into something Marriott, Accor, and IHG would actually pay for — before getting scooped up in a two-buyer deal. These days he sits on the Montara Hospitality board, develops commercial strategy for his clients, and coaches executives who want to change the world but haven’t yet figured out how. Stanford engineer, WiT Warrior, proud dad, burgundy fan, and still learning something new everyday.
CEO
AirAsia MOVE
Nadia Omer
Nadia Omer joined 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.
CEO
Agoda
Omri Morgenshtern
Omri Morgenshtern is the Chief Executive Officer of Agoda, part of Booking Holdings (Nasdaq: BKNG). He was appointed in July 2022. In his former role as COO, Omri was instrumental in driving global operations, Product, Partner Services, and the Customer Experience Group.
Omri joined Agoda in 2014 as Senior Product Owner, Algorithms and Learning Systems, and was later promoted first to Vice President of Product Development, then to Chief Product Officer and Chief Operating Officer in 2018.
He was co-founder & CEO of Qlika, an award-winning UpWest Labs start-up specializing in online marketing optimization, which was acquired by Booking Holdings Inc. in 2014.
Omri received an M.S. Magna Cum Laude in Physics from Tel Aviv University and B.S. Cum Laude in Physics, Computer Science and Mathematics from The Hebrew University.
Partner
Velocity Ventures
Patrick Imbardelli
At Velocity Ventures, Patrick is a member of the Investment Committee, focusing on identifying, investing in, and mentoring visionary founders who are transforming the Travel & Hospitality landscape in Southeast Asia.
Throughout his distinguished career, Patrick has held key leadership roles in the hospitality industry. As CEO of Pan Pacific Hotel Group, he successfully established the Pan Pacific and PARKROYAL hotel brands across North America, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Australia. Prior to that, Patrick served as CEO of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) Asia Pacific, where he led IHG to become the largest and most established hotel brand and management company in the region.
With over 35 years of experience at the Chairman and Board levels across Asia and North America, Patrick is a veteran in the hospitality and tourism industry.
As an experienced investor and mentor in the sector, he also serves as Chairman of Next Story Group and a Board Member of Vista Hospitality Group. Additionally, Patrick is an active member and a previous Global Board Member of Directors of the Young Presidents Organization.
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 & CEO
In Residence by Pieter Brundyn
Pieter Brundyn
Pieter Brundyn is a South African private residential hospitality entrepreneur and legacy real estate broker. Raised on a farm in South Africa, Pieter developed an early fascination with travel, landscape and the wider world. That curiosity continues to shape his approach to hospitality: global in outlook, but grounded in place, people and cultural context. Cape Town remains central to the sensibility of his work, giving In Residence a warmth and human directness that sit apart from more conventional expressions of luxury.
As the founder and CEO of In Residence by Pieter Brundyn, a Cape Town-based global residential hospitality brand with a collection of over 800 distinguished private residences across more than forty destinations, Pieter has pioneered human-led hospitality for over a decade. Today, In Residence is both profitable and rapidly scaling its market-redefining hospitality with a focus on privacy, trust, and discretion. This commitment to operational excellence has led to the successful launch of In Residence offices in Spain and Turkey in 2026, with an expansion plan geared towards the 50 leading destinations.
Under Pieter’s leadership, Brundyn Estates manages a portfolio of legacy real estate across destination markets. Flagship properties include waterfront plots on Lake Como, private villas in Bodrum and Indonesia, and a luxury residential development in the Cape Winelands.
His broader work extends through The Brundyn Collective, where residential hospitality, real estate, cultural authority and private client relationships reinforce one another. Real estate gives the work its tangible form; hospitality gives it life; culture gives it depth. Pieter’s perspective treats exceptional homes not simply as inventory but as assets of trust, taste and belonging.
Art and culture philanthropy form a central part of Pieter’s life and work. With his wife, museum director and art consultant Elana Brundyn, he established the In Residence Foundation in 2021 to support community and cultural projects, with partners including the Lalela Project, the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, and the South African Youth Choir.
A traveller, entrepreneur and family man, Pieter remains closely tied to Cape Town while continuing to expand The Brundyn Collective internationally. His work returns to a single conviction: the future of luxury is not defined by visibility, excess or inventory, but by trust, taste, privacy and the people who know how to hold them.
Co-founder & Group CEO
MakeMyTrip
Rajesh Magow
Rajesh Magow is the Co-Founder and Group Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
He has been associated with the Company since June 12, 2006 and has been a Director of MakeMyTrip (India) Ltd. since June 19, 2026. He is responsible for overseeing strategic direction, spearheading growth and shaping long term vision across the group’s portfolio.
He is an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India. He has been the chair of the FICCI Committee on Tourism for 2025-2026 and is an independent director on the board of Info Edge (India) Limited.
Prior to joining the Company, he was associated with Aptech Computer Education, Technovate Data and Services Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of eBookers.com, and Voltas Limited (formerly known as Voltas Switchgear Limited).
He has also been elected as governing council member of Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) for the term 2025–2027.
He has been awarded the Ernst & Young ‘Entrepreneur of the Year – Services’ in 2024, ‘Times Now India’s Impactful CEO’ in 2024, ‘People-Focused CEO of the Year’ at the Economic Times Human Capital Awards in 2023, and the ‘E-commerce Leader of the Year’ in the individual category, by ET Retail, in 2023.
He has experience in information technology and e-commerce industries.
Co-founder & Group Co-CEO
ixigo
Rajnish Kumar
Rajnish Kumar is the Co-founder and Group Co-CEO of ixigo (Le Travenues Technology Ltd., listed on NSE & BSE). An IIT Kanpur alumnus in Computer Science, Kumar began his career as a software engineer at Amadeus before co-founding ixigo in 2007.
He has led the company’s product, technology, growth and AI strategy across its journey from a bootstrapped travel search engine to India’s leading OTA for the ‘next billion users’, serving over 570 million annual active users in FY26. He was honoured with the 2023 Distinguished Alumnus Award by IIT Kanpur and recognised under the ‘Comeback Kid’ category at the Economic Times Startup Awards 2021.
He is an active mentor and investor in India’s startup ecosystem and the author of ‘Made in Fire’, a book on entrepreneurship, resilience and the journey of building enduring companies.
Program Manager
Young Focus Foundation
Ram Banzuela
Ram Banzuela is the Manager of the Career Development Program at Young Focus. With almost a decade of experience in education and program management, Ram is passionate about empowering young adults to achieve their career goals. His work focuses on developing impactful programs that bridge the gap between education and employment, helping students make a smooth transition into the workforce.
Co-founder & CEO
Lumitics
Rayner Loi
Rayner Loi is the Co-Founder and CEO of Lumitics, a Singapore-founded AI food-waste technology company built to help commercial kitchens measure, understand and prevent waste.
Following Winnow’s acquisition of Lumitics in July 2026, he now serves as a consultant, leading customer transitions to the Winnow platform. His focus is on ensuring continuity for hospitality partners and helping kitchen teams adopt Winnow’s AI-powered tools while preserving the regional knowledge and relationships Lumitics developed over nine years.
Rayner Co-Founded Lumitics in 2017 while still at university, after a behind-the-scenes visit to a hotel bin centre made the scale of food waste impossible to ignore. Seeing that most solutions addressed redistribution or recycling after waste occurred, he chose to focus on prevention. Together with Co-Founder Adriel Tan, he helped develop Insight, a smart AI tracking system that combined weight sensors, cameras, computer vision and data analytics to identify what kitchens discarded and turn that information into actional insights on production, buffet planning and menu design.
Under his leadership, Lumitics grew from a Singapore startup into a regional food-waste technology company deployed across more than 20 countries in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Its customers included major global hospitality groups such as Accor, Hyatt, Marriott, IHG and Four Seasons.
Rayner is a recognised voice on entrepreneurship, sustainability and the use of AI for impact. He was named a TIME Next Generation Leader in 2021, included in Tatler Asia’s Gen.T list in 2020 and selected for Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia in 2022. He speaks candidly about building mission-driven companies, changing entrenched industry behaviour and translating sustainability goals into measurable operational action.
Regional Senior Vice President,
Travel Sellers, Asia Pacific
Amadeus
Renaud Nicolle
Renaud Nicolle is the Regional Senior Vice President, Travel Sellers, Asia Pacific at Amadeus, based in Singapore. He leads the strategy and performance of the Travel Sellers business across APAC, working closely with partners to drive growth, strengthen customer collaboration, and advance next-generation travel technology.
With more than 20 years at Amadeus, Renaud has held leadership roles across France, Spain, and Asia Pacific, spanning commercial strategy, global network management, product leadership, and major account development.
In recent years, he has played a key role in strengthening strategic partnerships with major customers and supporting high-impact commercial and NDC initiatives across APAC.
Renaud holds a Master of Engineering degree from the École Centrale de Paris.
SVP, Global Commercial
Letsfly
Reno Wang
Reno Wang has over 10 years of experience across travel, payments, and e-commerce, with a diverse background spanning product, engineering, business management, and data analytics. A seasoned travel industry executive, he has held leadership positions at leading OTAs including Hopper and Fliggy, and previously served as President of the Flight Business at Dida Travel, giving him extensive experience across both B2C and B2B travel businesses. At Letsfly, Reno leads global commercial partnerships, key accounts, and enterprise growth. He brings deep expertise in global travel distribution and a proven track record of driving business growth, strategic partnerships, and transformation.
Founder
Mews
Richard Valtr
Richard Valtr is an entrepreneur and ex-hotelier with an extensive background in hotel investment and management. Richard was educated at UCL in London before returning to his native Czech Republic where he project managed a number of property developments, culminating in the creation of the Emblem Hotel. While he was working at the property, he realized that hotel management systems had failed to keep pace with hotels or their guests, and he founded Mews to bring modern, seamless hospitality to hoteliers and guests alike. In his time at Mews, Richard has pushed hoteliers to think differently, from operations and payments to optimizing every square inch of their properties. From his Brooklyn home, he continues to provide inspirational leadership not only at Mews but for the hospitality industry.
Chief Commercial Officer
Pelago by Singapore Airlines
Ricky So
Ricky So is Chief Commercial Officer and a founding executive of Pelago, Singapore Airlines’ travel experiences and loyalty platform, which connects travelers with experiences, attractions and hotels around the world. He joined Pelago in 2020 and has played a key role in building the business from concept to scale, shaping its commercial strategy, partnerships, marketing and broader role within the Singapore Airlines ecosystem.
Ricky brings 15 years of experience spanning travel, hospitality and technology, with previous leadership roles at Klook, Uber, Cathay Pacific, and Google. At Klook, he led commercial strategy and planning across multiple travel verticals, while his earlier career included experience at Cathay Pacific across airline sales, inflight services and Asia Miles, Cathay’s mileage currency.
At Pelago, Ricky has worked closely with the Board and senior leadership to develop long-term strategy, build high-performing international teams and forge partnerships across tourism boards, hospitality, attractions and financial services.
A passionate traveler having lived and worked in six countries, Ricky holds a Global Executive MBA with Distinction from INSEAD and is an advisor to early and growth-stage travel and consumer technology companies.
Board Member, Tourism Tasmania /
Founder, Former CEO & Chairman, Viator
Rod Cuthbert
Rod is a pioneer of the global online travel industry. He was the founder, CEO & Chairman of Viator, the leading global marketplace for tour and experience products. He was subsequently the CEO & Chairman of Rome2rio, the multi-modal search engine; and is currently a non-executive director of Veltra Corporation, the Tokyo Stock Exchange listed seller of tour and experience products, and Jayride, the Sydney-based global marketplace for airport transfers. He is also a member of the board of directors of Tourism Tasmania.
Chair
North Ridge Partners, WebBeds,
Technology Queenstown
Roger Sharp
Roger is a veteran travel technology Chair, investor and advisor. He played key roles in the privatisations of airlines and airports including Air New Zealand and Qantas before becoming CEO of ABN AMRO Asia and Global Head of Technology for ABN AMRO Bank. He subsequently built and sold ASX-listed travel.com.au and lastminute.com.au, chaired Webjet until its demerger in 2024, and served as Deputy Chair of Tourism New Zealand.
Roger chairs ASX-listed WebBeds, one of the world’s leading B2B hotel distribution platforms. He is also the founder of Asia-Pacific technology investment bank North Ridge Partners, where he leads the firm’s travel technology practice.
During COVID-19, Roger founded Technology Queenstown, a not-for-profit initiative building Queenstown into a leading travel and hospitality technology hub to diversify the regional economy.
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.
Assistant Vice President,
International Markets, APAC
Trip.com Group
Ru Yi
As the Assistant Vice President of International Markets, Ms Ru Yi formulates strategic goals and drives organisational growth of Trip.com’s hotel business units across Asia, including Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand, among others. Ms Ru oversees the International Hotel Business Units’ operations in these markets – with the objectives of strengthening brand equity, identifying new growth opportunities and partnerships, and fostering strategic relationships with stakeholders. A founding member of Trip.com Singapore, Ms Ru was the Regional General Manager and the Country Head of the International Hotel Business Unit (Singapore) before being promoted to her current position. Ms Ru has a wealth of experience and expertise in the hospitality sector. Prior to joining Trip.com Group in 2013, she had assumed key appointments at Resorts World Sentosa, Sentosa Leisure Group and Far East Organization. A forward-thinking strategic leader with a strong business acumen, Ms Ru is frequently invited to speak at industry and trade events. Ms Ru graduated with a Bachelor in Business Management from Singapore Management University, and also holds an Executive MBA from SMU. A proud mum of two girls, Ms Ru enjoys reading and jogging.
Founder, Co-Chairman, &
Chief Product Officer
Spotnana
Sarosh Waghmar
Sarosh Waghmar is Spotnana’s Founder, Co‑Chairman, and Chief Product Officer. He leads Spotnana’s efforts to build the industry’s first Travel‑as‑a‑Service platform, partnering with travel providers and global enterprises to deliver a modern technology stack that opens the door to a new generation of travel experiences.
Over more than two decades in travel, Sarosh has built and scaled businesses that rethink how corporate travel is purchased, sold, and serviced. Prior to Spotnana, he founded WTMC, the world’s first TMC to build direct connections to global airlines. When he isn’t working on product and platform architecture, you’ll likely find him in the kitchen, cooking for family, friends, and colleagues.
Head of Public Policy, Southeast Asia
Airbnb
Shanta Arul
Founder
HMD Asia & Shinta Mani Hotels
Sokoun Chanpreda
Sokoun has been involved in the hotel and restaurant business for more than fifteen years, which might seem like a short time, but in that time his concepts have garnered a host of awards and accolades, and his properties are recognized as leaders in the region.
However, Sokoun is more than his corporate avatar, his concepts are also garnering attention for their positive social and environmental impact. Sokoun is primarily responsible for seeking out opportunities to expand the Shinta Mani brand across Asia.
Raised in Bangkok, with roots in Cambodia, Sokoun is a native son to Southeast Asia, but received his BA at Boston University. His experience extends to high-end jewelry and hotel property development.
As founder of HMD Asia, Shinta Mani and other concepts Sokoun brings a wealth of industry knowledge to the boardroom table.
Global Strategy Lead – Travel & Tours
Protect Group
Stephen Joyce
Stephen has been a founder and entrepreneur in tech since 1995, currently serving as Global Strategy Lead – Travel & Tours at Protect Group. He has previously served as VP of Content at Arival in the experiences industry and as Executive Director for OCTO. He co-founded Rezgo, a pioneering SaaS booking platform for the experiences industry, and worked as VP of Solutions at Holibob. Stephen is passionate about the travel industry and has served as a board member and Chair of several travel industry associations including the Open Travel Alliance and OCTO. He is an avid speaker and industry analyst, and he co-hosts the Arival – Best Part of Travel Podcast where he enjoys speaking with industry experts about the current and future state of the experiences industry.
Chief Commercial Officer
The Ascott Limited
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, Bee Leng spearheads the company’s commercial strategy, leading a team comprising Global Sales, Revenue & Distribution Management, Brand & Marketing, Loyalty & Partnerships, Digital Experience and Communications.
Responsible for shaping Ascott’s portfolio of 17 hospitality brands, Bee Leng’s track record in brand innovation and leadership can be seen in a global Brand360 exercise that strengthened Ascott’s portfolio with a multi-typology brand strategy.
In 2024, she led Ascott to secure the partnership deal with Chelsea Football Club as its Official Global Hotels Partner, positioning Ascott well to capitalise on the growing convergence of sports, entertainment and hospitality.
In her dual portfolio role as Managing Director, Digital Ventures for CLI, Bee Leng oversees the group’s corporate venture arm, to drive innovation through new digital business opportunities with the potential to be incubated and nurtured into impactful start-up businesses for CLI.
Prior to her current role, Bee Leng 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, she was also overseeing the philanthropic arm of CapitaLand as the General Manager of CapitaLand Hope Foundation.
Bee Leng is a seasoned professional with more than 25 years of experience in developing and implementing effective communication and branding strategies. She was named a winner of Women To Watch Asia Pacific 2024 by Campaign Asia-Pacific for her contributions to marketing, media and communications.
Global Head, B2B Travel
Visa
Tania Platt
Tania is the Global Head of B2B Travel for Visa Commercial Solutions, where she responsible for the creation and execution of the business strategy for this rapidly evolving, high growth vertical segment. Bringing more than 25 years of experience in the payments, financial services and telecommunications sectors, Tania has led successful businesses around the world. Prior to joining Visa in early 2024, she managed the Commercial team at Outpayce from Amadeus, serving the global travel ecosystem with new advances in payments. Tania has also previously held senior business development roles at American Express, MasterCard Payment Gateway Services, Vodafone and IDT.
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 has spent most of his career in Aviation, Travel and Technology. He has been an entrepreneur, investment analyst and founding team member of some notable companies in Tech, such as Expedia. Several of these entities have valuations in billions. Today, he provides advisory services to governments and commercial enterprises from startup phase to maturity addressing tough challenges including the context of AI. He is passionate about the whole ecosystem.
Timothy is a recognized subject matter expert and commentator in with a focus on Technology. He has published several books in this subject area. Along the way he has authored nine patents. Timothy was educated in the United Kingdom and now lives in Kirkland, WA USA. He is a surrogate parent to a boisterous Fox Red Labrador.
CEO
Capital A Berhad
Tony Fernandes
Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, male, 62, is a co-founder of AirAsia. He was appointed as a Non-Independent Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Capital A Berhad (formerly known as AirAsia Group Berhad) on 30 March 2018.
Tan Sri Tony is one of Asia’s most recognisable entrepreneurs, best known for co-founding low-cost carrier AirAsia and democratising air travel in the region.
In December 2001, Tan Sri Tony, together with Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, Dato’ Pahamin Ab Rajab and Dato’ Abdel Aziz @ Abdul Aziz bin Abu Bakar, acquired struggling domestic airline, AirAsia, and with the help of Conor McCarthy, relaunched it as a pioneer of budget travel in Asia, building AirAsia into the world’s best low-cost carrier.
He studied in the UK and qualified as an Associate Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in 1991, then as a Fellow Member in 1996. He is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). An accountant by training, he began his career in Virgin Group before returning to Malaysia as Warner Music Group’s Vice President for Southeast Asia before venturing into the airline business.
Tan Sri Tony has received numerous honours and awards over the course of his career. These include the Honour of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire, conferred by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2011, and the Commander of the Legion d’Honneur, awarded by the French Government for outstanding contributions to the economy of France through the aviation industry. He also received the Panglima Setia Mahkota (PSM) award conferred by Yang Di Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, which carries the title Tan Sri.
Head of Travel
Xendit
Trevor Spinks
Trevor Spinks is Head of Travel at Xendit, where he focuses on how payments infrastructure is shaping the future of travel commerce across Southeast Asia and beyond. He brings over two decades of senior commercial leadership experience across aviation and travel technology, most recently serving as Managing Director APAC at Volantio and Chief Commercial & Customer Officer (Interim) at flyadeal, with prior leadership roles at Sojern, Scoot, and Sabre. He brings a firsthand perspective on how travel businesses are adapting to shifting traveller expectations, evolving distribution models, and the opportunities and challenges of growth.
Co-founder & CEO
TourHero
Tushar Khandelwal
Tushar Khandelwal is Co-founder and CEO of TourHero, a travel platform helping communities, creators and groups turn shared interests into real-world journeys.
An entrepreneur with a background in travel, technology and community-led businesses, Tushar previously co-founded Voyagin, an Asia-focused tours and activities marketplace that was acquired by Rakuten. He went on to co-found TourHero in 2020, with a vision to make it easier for people to bring their communities together through travel.
Today, Tushar is focused on the intersection of travel, community and AI, exploring how technology can remove the friction from organising group journeys while making travel more personal, social and meaningful.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University and is based in New York.
CEO & Founder
ZUZU Hospitality
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.
Managing General Partner
Orbit Ventures
William Bao Bean
William is Managing General Partner of Orbit Ventures the Emerging Markets VC the longest running emerging market startup program in the world with over US$125m in investment value managed. Orbit invests in technology startups that digitize traditional industries, boost earnings potential, and drive sustainable growth. Sectors include e-commerce, fintech, travel, media, health, education, and logistics across emerging markets in Asia, Middle East, Africa and LATAM. Orbit provides hands-on support for user acquisition, sales, partnerships, and fundraising. Orbit’s consumer ecosystem has helped our startups scale to 169m monthly active users as of 2Q25. Magnitt named Orbit #6 most active VC in Emerging Markets in both 2023, 2024 and 2H25. William joined Orbit from SingTel Innov8 Ventures where he was a founding Managing Director. Prior to that William was a Partner at Softbank China & India, a VC backed by Softbank and Cisco, leading investments across Asia. William started his career in equity research most recently with Deutsche Bank where he was a top ranked analyst for Internet and Software in Asia and worked on the IPOs for Alibaba, Kingsoft, eLong (Expedia), OnMobile and Infoedge Naukri.
William was ranked #3 stock picker in Hong Kong/China and #1 for Technology, Media and Telecom by Thomson Reuters Starmine as well as #3 equity research analyst in Asia for Software and IT Services by Institutional Investor Magazine. William has done over 350 early stage investments including Bitmex in blockchain, UShopal in ecommerce, italki in edtech, VideoVerse in media, Carota in mobility, Flickstree in media, ELSA Speak in edtech, Tappytoon in media, Coutloot in ecommerce, and Dastgyr in ecommerce. He currently sits on boards including Scantrust, Boost Capital, Pandabus, Fleksy, Goama, and italki as well as Blair Academy. He holds a BA from Bowdoin College.
Head of Commercial,
Greater China and Southeast Asia
Checkout.com
Yao Xiang
Yao Xiang is Head of Commercial, for Greater China and Southeast Asia, at Checkout.com, where he leads business development, market expansion, and merchant performance across the region. He joined Checkout.com in 2022 as the General Manager for Greater China.
With over 10 years of payment industry experience, Yao works alongside enterprise merchants across Ecommerce, Gaming, Digital, Online Travel Agency, and Mobility. His deep operational expertise helps businesses elevate payment performance, refine risk strategies, and scale sustainably across international markets.
Prior to Checkout.com, Yao served as Head of Account Management at Adyen China. He also held key payments and risk management positions at LightInTheBox and Booking.com.
Yao holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Renmin University of China and a Master’s degree in Financial Management from TIAS Business School in the Netherlands.
Founder
WiT (Web in Travel)
Yeoh Siew Hoon
Siew Hoon has been covering the travel industry beat in Asia Pacific for decades, starting off as a rookie reporter and going on to lead and launch the region’s key industry media titles. In 2005, she founded WiT (Web in Travel) to tackle how technology was changing travel in Asia Pacific and created a new space in the fast-growing, dynamic region with a dedicated media and events platform.
Over the years, she took WiT to new places, launching editions in Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Middle East, Europe, Africa and most recently New Zealand to keep the world’s attention focused on the three pillars of travel, technology and Asia.
Following the acquisition by Northstar Travel Group in 2014, she led the launch of Travel Weekly Asia and M&C Asia and formed the editorial team to execute the entry of Northstar Travel Group to Asia.
Her work has been recognised by numerous institutions including the Singapore Tourism Board which recognised her as Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year in 2014. The WiT Singapore conference, which remains its tentpole event, has won several awards including Most Innovative Marketing Initiative and Trade Conference Of The Year.
In 2020, WiT Singapore became the first travel conference to go fully hybrid, paving the way for a new model in events.
Other than writing about travel, Siew Hoon is also a published author of titles such as “Around Asia In One Hour: Tales of Condoms, Chillies & Curries”, children’s books such as “Adventures of Habibie The Turtle” and “The Story of Baitong and Boon” and host of “A Life In Travel” podcast.
Group Senior Managing Executive Officer,
Senior Vice President of Commerce &
Marketing Company, Rakuten Group
Yoshiyuki Takano
Yoshiyuki Takano is Group Senior Managing Executive Officer, Senior Vice President of Commerce & Marketing Company, Rakuten Group Inc. since Jan 2017.
He started his career at Seven-Eleven Japan Co., Ltd. and joined Rakuten, Inc. in 2002. Firstly, he worked for Rakuten Ichiba e-commerce business and then for Rakuten Travel since 2004. He became Business Manager after serving as Manager of Advertisement Department, Manager of Marketing & Web Design Department and Vice Manager of Travel Business. His digital marketing expertise and management experience in contributes to Rakuten Travel’s rapid business growth.
Yoshiyuki earned Master’s degree from Waseda University
