Generative AI has been hailed as the most disruptive innovation since the birth of the web, having the potential to fundamentally transform industries and forever change the way we interact with the information that guides our lives. Silicon Valley likes to frame generative AI as a superior technology capable of one day supplanting human creativity and ingenuity. In his highly visual and engaging keynote presentation, Graham will argue that while generative AI is undoubtedly a remarkable technological breakthrough, it has several fundamental weaknesses – not least, it has no lived experiences and can’t feel, nor does it have emotions or sensations. By recognising and harnessing our human ‘superpowers, ’ those working in travel media and marketing can work with generative AI, exploiting all it has to offer and not be disintermediated or substituted by it.

Graham is a strategist and writer on the impacts of generative AI on human-made media. In a career spanning 40 years, Graham has been a journalist, editor, consultant, producer and entrepreneur with a keen interest in the future of media. Graham will cover Generative AI, its impacts on the travel industry and journalism, and how travel media and PRs can adapt and thrive.

Graham started his career as a journalist and editor in newspapers and TV news. He was the founding Editorial Director at Teletext Limited and a founding director of Associated New Media, the business that went on to create MailOnline, the world’s leading online news brand. Before Teletext and its parent, the Daily Mail Group, Graham worked as a senior editor and journalist at the BBC, Visnews (now Reuters TV), BSB News (now Sky News), ITN, Channel Four, The Press Association and Pearson regional newspapers. Graham is a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program and a member of the Royal Television Society.

Lasse has been at Havila Voyages for nearly three years. He has over 20 years of experience in travel, trade, and the transport industry, including, but not limited to, being Communications Advisor for the wholly-owned state-limited company Avinor, which owns and operates the majority of Norwegian airports, and Head of Communications for Vålerenga Football Club in Oslo.

This Darjeeling girl's job has taken her places — 5 continents so far — and she wouldn't have it any other way. Asia editor of industry bible, Skift, Peden enjoys keeping abreast of things, and took to travel journalism like a cartophile to an atlas. Her last role saw her setting up ET TravelWorld for Economic Times. She has tons of stories to share, but first, get her a flat white.

Paul's relationship with Walk Japan began in 1997 as a freelance tour leader. He was made a partner in 2002 and is presently the CEO. He has resided in Japan for much of his adult life since arriving in 1987. Previously, Paul worked as an analyst for Japan’s principal business newspaper, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun, as managing director of the Japanese subsidiary of St. Ives PLC, and as a freelance producer and director covering news and current affairs for Japanese television in Europe, Africa, India, and the Middle East. Paul graduated in economics from University College, University of London.

In recent years, Paul has been recognised for his contribution to the development of tourism in Japan and given a number of appointments, including being made a Cool Japan Ambassador by the Japanese Government and Ambassador for All Nippon Airways. Today, Paul’s main personal interests are raising his family of three young sons with his wife and leading the development of Walk Japan’s Community Project, the core of the company’s corporate social responsibility program.

Born in London, Mark arrived in Hong Kong in 1994, and has spent 25 years working for the South China Morning Post, where he became the Editor of Post Magazine, the Sunday supplement (lifestyle & current affairs), before stepping back to focus solely on the travel pages. Post Magazine remains primarily a print product, albeit with a well-defined online presence.

The South China Morning Post is a leading news media company that has reported on China and Asia for more than a century with global impact. Founded in 1903, the SCMP is headquartered in Hong Kong, where it is the city's English-language newspaper of record. The SCMP aims to connect news consumers around the world through informed and inspired journalism of the highest standard. The SCMP vision is to “Elevate Thought”, with a mission to “Lead the global conversation about China”.

Edwina is social media editor at Australia's number one travel brand ESCAPE. She was previously an award-winning freelance Australian travel writer, photographer and content creator at The Portmanteau Press. Edwina's work has appeared in titles such as Vogue Australia, Travel & Luxury, delicious., Lonely Planet, Traveller, The New Zealand Herald, Robb Report USA, The Guardian and The Telegraph UK.

BrandStory Asia is an award-winning Travel and Tourism Marketing consultancy founded in 2003. As charismatic storytellers, Brandstory assembles multi-channel solutions, including PR, advertising, social, digital content marketing, and airline partnerships, for brands tapping the China and Southeast Asian markets.

BrandStory’s portfolio of clients includes Brand USA, Gardens by the Bay, New York City, Visit Egypt, Promote Iceland, Las Vegas Convention & Visitors Authority, Hawai’i Tourism Authority, TripAdvisor, San Diego Zoo Alliance, Washington DC, Travel Alaska, Australia’s Northern Territory, Visit Luxembourg, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, Qatar Tourism Authority, Skyscanner and Universal Studios Hollywood. Under Reene’s leadership, BrandStory’s team for the Hawaiian Islands won over 28 awards, including the ‘Most Impressive Island Destination’ by Sina Travel and four of ‘Ctrip China Travelers Top Spots’ as voted by 6.5 million users.

CARMA is the global leader in insights and intelligence that helps brands measure and evaluate their corporate reputation and the media landscape. In her role, Divika drives CARMA’s brand and integrated communications strategy. Her career blends PR and marketing for technology brands across Asia-Pacific, positioning her to leverage knowledge and cultural insights to develop effective commercial strategies tailored to the region.

Melissa has been recognised as a Woman to Watch in Asia and was shortlisted for the Women Leading Tech Awards by Atlassian. She is the Founder and Managing Director of Oysterly, a leading social video agency in Singapore that specialises in creating user-generated content for leading brands who want to reach their audience on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Her company has partnered with fortune 500 companies like the Hilton Hotels, 3M, UPS and many more. The agency’s innovative work also earned it the Beautiful Business Fund Award from Xero, and Melissa has been invited to be a global judge for this year’s competition.

Melissa is a frequent speaker at notable marketing events, including the Social Media Marketing World in San Diego, USA. She shares marketing tips and insights for companies on TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn.

Michael currently oversees Technology and Place Management in Sentosa as the Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC). As a member of SDC's senior management team, he is closely involved in the key growth and developmental areas of sustainability and the continual reinvention of Sentosa as a precinct loved by visitors and locals alike.

Prior to joining SDC, Michael served for 28 years in various key Command and Staff appointments in the Ministry of Defence and the Singapore Armed Forces. Apart from being deployed to Afghanistan for seven months, his other highlight was serving as the Chief Artillery Officer.

In his free time, Michael reads, runs, dabbles in coding and tries his best to be a decent golfer.

Rob is a regular contributor to the travel sections of Australia and New Zealand's leading newspapers and magazines. He's won six writing awards, including ASTW Travel Writer of the Year, and is an active Adventure Travel Trade Association member. Rob regularly speaks at travel events and has helped hundreds of aspiring travel writers, PR professionals and tourism operators through his writing courses.

Dr. Nisha is a distinguished tourism consultant, academic, and corporate trainer with over 25 years of diverse management experience in the Tourism, Hospitality, and MICE industry. Renowned as an international management consultant, she excels in crafting global strategies and roadmaps for establishing robust market positions.

Dr. Nisha is a dedicated advocate for sustainability and responsible development. Her expertise includes business sustainability, sustainability in events management, and sustainable tourism development. Through her consultancy and training expertise, she enhances sustainability knowledge, provides strategies for implementing sustainability initiatives, and offers a unique perspective on achieving sustainability goals in the tourism industry. As the founder of World Women Tourism, and an advocate for women's empowerment and gender equality, Dr. Nisha has spearheaded numerous impactful events to uplift women's socio-economic status.

Leveraging her wealth of experience, she is a respected global keynote speaker, subject matter expert, and panelist at prestigious events. In 2024, she was awarded the accolade, “Most Inspiring Woman in Travel (Asia)” by IWTA.

In his current role at Trip.com, Edmund drives the company’s strategic goals and growth across Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. He plays a pivotal role in formulating and executing strategies that enhance brand equity and foster customer loyalty through exceptional experiences and innovative products for the region's rapidly expanding user base. Edmund actively builds and nurtures high-level relationships with key stakeholders, including government agencies and industry leaders, to support the company's objectives and initiatives.

With over two decades of experience in the hospitality sector, Edmund has a proven track record in leading digital and technological transformations and executing targeted campaigns that significantly boost market share. His extensive expertise makes him a sought-after speaker at international conferences and workshops on various industry topics.

Outside of his professional life, Edmund is dedicated to personal fitness, engages in volunteer work for social causes, enjoys watching football, and values quality time travelling with his family.

Since joining the founding team of Condé Nast Traveler China in 2012, Shawn Ong quickly distinguished himself as an exceptional Editor-in-Chief. His outstanding leadership has been instrumental in unifying the brand's content across all platforms. With deep expertise in the travel industry and a talent for content creation, Shawn has become a key figure and earned widespread respect in the travel and media industries.

Over his 20-year career at leading global media outlets, Shawn has amassed extensive experience in enhancing brand visibility. As new media platforms have emerged, he has adeptly guided the brand through its transition from traditional to new media, building a robust multimedia presence. Under his leadership, the brand has successfully commercialised through diverse formats such as video, events and proprietary IP, extending its influence across the lifestyle, luxury and travel sectors.

As Editor-in-Chief, Shawn remains highly attuned to market trends and is always on the lookout for new opportunities. He has spearheaded efforts to drive direct consumer engagement through innovative approaches, including AI virtual influencers, WeChat mini-programs and live streaming. In addition to his industry acumen, Shawn is deeply committed to social and environmental causes, curating meaningful content and partnering with celebrities, brands and NGOs to create impactful philanthropic initiatives.

A creative problem solver with a knack for simplifying the complex, Danny is relentlessly resourceful. He gets incredibly excited about (meaningful) mission-impossible projects, building gutsy products from the ground up, and working on initiatives that drive tangible business impact. He loves adventure holidays, from trekking across Nepal and the Italian countryside to diving the islands of the Philippines and Indonesia. Like most users, he goes to TikTok to plan where to go and what to do.

Based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, James is Lonely Planet's Destination Editor for Southeast Asia. As a writer, photographer, and editor, James enjoys getting beneath the surface of destinations, from exploring a city through its culinary history to finding fresh perspectives on places through the eyes of creatives.

Kevin is a responsible tourism consultant, trainer, and speaker who has been active in the field since 2008 in response to the growing need for formal expertise in developing responsible and sustainable tourism in Southeast Asia. He was recently elected to the board of the Asian Ecotourism Network (AEN) and sits on the advisory panel as an expert for Control Union Singapore. He is best known for his views on regenerative tourism, ecotourism, climate change and protecting local community’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage.

Recent international projects include being involved in drafting the ASEAN ecotourism standard and executing the 17th high-level executive training for the UNWTO (World Tourism Organisation). His training experience includes Mekong Institute, the Tourism Management Institute of Singapore (TMIS) and the GSTC tour operator standard for tourism companies in SG. His ecotourism projects include clients in Bandung and the Tallaud islands in Indonesia and Atauro island off Timor Leste. As a thought leader in responsible tourism, Kevin has numerous articles in Travel Weekly Asia, TTG Asia, Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office and the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) SEADS.

Hangry By Nature is one of the largest video-focused travel and food TikTok, Instagram and YouTube channels, with an audience of over 2 million engaged followers. The channel comprises cheeky-faced Tina, hangry Andy and their two rambunctious food-loving kiddos, Raffy and Flo. Tina and Andy are professional video creators who have paved the path for fun, compelling and highly entertaining short-form travel videos.

With over 20 million video views per month, Tina loves showing their audience quirky and eye-opening travel experiences, unique destinations, culture education and, of course, the best (and sometimes most bizarre) eats wherever they go. They've worked with leading travel brands, including Amazing Thailand, Tokyo Tourism, Skyscanner, Destination NSW, Visit Berlin, Universal Studios, Accor and IHG.

John has spent 25 years living in Asia working on Captive Elephant Management, Conservation from the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort in far North Thailand and Hotel Sustainability for Minor Hotels.

John oversees the Minor Hotel Group’s Green Growth 2050 sustainability certifications, development of long-term environmental conservation initiatives, and works on implementing Minor’s waste management and operational sustainability policies with a particular interest in reducing food waste and waste to landfill. He has been the driver behind Minor Hotels Long Term Conservation Initiative project, ensuring each Nature-Based Hotel plays an integral role in the local conservation of species and habitats, protecting species as diverse as Black Rhino, Dugong and Arabian Oryx and that the hotel takes a holistic approach to the ecosystems that support them.

He is a member of the IUCN’s Species Survival Commission’s Asian Elephant Specialist Group (http://asesg.org), the World Travel and Tourism Council’s Illegal Wildlife Trade Working Group (https://www.wttc.org/priorities/sustainable-growth/illegal-wildlife-trade), the Mekong Tourism Advisory Group, Sabah’s Captive Elephant Technical Working Group, and is a founder member and co-chair of the Asian Captive Elephant Working Group (www.acewg.org).

Aditi is a senior management professional with more than 16 years of experience across corporate and go-to-market strategy, product management and business development in fast-paced consulting, financial services and blue-chip environments. She has worked in the US and Asia Pacific and collaborates regularly with the travel industry, sharing the latest trends in traveller behaviour. Mastercard’s Research & Reports provide meaningful insights and intelligence to help travel operators confidently navigate the evolving consumer landscape.

Nick founded TravMedia in 1999 after his experience as travel editor of Courier Newspapers, Australia, for ten years. His knowledge and contributions to the travel industry are extensive. Nick is an active member of the ASTW, a judge for the Gourmet Travel Annual Awards, a proud supporter of the SATW, and sponsors the ONE Travel Conference Travel Writer award for outstanding work in promoting US travel, the British Guild of Travel Writers Awards, and the ASTW Awards.

Nick created IMM twelve years ago, and The Summit seven years ago. The platform also powers the online event marketplaces for IPW, Destination Canada’s Corroboree and ATE.

Ching Yee Wong is the Vice President, Communications, of Marriott International, Asia Pacific excluding China. She oversees the communications strategy and reputation for Marriot International’s portfolio of brands and Marriott Bonvoy across the region. Ching Yee and her team also drivse internal communications to further strengthen Marriott’s People First culture through strategic associate engagement.

Ching Yee is a senior Brand and PR leader with more than two decades of communications experience, having worked with global technology and media companies such as Netflix and Instagram across the Asia-Pacific region. Based in Singapore with her family, she’s always on the lookout for a good read and a long walk with her dogs.

Liz Ortiguera is an industry leader, global citizen, former scientist/engineer and business builder with over 25 years of experience in various industries, including pharmaceuticals, digital start-ups, consumer card and travel/lifestyle.

Liz had a first career as a scientist/engineer with Bell Labs then Merck – at one point conducted breast cancer research. She then worked with American Express for 18 years in three divisions – card, merchant and travel - including leadership of Amex's Travel Partner Network across 28 countries in Asia-Pacific. She was appointed the first female and only the second Asian CEO of Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) in its 70+year hhistory and most recently became the first Managing Director of Asia-Pacific and Sr Advisor to the CEO for World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). Concurrently, she founded her own consultancy firm called Bridge XP Advisory which focusses on strategy, marketing and business development advisory.

She has lived and worked in NY, Tokyo and Singapore for multinational companies as well as start-ups and non-profits. She's adept at developing strategies and taking them to implementation and is passionate about innovation, education, sustainability, DEI, and social impact.

As an industry thought leader, general manager, and mentor, Liz shares her experience and expertise across various forums. She believes in driving business growth and innovation while using ethical and sustainable business strategies that consider global concerns.

Liz is an alumni of four universities.- Stanford, Columbia, NYU and The Cooper Union. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards, including an MBA scholarship from Merck, an Amex Leadership Award, and a TDG Humanitarian Award.

In her personal time, she launched Stanford GSB Women's Circles in Asia, conducted disaster relief for Typhoon Haiyan and raised funds to build both a charity hotel and restaurant school in Cambodia and a village for impoverished families in the Philippines.

Andrew Clark is a video content specialist. For more than 25 years he’s created award-winning work for TV, Streaming Platforms, Brands, Marketers, Agencies and Corporates. He cut his teeth in international TV news as a journalist in the 90s and early 00s, working for CNN and BBC News. In 2006, he joined AsiaWorks, working on documentary, lifestyle, and commercial projects for the likes of the National Geographic Channel, Discovery Networks, Tourism Malaysia, STB, IHG, and Hilton Hotels.

Today he is a Partner at AsiaWorks, a regional agency specialising in creative video production, content strategy, as well as live, interactive, and immersive video experiences. With offices in Singapore, Jakarta and Bangkok, Andrew helps clients produce engaging video content and campaigns that build audiences, sell products and communicate messages, with measurable results.

Todd was appointed Executive Director of the Oregon Tourism Commission (dba Travel Oregon) in June 1996 and was named Chief Executive Officer in September 2004.

In 2003, Todd helped lead an effort to establish dedicated and stable funding for Travel Oregon through a statewide transient lodging tax. This funding has been crucial in Travel Oregon’s ability to grow the state’s tourism economy through innovative destination management, growing international markets, and award-winning advertising campaigns. Tourism, and the small businesses that make up the tourism economy such as restaurants, retailers, and lodging, are now collectively a significant driver of Oregon’s total economy -- prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, visitor spending in Oregon saw ten consecutive years of record-breaking growth. In response to industry needs, Todd worked with industry representatives and state legislators in 2016 to establish a dedicated funding source for the seven regional destination management organizations as well as a competitive grant program. Todd believes that reinvesting in local communities, whether through marketing programs, regional investments or grants are critical to supporting and growing Oregon’s tourism economy for generations to come.

Todd serves as Chair on the Board of Directors for the Corporation for Travel Promotion (Brand USA) by appointment from Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo; is a past chair of the U.S. Travel Association and a continuing board member; is on the National Council of State Tourism Directors (NCSTD); and the Western States Tourism Policy Council (WSTPC). He has served on the National Advisory Committee on Travel and Tourism Infrastructure (NACTTI) and is a past Chair of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (USTTAB), a position he was appointed to in January 2012 after being initially appointed to the board in 2010. Todd was honored by the NCSTD as the State Tourism Director of the Year in 2006 and inducted into U.S. Travel’s Hall of Leaders in 2018.

Anthony is Traveller's national travel editor. One of Australia's most experienced travel and tourism editors and writers and the author of two travel books, he is a long-time commentator on travel and tourism issues. He has appeared at many travel and tourism events over the years as both a speaker and a moderator. Anthony is a former deputy editor of The Sydney Morning Herald as well as former editor of the Australian Travel + Leisure magazine. He was the Australia-New Zealand correspondent for Travel + Leisure US.

With close to two decades in media (Croatian Radio Television, Croatian News Agency, freelancing on China as journalist and photojournalist among others) and vast marketing experience Franka Gulin has been China based for last 11 years. In 2018 and after her stint at China Media Group in Beijing she was appointed as a first ever Croatian National Tourist Board China representative office director based in Shanghai. She is also holding position of European Travel Commission’s China Chapter Chairwoman and her focus is set as well on long haul tourism travel trends from broader Asia, namely E and SE Asia.

Paul is a seasoned PR professional who began consulting in 1993, and jointly founded GHC Asia with Lynn Grebstad in 1998. Paul is a graduate in English Literature from Oxford University and a master of the English language with extensive writing and broadcasting experience across Asia and the UK. He is also Asia Pacific Editor for American Express Centurion and Departures Magazines.

Fresh from a master’s degree in publishing and a stint at Canadian Geographic, Christopher P. Hill left his native British Columbia in 2001 to become a founding editor and associate publisher of DestinAsian, a luxury travel bimonthly circulated throughout Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. Now with three decades of experience in magazine journalism and an award-winning writer in his own right, he continues to manage a stable of worldwide contributors from his base in Jakarta, Indonesia. He also remains a passionate traveler, and has yet to miss a summer back on Canada’s west coast.

Siew Ha is the Travel Editor of The Straits Times, Singapore’s national English-language daily newspaper and multimedia site.  She writes and edits travel stories for the lifestyle section, and creates partnerships with industry players. Her travels have taken her to the seven continents, where she has filed stories on Antarctica, a Great White Shark cage-dive in Australia and a road trip to the far western edge of China. Her editing portfolios have included The Life multimedia luxury magazine, Urban style magazine and National Day Specials. She has also written on politics and religion as a Senior Writer on the Political desk and Enterprise investigative section and was a Sunday Times columnist. Previously based in Washington, she established the paper’s United States Bureau and later joined the World Bank as a consultant. She has worked in Bangkok as a foreign correspondent as well. Besides her focus on travel, she also covers religion, longevity and human interest issues.

Born in Mumbai and living in Singapore since she was seven, Anita Kapoor has travel in her blood. This travel host, writer, emcee, and podcaster believes that travel bridges the gap between people and broadens the mind.

In 2003, Anita won the Discovery Travel and Adventure Channel’s search for a Singapore host, which led to her fronting TV shows across the Discovery Channel, TLC, Channel News Asia and as the in-house traveller for hotel group, Starwood, taking her to far flung destinations across Asia and the Pacific.

She has hosted Lonely Planet Stressbuster, Exotic Escapades and Go Asia with Anita Kapoor. She is also a former deputy editor of Harpers Bazaar Singapore.

More recently, Anita has been focused on telling stories about compassion, healing and personal freedom and she is an emerging thought leader on active diversity, equality, inclusion, and mental health. A two-time TEDx speaker and voice-over artist, she also collaborated in a documentary on the state of eldercare facilities in Singapore, after volunteering to live-in for two weeks. Meeting new people and telling their stories is at the heart of everything she does.

Jeninne Lee-St. John, Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia’s editor-in-chief, loves living in Bangkok, though she wishes it were also on a beach. She’s especially interested in food with a good backstory, new ways to define luxury, regenerative travel, wellness from ancient to cutting-edge, and weird wine. Jeninne worked at Time in New York and London, has a masters from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and a bachelors from Williams College. Born in Washington, D.C., she’s lived in Southeast Asia since 2009, and is known among friends as the queen of bubbles.

Mary Li is a renowned entrepreneur and travel industry specialist. Mary has built her career around solving air retailing problems. In 2019, she founded her third travel-tech start-up, Atlas, which represents the evolution of air content enablement. Atlas empowers airlines and travel sellers to better serve traveler preferences through real-time data-led insights and next generation technology.

Prior to Atlas, Mary served as the co-CEO of Mystifly, where she oversaw product development, technology implementation, operations, human resources, and APAC sales based in Bangalore, India. Her first ventures in the flight industry were with Wingon Travel and ASLAN, both of which she led for eight years. During her tenure, she transformed ASLAN 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.

Mary's passion for travel stems from her firm belief that travel is a transformative experience, enabling us to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of different perspectives, explore diverse cultures and mindsets, and learn to embrace both our differences and similarities.

Lim Ben-Jie is the Head of Global Markets & Partnerships for the airasia Superapp. He previously held the Head of Delivery position and played a crucial part in the setting up of the ride-hailing and food delivery businesses, especially in the formative years of airasia Superapp in 2020-2021.

Ben-Jie was previously airasia group’s Chief of Staff, reporting directly to Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, CEO of Capital A (AirAsia) since 2016. He joined AirAsia in 2015 under Talent Corp Malaysia’s MyASEAN Internship program, and became part of the Investor Relations department before becoming the youngest Executive Assistant in the CEO’s Office at the age of 23.

Ben-Jie holds a Bachelor’s Degree (Hons) in Finance and Economics from the University of West of England and Taylor’s University. He is also recognised as a Future 50 Emerging Marketeer by The Drum Publication and an Obama Foundation leader.

Valerie joined Club Med as VP Marketing East, South Asia and Pacific in November 2022. In her role she leads the marketing team in the region, leveraging on her experience as a digital and social native, employing the art and science of storytelling with a special focus on data-driven integrated and omni-channel marketing.

With more than 15 years of experience in the field, Valerie most recently served as Regional Director of Public Relations and Marketing Communications in the Asia Pacific region for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, having joined the group in 2018. Prior to this, she had been with notable hospitality brands such as with Swissotel Hotels and Resorts, Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts, and Raffles Hotel Singapore. Earlier in her career she also held positions in the consumer electronics and public relations consultancy space. A familiar personality in the industry, Valerie is also sought after for her insights and has been on the panel of conferences, addressing key thought-leadership topics of interest such as the future of Influencer and Social Media Marketing. She has also led various teams to garner a variety of awards and was also a judge at industry awards.

When out of the office, Valerie enjoys exploring new destinations, cultures and cuisine, and can often be found either hiking amidst lush nature or skiing in winter, a new passion recently discovered on a visit to the French Alps.

Michael currently oversees Technology and Place Management in Sentosa as the Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC). As a member of SDC's senior management team, he is closely involved in the key growth and developmental areas of sustainability and the continual reinvention of Sentosa as a precinct loved by visitors and locals alike.

Prior to joining SDC, Michael served for 28 years in various key Command and Staff appointments in the Ministry of Defence and the Singapore Armed Forces. Apart from being deployed to Afghanistan for seven months, his other highlight was serving as the Chief Artillery Officer.

In his free time, Michael reads, runs, dabbles in coding and tries his best to be a decent golfer.

Jayne MacDougall is the Executive Director for Phuket Hotels Association, a non-profit organization currently comprised of 93 member hotels. Jayne has previously worked in the hotel industry in Asia (Starwood, Marriott) and has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the areas of hospitality, health and safety, sustainability, disaster management and food safety. Jayne has supported hotels to achieve certification for sustainability, develop systems and documents as well as training materials and conducted numerous trainings for hotel staff and hospitality students.

Living on an Island for many years has made Jayne acutely aware of the environmental challenges specific to islands and the unique opportunity hotels possess to make a positive impact on that environment.

From 2016 to April 2023 Jayne was the Chairperson for the Phuket Hotels Association Environment and Sustainability Committee- (a voluntary position). Phuket Hotels Association became a model of the impact such organizations can have on managing sustainability issues in a destination when joining together. In her role with Phuket Hotels Association Environment and Sustainability Committee, Jayne has spearheaded a plastic reduction program:- creating , training and rolling out training packages for member hotels to utilize at their respective hotels; supporting a collaboration with the US Embassy in Bangkok for a visiting US expert on plastic waste in a two month intensive project in Phuket- gathering data and changing plastic waste behavior ; creating suppliers lists and best practice documents for sharing of alternatives to plastic usage and food waste minimization efforts. Jayne has conducted numerous workshops and events related to sustainability and maintains a passion for being an agent of change. She is also heavily involved in food waste minimization, works with food donation organizations, local recycling and connecting member hotels with local schools with a school organic farming initiative called Green Planet.

In 2021 and 2022, Jayne’s role was as a Senior Consultant to Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)GmbH in a pilot project on Phuket to remove single-use plastic from hotels. The Project was a 3-country project called CAP-SEA ; Collaborative Action to Prevent Single-Use Plastic in Southeast Asia. GIZ provides services in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development.

Jayne is also a board member of Phuket Disaster Resilience Foundation- a non-profit organization, and has been instrumental in the development of Lifesaving and Lifeguard training in Phuket.

Coco Marett is a writer and editor who grew up between Hong Kong and Melbourne. She is currently the Regional Lifestyle Editor for Tatler Asia, covering travel for the publication. She is known for her features on unique, under-the-radar properties and destinations, refreshingly candid profiles of influential figures, and is passionate about the areas of sustainability and community engagement within the industry. Most recently, she launched the inaugural Tatler Travel supplement. Follow her on Instagram @cocomarett

James Marshall serves as Vice President, Global Air Account Management, for Expedia Group, one of the world’s largest travel companies, operating more than 200 travel booking sites in more than 75 countries.

In this role James leads the global key account management team, responsible for the airline partner relationships and supports the marketing and distribution of flights and holiday packages globally on a wide portfolio of Expedia’s online travel brands, like Expedia, Hotels.com, Hotwire, Travelocity, Orbitz, ebookers, and Wotif. His role focuses on increasing the visibility and reach of airline partners, attracting high-value customers from around the world to their offerings, and providing unique tools and insights to help them manage and grow their business.

James joined Expedia in 2010 after ten years in a variety of leadership roles with Amadeus IT Group.

James holds an MBA from INSEAD. He also graduated from ESCP Europe where he earned a master’s degree in international management. James maintains triple citizenship from Spain, France and the UK and has lived in Asia for over 25 years. He currently resides in Singapore with his wife and two daughters.

Barry Neild is the Global Editor for CNN Travel, supervising all travel-related content across CNN’s platforms. Based in London, he helms a team of staff reporters and international freelancers, working closely with CNN Travel’s teams in New York, Atlanta, Bangkok and Hong Kong.

Neild joined CNN in 2006, working for its digital news operations before switching to its Travel team in 2015. Prior to working at CNN he worked as a correspondent for the AFP news agency, reporting headline news stories from destinations including Afghanistan, Indonesia, China and Iraq.

Khang joined Accor Group in February 2020 and is currently Group Chief Technology Architect, overseeing the middle and long-term technology strategy at a global level. He is also a passionate advocate for the group’s sustainability efforts, sponsoring the different initiatives where technology is needed in the Accor Tech Excom. Integral to his career in technology has been his advocacy of digital innovation as a source for good.

As the first global hotel group to make a firm net zero target by 2050, Khang works closely with Brune Poirson, Group Chief Sustainability Officer, to ensure technology contributes to accelerating the reduction of the group’s footprint across energy, water, waste, and resource procurement. Technology enables the group to keep on track with its targets and ensure it is progressing towards its goals. Accor has announced a new pathway to net-positive hospitality. Khang works with all relevant departments to ingrain these sustainable objectives across Accor's business, whether implementing new technology to make hotel design and operations more sustainable or measuring food waste through smart bins. Khang has more than twenty-one years of experience in technology with the likes of French rail company SCNF and is also an investor in and contributor to Team For The Planet, the first open-source, crowd-funded investment company to fight climate change.

Director of Tourism Garden, Alison was appointed as the official representative of Kyoto City in 2015. Alison has more than 30 years experience in tourism marketing and communications in her home Australia, Europe and Japan. Having spent two decades living and then working in Japan running tourism businesses, she has an in-depth knowledge of Japan and an intimate understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by DMOs of Japan’s major cities and regional destinations. She is passionate about the role of tourism in the maintenance and sustainable evolution of Japanese culture and tradition.

Nicole is the Chief Marketing Officer of &Beyond Travel, an impact and conservation-driven travel company that operates numerous lodges and luxury tours across Africa, South America and Asia. She has been at the helm of &Beyond’s marketing team as the CMO for eight years and has been with the company for 24 years. Her role includes responsibility for the implementation, benchmarking and measurement of &Beyond’s future impact goals, including all impact plans, initiatives, reporting and communications.

Established in 1991, &Beyond strives to leave the world a better place by delivering extraordinary travel experiences and care of the land, wildlife and people. &Beyond positively impacts 75 communities and directly conserves its primary footprint of 1 million acres. The company's 2030 vision is to scale its impact through partnerships to support the conservation of an associated 40 million acres of key biospheres and to double its 2020 impact investment while offering discerning travellers a rare and exclusive experience of the world as it should be.

Nicole joined &Beyond in December 1999 and found an organisation that constantly challenged her to grow while providing her with the deep satisfaction of leaving a legacy. Nicole left in 2001 for a year to travel through North America and Europe with her husband. While exploring new places, it became clear that Africa was where they could both return to careers that allowed them to make a significant difference. She returned in 2003 and, in 2011, was promoted first to Commercial Director and then to Chief Marketing Officer in 2015. In 2022 her portfolio was extended to include responsibility for implementing the company’s Vision 2030 goals, including all &Beyond impact strategies and ambitious growth plans.

Nicole is married to Jonathan for 27 years and has two children, Jessica (19) and Ethan (15); they live in Saxonwold, Johannesburg.

Rowena is the digital editor of escape.com.au, the national travel publication for News Corp and Australia’s number one travel media brand. She is responsible for commissioning digital content to inspire Australian travellers who are dreaming, planning or booking a holiday. She also works closely with the Escape weekly print liftout that appears in News Corp’s Sunday metro newspapers around Australia and on the Escape social media channels.

Josh has spent over 13 years in the advertising, marketing and PR industry exploring the collision of technology, culture and creativity.

With credentials stemming from leading global agencies such as M&C Saatchi, Leo Burnett and BBDO, Josh has partnered with the likes of Virgin Australia, Tourism Australia, Samsung, Telstra, eBay, Google and many more. He's helped demonstrate how to use technology for storytelling; from immersive video for exploring the Australian outback, to wi-fi enabled pepper grinders, forecasting green energy use with IoT devices and even augmented reality filters for naming cows.

Josh also judges for the Webby's and Lovies - Awards that recognises excellence in the digital realm. It sounds elegant, but means he secretly critiques brands on their use of immersive tech, mixed reality, and AI for storytelling. When he’s not surfing the Metaverse, Josh fancies himself a writer. He’s still blossoming, but stays enthusiastic, and rambles about the imaginative world of creative-tech.

Josh has had writing and presenting engagements from AdNews, Mumbrella, VIVID Sydney, and Samsung Talks.

Rhea Vitto Tabora is an accomplished professional in the hospitality and software solutions industries. With 20+ years of vibrant career experience, her journey has taken her across Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

With expertise in public relations, branding, sales, and marketing, she held esteemed positions, including Director of Sales and Marketing at The Ascott Limited (a leading international serviced residence owner- operator) and Deputy General Director at Vinhomes (Vietnam's largest commercial real estate developer).

In 2015, Rhea embarked on a transformative journey, leaving the corporate world behind to follow her passion for travel and writing. Since then, she has been living her dream—traveling the region, crafting powerful narratives, and creating impactful content that champions sustainable tourism.

With a journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila, she has written hundreds of travel articles for various publications and hotel websites, and authored an inspiring biography.

In 2019, Rhea co-founded Travel Asia Now, a digital travel and lifestyle magazine that transformed into a platform focusing on sustainable and responsible travel in Asia.

In 2022, she co-founded Asia Sustainable Travel Briefing (ASTB), a digital media network that provides companies with insights to make informed decisions on sustainable travel in Asia. ASTB produces and publishes actionable advice and insightful intelligence on sustainability, regeneration, and consumer engagement in Asia.

Rhea is a member of Skål International Makati, part of Skål International, an association of travel professionals dedicated to promoting global tourism and friendship.

Martha is the Founder and CEO of Singapore based hospitality tech startup, DayAway, an exclusive membership marketplace for accessing daytime experiences and privileges at luxury hotels through a frictionless discovery, booking and redemption platform. Launched in March 2021, DayAway is helping hoteliers engage with guests in new and meaningful ways through their best-in-class inventory management software, luxury branded redemption marketplace and web3 enabled loyalty program. DayAway’s goal is to radically disrupt the global hospitality industry by designing its own market category around the optimisation of hotel facility space and daily guest engagement.

Originally from New York, Martha has over 15 years of experience working with globally recognized luxury brands at the cross section of lifestyle and tech in brand marketing and digital strategy, with a successful track record in go-to-market execution and international expansion. A torchbearer for a digitally empowered future, Martha has a passion for innovation and Web3, and brings a unique perspective and skillset to paving a new path forward for the hospitality industry in a post Covid economy.

Martha started her career in corporate fashion at Ralph Lauren’s global headquarters in New York City and was also an early team member of the Singapore based e-commerce startup Luxola, which later sold to LVMH-owned Sephora.

Nick founded TravMedia in 1999 after his experience as travel editor of Courier Newspapers, Australia, for ten years. His knowledge and contributions to the travel industry are extensive. Nick is an active member of the ASTW, a judge for the Gourmet Travel Annual Awards, a proud supporter of the SATW, and sponsors the ONE Travel Conference Travel Writer award for outstanding work in promoting US travel, the British Guild of Travel Writers Awards, and the ASTW Awards.

Nick created IMM twelve years ago, and The Summit seven years ago. The platform also powers the online event marketplaces for IPW, Destination Canada’s Corroboree and ATE.

James Gregory Wilkinson is an award-winning TV show host, Editor-In-Chief and global travel expert.

He is the host of the executive travel and lifestyle TV show WAYFARER and Editor-In-Chief of the Wayfarer website and newsletter that was launched in 2017.

WAYFARER Series 1 was broadcast on Sky News Australia (it generated 1.2 million viewers and is still available online at skynews.com.au and Foxtel On Demand) and is about to be broadcast on WestJet in Canada to 25 million passengers.

WAYFARER Series 2 is currently in final production and episodes set to be broadcast will feature Austin, Beijing, Fort Worth, Hong Kong, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, Shanghai and several more global cities to be announced.

WAYFARER Series 3 is currently in production in 4K Ultra HD and destinations will include Paris, Fiji, the Whitsundays in Queensland, Auckland, Sydney, Singapore and several more global cities to be announced.

Each episode showcases some of the best hotels, restaurants, bars, galleries, shops and much more in the world's hottest destinations.

For the last 19 years, James has been the Editor-In-Chief of the Asia-Pacific region's highly respected hotel industry magazine, HM, and its online products.

He is formerly the Travel Editor of Time Out Australia and a Contributing Editor to SPICE magazine and SpiceNews.

From late-2012 to early 2018, James was a regular guest (appearing on over 200 episodes) on the Sky News Business Channel television show 'Business Class', which is now broadcast on Your Money and features airlines, hotels, destinations, travel accessories and much more.

James is also Chair of Laureate Australia Hospitality's Industry Advisory Board and Deputy Chair of the Young Garvan committee at the Garvan Research Foundation.

In 2003, James co-founded the HM Awards (Australasia's largest hotel awards) and in 2010, the AHICE Conference, also the region's largest.

He Chairs the Content Committee for AHICE and is the Chief Judge and co-organiser of the HM Awards.

James has also been a guest on Channel 7's 'The Morning Show', radio 4BC in Brisbane and 3AW in Melbourne, and is formerly the Editor-In-Chief of Hilton, Australian Hotelier, Signature Cocktails and bars&clubs magazines. Prior to this, James was at Courier Newspapers.

James was named 2008 Travel Writer of the Year for Trade / Industry by the Australian Society of Travel Writers, while in 2003, James received the received the Golden Circle Award from Marriott International.

At the 2008 HM Awards, James screened a moving film (that he wrote, filmed, narrated, directed and produced) about the Sala Bai Hotel School in Cambodia that has since raised over 0,000.

In 2010, James was a finalist for Travel Writer of the Year at the National Tourism Industry Awards (NTIAs), presented by AFTA.

Ms Agatha Yap joined Scoot amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2020 as a Director, and oversees the Communications, Brand and Marketing, Market Partnerships and Loyalty units. Leveraging on her diversified skillset of integrated communications and marketing competencies, Ms Yap currently leads a team of over 20, which is focused on rebuilding Scoot’s long-term brand presence. Ms Yap drives Scoot’s marketing strategy through curating communications, enhancing paid media performance, expanding advertising revenue opportunities, developing new revenue streams, and seeking out meaningful marketing partnerships with concordant parties across the public and commercial sectors in Singapore and beyond.

Prior to joining Scoot, Ms Yap spent over a decade with McDonald’s in Singapore and China, during which she managed various portfolios and responsibilities, including taking on the role of Chief Marketing Officer as Senior Director of Marketing. She also previously held senior management positions with Watsons, Sentosa Development Corporation and BBDO.

Ms Yap holds an Executive Master of Science in Marketing from Baruch College, and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing) from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Vincent has worked for Robb Report Since 2012. He is in charge of multiple categories, including private jet, airlines, yacht, auto, cruise, travel, hotel and luxury property. Vincent also has a special focus on luxury trains, safaris and new openings.

Gary Bowerman is an Asia-based travel and consumer trends analyst with 20+ years of experience in the travel industry. He has worked across China and South East Asia with hotel groups, tourism boards, OTAs, aviation companies, management consultancies, insurance carriers, banks and financial services providers and market research firms.

He is an Asia Travel Analyst for Phocuswright, and provides monthly consumer, travel and technology trends analysis in South East Asia, Japan, Australia and New Zealand for Mintel.

A regular speaker at travel conferences in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, Shanghai, London and Madrid, Gary is frequently invited to comment on Asian travel and tourism issues by media outlets, including BBC, CNA, CNN, TRT World, China Daily, Straits Times, SCMP, WSJ, Bloomberg, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Skift and Travel Weekly.

He has produced White Papers on the travel economies of China, South East Asia, Australia, China, India, Japan, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos and Macau, plus a 20-year retrospective of Ctrip/Trip.com.

He is author of The New Chinese Traveler: Business Opportunities from the Chinese Travel Revolution, published by Palgrave in 2014, and co-hosts The South East Asia Travel Show, a weekly travel industry podcast.

A former editor of ASTA Network magazine for the American Society of Travel Agents and Shanghai Business Review in China, Gary was also a columnist for CNN Traveller and has contributed to, among others, Skift, Travel Weekly, Conde Nast Traveler, Business Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, TravelAge West, Zagat and Luxe Guides.

Kelli Armstrong is the Managing Editor of ESCAPE at News Corp. Kelli has 20 years experience working at leading media and brand organisations spanning Australia and the US.

Kelli is responsible for delivering engaging and aspirational stories for every style of Australian traveller by commissioning cover stories, destination features, celebrity covers for special editions, personality columns and regular pages for ESCAPE on Sunday. She commissions all the content for the magazine and oversees the creative direction in collaboration with the art director. Kelli manages a rotation of regular freelancers, the brand's issue planner and themed editions and collaborates with wider News Corp departments to engage in cross-platform content solutions.

Previously, Ellie was Editor at Rome2rio, Deputy Editor at BBC Travel, and worked at Lonely Planet in various roles, including Commissioning Editor, Digital Producer and Foreign Rights Executive.

Ellie also freelances for various print and digital outlets. Ellie's passionate about uncovering exciting travel stories, whether they are new angles on a well-known place or forays into the unknown. One of Ellie's favourite ways to tell travel stories is through a cultural, historical or social lens, and she enjoys crafting series around these themes.

Blogging about her travels since the early 2000s, Thuymi Do met Mitch Hyde in 2014 and together they launched AdventureFaktory, to share content related to their adventures in travel. Having visited 92 countries (and counting) across 7 continents, they have worked with numerous travel brands from Accor to Four Seasons to Klook to Royal Caribbean. Thuymi is a certified digital marketer, social media expert and content producer and she and Mitch regularly help travel brands and tourism boards improve their marketing efforts. In this session, they will share the secrets to social media success, explain how best to work with influencers and tell you how to increase your engagement in a few easy steps.

Fresh from a master’s degree in publishing and a stint at Canadian Geographic, Christopher P. Hill left his native British Columbia in 2001 to become a founding editor and associate publisher of DestinAsian, a luxury travel bimonthly circulated throughout Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. Now with three decades of experience in magazine journalism and an award-winning writer in his own right, he continues to manage a stable of worldwide contributors from his base in Jakarta, Indonesia. He also remains a passionate traveler, and has yet to miss a summer back on Canada’s west coast.

Siew Ha is the Travel Editor of The Straits Times, Singapore’s national English-language daily newspaper and multimedia site.  She writes and edits travel stories for the lifestyle section, and creates partnerships with industry players. Her travels have taken her to the seven continents, where she has filed stories on Antarctica, a Great White Shark cage-dive in Australia and a road trip to the far western edge of China. Her editing portfolios have included The Life multimedia luxury magazine, Urban style magazine and National Day Specials. She has also written on politics and religion as a Senior Writer on the Political desk and Enterprise investigative section and was a Sunday Times columnist. Previously based in Washington, she established the paper’s United States Bureau and later joined the World Bank as a consultant. She has worked in Bangkok as a foreign correspondent as well. Besides her focus on travel, she also covers religion, longevity and human interest issues.

Alexandra Karplus manages the creative department of Ink’s Singapore office and oversees all Asia Pacific accounts. Under her leadership, writers, designers and photographers produce award-winning magazines, video and online content for clients including Booking.com, Pelago, Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific. In 2008, Alexandra arrived on the Little Red Dot to take on the role of editor at Time Out Singapore. Over the past 14 years, she has launched over 10 new magazines and websites in eight languages.

Vivian is an experienced marketing professional with over 20 years of experience in content development, communications and public relations, with a flair for brand building through storytelling.

She is currently the Area Director, Public Relations & Marketing Communications in the Asia Pacific region for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, having joined the hotel group in December 2016.

At Four Seasons, she leads the Public Relations, Social Media and Influencer Marketing strategy across diverse markets in Asia including China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia as well as provides guidance and support to property-based Marketing Communications teams in Asia Pacific in order to drive a consistent delivery of brand messaging and lift brand clarity within the region.

Prior to that, she spent a decade with Raffles Hotels & Resorts in global PR and Brand Marketing and was involved in brand positioning, content development, advertising, partnerships and events. During her time there, she collaborated with different marketing functions - digital marketing, social media, customer research, analytics, Public Relations - joining the dots across multi-regional offices to implement Brand Marketing strategies.

Lilit Marcus is a New York City-based writer and editor for CNN Travel.

Her work has also appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, The Guardian, Vanity Fair, and The Atlantic. Marcus' first book, Save the Assistants: A Guide for Surviving and Thriving in the Workplace, was published by Hyperion.

Marcus is fluent in American Sign Language and in French, and she enjoys using her language skills to cover interesting topics, such as when she reported on the opening of America's first all-sign-language Starbucks store.

Marcus is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, and a graduate of UNC Greensboro.

Aindrila Mitra comes with over 18 years of experience in the field of journalism, covering lifestyle, fashion , beauty and travel beats. She has handled diverse portfolios in her career tenure, both in print and digital. She has spearheaded the Indian license of the globally successful, Ziff-Davis owned, AskMen.com portal. Prior to this, for 11 years, she was a senior editor at Bennett & Coleman’s Times of India Group where she was responsible for luxury and lifestyle products, including being the founding editor of Femina Wedding Times, and launching iDiva.

In her current tenure, Mitra spearheads Burda Media India’s flagship title: Travel + Leisure India & SA. She has been responsible for turning around the T+L brand in India since 2018 wherein the title has grown by over 300% in terms of its digital reach, and has also been instrumental in increasing readership of its print edition through strategic partnerships. Mitra is a thought-leader in India’s current media landscape and is responsible for turning around the brand perception of Travel + Leisure in the Indian market through campaigns like #WhyWeLoveIndia, #GoingPlacesWithPeople, among many others.

Shivya Nath is the author of the award-winning travel blog, The Shooting Star. She is a leading advocate of solo, offbeat, vegan and sustainable travel in India and Asia. She has appeared on the cover of National Geographic Traveller Magazine India and been featured by The Washington Post among travel influencers changing the way we think about the world.

With a background in brand marketing, reputation management and strategic communications, Esther’s career spans across tourism, hospitality and associated industries including F&B, retail, arts and culture, festivals and events, and more. She has led large teams to deliver award-winning tourism campaigns and advocacy frameworks adopted by Fortune 500 companies. At Tourism Australia, Esther drives the regional development of impactful PR and communications strategies to build trust, earn talkability and win consideration, including managing the press office and media hosting programmes. She is passionate about championing Australian tourism’s many legacy stories, and making travel conversations not only exciting but also meaningful.

Mark Olsen is the CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland, the destination management organisation for Cairns & Great Barrier Reef. Home to the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforest, the region has more than 2,000 visitor experiences and the highest number of eco-accredited tourism product of any destination in Australia.

Prior to joining TTNQ, Mark was the founder of EarthCheck consulting, and co-owner of the EarthCheck global benchmarking and certification program that operates in over 70 countries. The author of more than 100 destination management and ecotourism plans across the globe, Mark has worked with communities, investors, developers, and managers of tourism experiences large and small to deliver world-leading sustainable tourism outcomes in destinations including Iceland, Ireland, Mexico, and across Australia.

Mark’s mission is for every Cairns and Great Barrier Reef tourism business to be dedicated to the pursuit of delivering world-leading regenerative tourism experiences that inspire every visitor to see great, and leave greater.

There are 19 Luxury Lodges of Australia. But this is no ordinary hotel group, rather a gathering of like-minded entrepreneurs, each passionate enough about a special Australian region to invest deeply in creating the kind of upscale lodging and bespoke experiences global travellers seek. These experiences define the new Australian luxury.

Gaynor Reid has over 30 years of experience as a journalist, editor and PR specialist. Formerly Vice President Communications and CSR for Accor Asia Pacific for 20 years, she sat on the group’s Executive Committee and played a key role in setting Accor’s strategic objectives for the region. Reporting to the Chairman & CEO, she raised the profile of PR for the group and was responsible for building and protecting the brand’s reputation across 20 countries. Last year she set up her own PR agency, Catalyst Communications, serving the tourism and hospitality sector and her clients include Ovolo Hotels, Accor, and TravMedia.

Victoria Sertic is the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Accor SE Asia, Japan and South Korea. An experienced travel industry professional with a demonstrated history of working in hotels and resorts in the UK, Thailand and Singapore, Victoria oversees communications for more than 300 properties and manages as a team of PR professionals across the region. Victoria has done PR and marketing for a range of destinations including Accor’s luxury hotels in SE Asia. She heads Accor’s strategic communications and PR activities as well as leading the groups’ marketing activities. Prior to Accor, she worked for Lebua Hotels and Resorts, Diethelm Travel, Six Senses and Thomas Cook Group.

Choy Teh is the PR representative for the Promotion Bureau of the Principality of Monaco. Choy is a graduate of The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC)’s Sustainable Tourism Course and has an in-depth understanding of the GSTC Criteria, the global baseline standard for sustainability practices in the travel and tourism industry, and of applying the principles of sustainable tourism in evaluating and developing relevant solutions.

Choy has had nearly a decade of experience in the travel industry sector, specifically in Public Relations. She previously managed the public relations division for The Travel Corporation family of brands in Asia, and Bannikin, a boutique consulting firm which housed niche and travel adventure brands.

During her past ventures, she successfully cultivated close relationships with media all over the world, specifically within the Asian region. Her work has been featured in The Straits Times, The Business Times, The Star, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Tatler Singapore, Buro 24/7 Singapore, Silverkris, Conde Nast Traveller China, The South China Morning Post, CNBC, BBC Asia and Channel News Asia.

Choy is also an active member of the entertainment and media industry in South East Asia and has had over 17 years of experience working as a TV presenter, actor and Radio DJ, predominantly in Singapore. She is also the founder of Sapta Collective, a social enterprise specialising in providing training and mentorship programmes to hospitality schools in Nepal. Choy is also passionate about sustainability in tourism, specifically with socio- economic impacts, and she recently completed her Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism from the GSTC Council. She also speaks English, Cantonese, Malay, Indonesian, basic Mandarin and basic Spanish.

Mavis Teo is a journalist based in Singapore. Her writing career began in Singapore Press Holdings after graduating with honours from law school. She later left for a career in finance but picked up the pen again upon realising that life is too short to be away from her first love: Writing.

Though her focus is travel, the intrepid explorer also writes about foraging, food, boating, scuba diving and equestrianism. The last two are her pet topics as she's an avid diver and horse rider.

Mavis currently freelances across various titles such as South China Morning Post, DestinAsian, The Straits Times, The Star and Her World Singapore. She has written for Travel+Leisure Southeast Asia, Robb Report, Business Times, Hong Kong Tatler and Singapore Tatler. Mavis Teo is also an editor-at-large at Prestige Singapore where she covers travel, arts and culture, and personality profiles.

Angelique (Angel) Teo has more than 20 years of experience in the media and entertainment industry. As host on the morning drive-time slot on ONE FM 91.3’s The Big Show, she is also an ambassador for Earth Hour for WWF Singapore. Apart from being an accomplished luxury event host and writer, she has also presented television shows on HBO, Channel News Asia, Channel 5 and LI TV. She has travelled to many destinations and created content for luxury properties as well as award-winning restaurants and chefs. Angel is a committed vegetarian and always looks out for ways to travel sustainably and to give back to people and the planet. On her current radio show, she hosts Green Mondays, focusing on sustainability stories and Travel Thursdays where she takes her listeners around the world to new

Nick founded TravMedia in 1999 after his experience as travel editor of Courier Newspapers, Australia, for ten years. His knowledge and contributions to the travel industry are extensive. Nick is an active member of the ASTW, a judge for the Gourmet Travel Annual Awards, a proud supporter of the SATW, and sponsors the ONE Travel Conference Travel Writer award for outstanding work in promoting US travel, the British Guild of Travel Writers Awards, and the ASTW Awards.

Nick created IMM twelve years ago, and The Summit seven years ago. The platform also powers the online event marketplaces for IPW, Destination Canada’s Corroboree and ATE.

Ms Agatha Yap joined Scoot amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2020 as a Director, and oversees the Communications, Brand and Marketing, Market Partnerships and Loyalty units. Leveraging on her diversified skillset of integrated communications and marketing competencies, Ms Yap currently leads a team of over 20, which is focused on rebuilding Scoot’s long-term brand presence. Ms Yap drives Scoot’s marketing strategy through curating communications, enhancing paid media performance, expanding advertising revenue opportunities, developing new revenue streams, and seeking out meaningful marketing partnerships with concordant parties across the public and commercial sectors in Singapore and beyond.

Prior to joining Scoot, Ms Yap spent over a decade with McDonald’s in Singapore and China, during which she managed various portfolios and responsibilities, including taking on the role of Chief Marketing Officer as Senior Director of Marketing. She also previously held senior management positions with Watsons, Sentosa Development Corporation and BBDO.

Ms Yap holds an Executive Master of Science in Marketing from Baruch College, and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Marketing) from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Barry Neild is the Global Editor for CNN Travel, supervising all travel-related content across CNN’s platforms. Based in London, he helms a team of staff reporters and international freelancers, working closely with CNN Travel’s teams in New York, Atlanta, Bangkok and Hong Kong.

Neild joined CNN in 2006, working for its digital news operations before switching to its Travel team in 2015. Prior to working at CNN he worked as a correspondent for the AFP news agency, reporting headline news stories from destinations including Afghanistan, Indonesia, China and Iraq.

Since he moved from Monaco to Singapore in January 2009, Benoit has been Monaco's face in Asia. Promoting the famous European Principality throughout the region, Benoit's professional activities go well beyond that of a classic National Tourist Office. Editor and Publisher since 2016 of the "Monaco - A Travel Journal" luxury magazine available in English in its printed version and in 6 Asian languages in its online version, Benoit is also behind the "Monaco Film Festival" 2017 in Singapore and 2018 in Hongkong. Also active in fundraising, Benoit has been using Monaco's brand power to raise funds for various organisations such as the Mai-Nha Children Foundation in Vietnam or the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation in Asia. Benoit's organisation Horus Development & Consulting also helps luxury destinations such as the French ski resort city of Courchevel to develop their clientele and their brand awareness in Asia.

A writer at heart, Benoit believes that the profession of journalist and editor as well as the preservation of a decent and independent working environment are crucial to make the world better, more open, plural and kind.

Executive Director of PR for Sands China Ltd based in Macao.

Originally from Australia, Donna has lived in China since 2006 working for luxury hotels before moving to Macao in early 2014 to take up a role with Sands China Ltd managing PR for Sands Resorts including The Venetian Macao, Conrad Macao, Holiday Inn Macao, Sands Macao and The Parisian Macao.

Overall I manage PR campaigns for 13,000 guestrooms across 7 hotels, 850 duty free retail shops, over 200 dining outlets, Cotai Water Jet, Cotai Arena, The Venetian Theatre, Parisian Theatre and entertainment along with extensive meeting and convention space.

Kate is the Public Relations Manager, South and South-East Asia for Tourism New Zealand, based in Singapore. Prior to her current role Kate was based in London for 5.5 years as Tourism New Zealand's Public Relations Manager UK/Europe. Before joining Tourism New Zealand she worked in agency and in-house PR roles in Australia and New Zealand.

Born in London, Mark arrived in Hong Kong in 1994, and has spent 25 years working for the South China Morning Post, where he became the Editor of Post Magazine, the Sunday supplement (lifestyle & current affairs), before stepping back to focus solely on the travel pages. Post Magazine remains primarily a print product, albeit with a well-defined online presence.

The South China Morning Post is a leading news media company that has reported on China and Asia for more than a century with global impact. Founded in 1903, the SCMP is headquartered in Hong Kong, where it is the city's English-language newspaper of record. The SCMP aims to connect news consumers around the world through informed and inspired journalism of the highest standard. The SCMP vision is to “Elevate Thought”, with a mission to “Lead the global conversation about China”.

Fresh from a master’s degree in publishing and a stint at Canadian Geographic, Christopher P. Hill left his native British Columbia in 2001 to become a founding editor and associate publisher of DestinAsian, a luxury travel bimonthly circulated throughout Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. Now with three decades of experience in magazine journalism and an award-winning writer in his own right, he continues to manage a stable of worldwide contributors from his base in Jakarta, Indonesia. He also remains a passionate traveler, and has yet to miss a summer back on Canada’s west coast.

Tara Loader Wilkinson is the editor in chief of Billionaire, an award-winning publication distributed to the world's wealthy. She has spent a decade and a half writing about the UHNW, luxury and philanthropic industries, interviewing billionaires, CEOs, prime ministers, Nobel Prize Winners and sporting heroes. She has written for publications including The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, Financial Times, The South China Morning Post, Fortune, Tatler and more. She lives in Hong Kong with her husband and two kids.

Craig Platt is Managing Editor for traveller.com.au, Australia's leading travel publishing website, incorporating the Traveller sections of The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald, Sun-Herald and The Sunday Age and featured across these masthead's websites as well as the Brisbane Times and WA Today. Craig is one of Australia's most experienced digital journalists and editors and has worked in journalism for more than 20 years. He has managed The Age and Sydney Morning Herald's digital travel publishing since 2007.

Gaynor Reid has over 30 years of experience as a journalist, editor and PR specialist. Formerly Vice President Communications and CSR for Accor Asia Pacific for 20 years, she sat on the group’s Executive Committee and played a key role in setting Accor’s strategic objectives for the region. Reporting to the Chairman & CEO, she raised the profile of PR for the group and was responsible for building and protecting the brand’s reputation across 20 countries. Last year she set up her own PR agency, Catalyst Communications, serving the tourism and hospitality sector and her clients include Ovolo Hotels, Accor, and TravMedia.

Travel journalist specialising in Australian travel.

Contributes to a variety of outlets including Tatler UK, AFAR, BBC, News.com.au, Fairfax, Jetstar Australia, SKY News and so on. Previously Tourism Australia's contributing editor, overseeing production of editorial for Australia.com, which enjoys a monthly readership of 1.6 million and @australia social features; has also held the editorship of Australia's biggest selling travel magazine, Australian Traveller for several years, during which she was shortlisted for both Editor of the Year and Magazine Of The Year at the Australian Magazine Awards.

At 23 she was Australia's then-youngest magazine editor, turning Healthy Food Guide into the nation's fastest growing magazine (2008).

Co-founder of The Travel Bootcamp and the Modern Travel Media Summit.

She is also an experienced public speaker with some television presenting experience; has appeared on CNN as well as all major local networks.

Georgia is also member of multi-award-winning Story(ation), Australia's specialist travel content agency, producing content on behalf of brands including Tourism and Events Queensland, Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia and Spirit of Tasmania in addition to Tourism Australia. Story(ation) is ranked as one of Business Review Weekly's 100 Fast Starters in 2017 and its work has won global recognition, most notably at the US Content Marketing Awards, the UK's CMA International Content Marketing Awards, US Content Council Pearl Awards and locally at the 2017 Mumbrella Publish Awards.

After a travel writing/editor career spanning 20 years, Mike joins World Trade Travel as General Manager (Public Relations and Marketing). His PR list of clients includes Helen Wong's Tours (China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos), Macao Government Tourism Office, Events China, Shanghai Tourism and MSC Cruises. Mike was previously Travel Editor of Sydney's Daily Mirror, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph. Four of his 10 years on the ASTW commitee was as President. For his achievements he was presented Life Membership. Mike was also awarded the highly prestigious Jack Butters prize for his continued work with the ASTW, including the organising of the annual Travel Trivia night and being a part of the Wine and Wickets cricket clashes (organised by fellow member Brenda Jones).

Pearl is the Digital Projects Editor of Hong Kong Tatler. When she is not working out in the gym, she is travelling somewhere off-the-beaten-path (or “crazy”, as most people call it)—getting a hyena massage in Ethiopia, hunting scorpions in the Oman desert, skydiving in Namibia, getting lost in the bazaars in Iran—or thinking about her next adventure. Follow her travels on Instagram @ihappynut.