His Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb is Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Tourism, as well as holding positions and Chairman of the Saudi Fund for Development, and the Quality of Life Program.

Under His Excellency’s leadership, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Heritage (the predecessor to the Ministry of Tourism) launched Saudi Arabia’s first international tourism visa in 2019 and laid the foundations for Saudi tourism product development. More than half a million tourist visas were issued within the first six months, making Saudi Arabia the fastest growing tourist destination in the world in the period prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ministry of Tourism and the Saudi Tourism Authority were established by Royal Decree in February 2020 with the aim of developing the sector to play a full role in realising Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 goals of a thriving economy and vibrant society. His Excellency also chairs the Tourism Development Fund, launched in summer 2020 to facilitate investor access to high-potential tourism investments across the Kingdom.

As Minister of Tourism, His Excellency has delivered initiatives aimed at strengthening the sector globally and tackling shared challenges. The Kingdom launched Sustainable Tourism Global Center at COP26. The Center is a global coalition to enable tourism’s transition to net zero. Saudi Arabia has also pledged $100M pledge to the World Bank to develop the first multi-donor trust fund devoted to supporting the development of tourism.

His Excellency is an experienced leader of complex projects that aim to drive social and economic transformation. Prior to his appointment to government, His Excellency spent over 25 years in the investment and financial services industry, where he successfully established, managed and restructured multiple private-sector entities. During this part of his career, His Excellency established Jadwa Investment, one of the leading investment firms in the Kingdom.

In addition to his role as Minister, His Excellency also holds a number of key positions within the Kingdom, including Advisor to HRH the Minister of Defense, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Saudi Arabia Military Industries (SAMI), Chairman of the Saudi Red Sea Authority, Chairman of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority and Advisor to the Council of Ministers General Secretariat.

Former government positions include Minister of Health, and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the General Entertainment Authority.

Hassan Ahdab is the President of Hotels Operations for Dur Hospitality, a leading Saudi grown hospitality company in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. At present, he oversees operations, aligns the company’s overall vision to the growth of the Hotel’s portfolio across the Kingdom and manages 9 operating hotels and 5 hotels currently under development.

Beginning his career in 1979, Hassan Ahdab now possesses over 30 years of rich experience in hospitality and has thereby been recognized as a stalwart and one of the most progressive and energetic leaders in the industry.

Prior to his current role, Hassan Ahdab held several significant positions in the finance and operations sectors including CEO at Retaj Hospitality Group – Doha, Vice President and Regional Director for Africa & Indian Ocean Operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Managing Director on assignment in Seychelles, General Manager for Le Meridien Libreville - Gabon, Complex Manager of Le Méridien l’Habitation and Le Domaine de Longvilliers - Saint Martin, as well as Area General Manager of Le Méridien Hotels in the Caribbean & French West Indies.

Complimenting his multi-faceted skills of hotel operations and management, Hassan Ahdab holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics, Commerce & Accounts Management from Damascus University, and also received the CEHMI (Geneva) honorary title – Executive Doctor for International Relations.

He also holds the 21^st rank in the Hotelier Middle East Power 50 List 2019, and has been a continued participant and speaker at renowned industry events such as the Saudi Arabia Hospitality Investment Conference (SHIC) and the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC).

Additionally, Dur’s Hotel Operations arm has earned a range of accolades over the years from awarding bodies such as World Travel Awards, Haute Grandeur and HORECA, for its properties operating under its subsidiary brand Makarem Hotels, and those operating under partnership with Marriott International and Intercontinental Hotel Group.

Muhammad Al Amir is the CEO of Hospitality at AIMS Holding, one of the prominent business conglomerates in Saudi Arabia with a wide range of Investment portfolio in banking, real estate, services, and industries locally and internationally.

He started his career in 1991 where he joined Al Yamamah Project / ZFA for the Royal Saudi Air Forces . In 1992 he moved to The Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco) as Capital Project Planner for the Western Region, then In 1998 Muhammad joined the Saudi Economic and Development Company (SEDCO) where he was the Vice President for Tourism and Hotels and later the VP for Direct Investments. In 2003, he joined Tamlik Real Estate Development and Investment company, as the Director of Development and General secretary of The Board of Directors. in 2005 Muhammad Founded many business ventures where he assumed different executive and board roles. In 2018, Muhammad was appointed as the CEO of Hospitality in AIMS Holding.

Muhammad is currently the vice chairman of the board of the Saudi Association for Tourist Accommodation Facilities, a member of Real Estate and Hotels Committees of Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industries, and previously the Vice President of the national real estate committee at the Council of Saudi Chambers. Muhammad is actively involved in many conferences and ongoing professional development as a speaker and steering committees member. He also plays different voluntary roles in promoting entrepreneurship, small businesses start-ups, and helping youth to enter different business arenas.

Muhammad is a holder of Master of Science in Project Management and a Bachelor of Architecture with Honors from KFUPM, Dhahran, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Certification in Strategic Hospitality Management from Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA; and an Alumni of the Entrepreneurs Development Executive Training, University of California at San Diego, California, USA. He completed the Directors Development Program by the Institute of Corporate Governance (Hawkamah).

Fahad is a widely experienced with a deep and varied experience in various business fields, mainly on Hospitality, Real Estate and Banking through working for Saudi Industrial Fund (SIDF), Saudi Hotels & Resorts Co., National Company for Tourism (SYAHYA), Grenada Investment Centre Riyadh Hilton and others.

Fahad also served as Board of Directors and Board Committees Chairman/Member for several hotels and real estate financial listed companies.

Fahad, a Saudi national holds a master’s degree in Business Administration from University of Surrey, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Management, from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) Saudi Arabia. In addition to various specialized training courses in Hospitality, Asset Management, Board Director, Governance.

Fahad also attended training courses for Hotel General Manager at Cornell University, New York, and various courses in the banking field with a number of International Banks and financial institutions in the Kingdom and abroad.

Engineer. Abdullah Alghalaiqah, Entrepreneurship expert at Monsha’at.

Saleh Bin Habdan Alhabdan, the CEO of Taiba Investments Company, has more than 27 years of professional experience in the field of general contracting and business development, during which he worked in many local companies and held many positions, including the CEO of CERCON General Contracting Company, the Vice President of the TDP Company, and Project Manager at Advanced Electronic Company (AEC). Alhabdan holds a bachelor’s degree and an MA in Industrial Engineering from King Saud University.

“Saudi Arabia’s leading travel author ” Esquire ME

Abdullah is a Harvard-trained lawyer, travel writer and TV presenter from Saudi Arabia . He published 3 bestselling books and visited over 100 countries in all continents, including Antarctica, where he shared his experiences and adventures with his 1.5 million followers across social media channels.

He was chosen by "Arabian Business" and “Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute” as one of the most powerful young Arabs.

Lived in the US, UK, Spain, Colombia and Argentina.

Mr. Wahdan Al Kadi is the Chief Business Officer at the Tourism Development Fund (TDF), where he oversees Business Coverage and Development, Real Estate Development and Research, and Investment and Marketing.

He is a Board Member of UBS Group, Chubb Arabia Cooperative Insurance Company and STF.

Mr. Al Kadi has over 20 years of experience within Banking, Financial Institutions, Investment, and Telecommunications. including executive and advisory roles at leading organizations such as Samba, Hoshanco holding and Tharawat Holding Co., etc..

He also worked as an investment adviser at the Ministry of Tourism between November 2019 and June 2020.

Mr. Al Kadi holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering, and an Executive MBA degree from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals. He has also obtained licenses and certification in ‘leadership transition’ from INSEAD and ‘strategic investment management’ from London Business School.

Executive Summary

Eng. Bassam AlKharashi has over 20 years of experience in the fields of Business Process Management, Strategic Management, Business Innovation, Service Design, & Performance Management working in leading public & private organizations in Saudi Arabia

He is an experienced consultant and an accredited Facilitator & Graphic Facilitator

Also, he is a coauthor of “Establishing the Office of BPM” and “Facilitating Business Innovation.

Education

MSc in Computer Engineering from Case Western Reserve

University, USA

Founder of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Endowment

Expertise

• Business Innovation

• Service Design

• Process Management

• Strategic Management

• Coaching, and Change Management

• E-Services Transformation

• Enterprise Architecture

• Performance Excellence

Mae Saleh Al Mozaini is the Founder & CEO of The Arab Institute for Women’s Empowerment-Nusf (www.nusf.org); a premier women’s executive leadership institute and social enterprise founded to equip Saudi and Arab women with capacity building programs focused on leadership training, researching and connecting. These programs work to help advance women in the leadership and business world and bring down social barriers that prevent them from achieving their desired potentials and ultimately to make a lasting positive impact on society and the economy.

Mae is passionate about, youth education, human capital development and women’s progress and engagement in the society. She is actively involved in women enablement programs and is on several advisory boards to support this mission. As her country Saudi Arabia hosted the G20 in 2020, Mae headed the C20 Gender program and is a member of W20.

Mae is one of the earlier signatories of the Women’s Empowerment Principles-WEP in her country; and since then, has been advocating for more companies to sign and apply the principles in the companies they lead.

Mae has led a 29-year career at Aramco, the world’s largest energy provider; where held various leadership positions in the fields of regulatory and public affairs, corporate brand management, public relations, and corporate affairs. She advanced her career from a junior entry level employee to senior leadership and under her leadership, she built a team that served as the company’s think tank and decision support center, monitoring the regulatory and public policy landscape, providing analyses, strategies and recommendations on issues that impact the government and company.

Mae has completed several executive leadership programs with various institutions including Rice and Duke Universities.

Mr. Sultan Bader Al-Otaibi, the Chief Executive Officer of Dur Hospitality, is an influential hotelier personality in the Middle East with rich experience in finance and asset management.

Mr. Sultan has served over 19 years at Dur Hospitality in various roles, formerly holding the position of Vice President of Property & Asset, where he was responsible for leading and maximizing the returns of the real estate assets portfolio for the company.

He was also the GM of Makarem Hospitality Group, where he oversaw the overall management and supervision of the Group properties – (Hotels and Resorts) for smooth operations. Mr. Sultan also played the roles as the Internal Auditor of Dur and the Financial Controller at Sahara Airport Hotel now known as Riyadh Marriott Airport Hotel.

Within the industry, Mr. Sultan has held the 25th rank in the Hotelier Middle East Magazine Power 50 and is recognized for his active participation as a Member of Tourism Committee at the Riyadh Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Sultan’s educational background envelopes a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from King Saud University and a master’s in International Hospitality Management from the Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management. He continued to pursue his education in the hospitality industry with the undertaking of courses at the Cornell University, a statutory Ivy League research university in Ithaca, New York.

With his array of skills and vast experience, Mr. Sultan has been distinguished as a successful figure at Dur Hospitality, with drive and dedication facilitating his climb up the ranks of the company.

With over 22 years of experience within the Human Resources paradigm and with the strong belief that Human Resources are the true asset any entity acquires, Bandar is the General Manager of Nationalization & Training within the Human Capital Development deputyship at the Saudi Ministry of Tourism.

Abdullah Alzahrani is the Executive Director of Marketing in both The Red Sea Development Company and AMAALA which are part of Vision 2030’s ambitious blueprint for the future.

In his role, he manages two of the world’s most promising luxury tourism brands that targets the global market. His core responsibility is to deliver those brands and marketing activities through the development and execution of a fully integrated marketing plan.

Key areas of expertise include strategic marketing, brand and performance marketing, destination marketing and corporate communications.

Alzahrani brings around 20 years of experience in strategic marketing and communications working for international, regional and local corporations in various sectors from mixed use development, hospitality to food and beverage, banking and automotive. He holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Marketing from Brunel Business School, London and he is a Fellow Member at The Charted Institute of Marketing (CIM) and The American Marketing Association (AMA).

Eng. Ahmad G. Darwish joined the TRSDC as Chief of Staff in April 2018, bringing with him more than two decades of experience in project management. In December 2020, he was promoted to Chief Administrative Officer to reflect his broadened role.

Darwish is responsible for overseeing the operations of the company including establishing the company’s program management and stakeholder management, and the rapid growth of the workforce. In addition, he ensures that all departments and employees therein, share the organizational vision and objectives.

Prior to joining TRSDC, he spent 20 years working for Saudi Aramco, where he managed multiple projects for King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), including the KAUST Research Park Infrastructure Project and the Saudi Aramco Research Center.

Darwish is a certified member of the Project Management Institute and the Saudi Council of Engineers, and holds a BSc in Electric Engineering from the University of Portland, US, and an MSc in Electronic and Electrical Engineering from the University of Glasgow, UK.

Born and raised in Abu Dhabi, Rabih Feghali is a third-generation hotelier. A graduate of the Les Roches Hotel School in Switzerland and the University of Nevada Las Vegas, he spent the first decade of his career in New York City working at properties such as The New York Palace, The Plaza and the Westin. Rabih then returned to the Middle East assuming the role of general manager at a boutique hotel in Abu Dhabi and director of hospitality development at a financial institution in Beirut.

Rabih spent 6 years at hospitality consulting powerhouse – Ròya International, before joining The Red Sea Development Company as part of the team responsible for delivering the ambitious sustainable tourism initiative on the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast.

With a career spanning multiple Continents, Kiran has played a key role in reinventing two of the world’s most powerful luxury brands in both the luxury yachting and luxury automotive spheres. He has established and branded progressive media platforms in the Middle East; authored two children’s story books; toured the world as an acclaimed musician and composer - and has been recognized as an influential and powerful public speaker with a creatively disruptive and strategic mind. The Australian Perth-born nomad studied Marine Biology and graduated in Engineering Technology from Deakin University (Victoria) before pursuing his Masters in Guitar from Berklee (Boston), and has lived, studied and worked across South and Central Asia, the Middle East, Central Europe, and the United Kingdom, with his wife, kids and 17-year-old cat.

Currently based in Riyadh as the Chief Marketing Officer for the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, Kiran is now establishing “Diriyah” within the Kingdom and re-establishing its position, globally, not just as the birthplace of the Kingdom, but also as a centre for preservation of heritage and perpetuator of culture. This pedestrian and urban city, anchored on the UNESCO World Heritage site of At-Turaif, will play a significant role to shape global society to redefine Saudi Arabia as one of the great gathering places of our time.

Gerard “Jerry” Inzerillo is a world-renowned hospitality and tourism visionary who, over the course of his five decade career in the industry, has been a champion for the sector and its people, and the creative and logistical mind behind some of the world’s most innovative luxury brand activations and spectacular development launches.

In June 2018, Inzerillo was appointed by HRH The Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be the first CEO of the newly created Diriyah Gate Development Authority, (DGDA), a USD $20 Billion-plus giga-project aimed at restoring and reimagining the ancestral home of the original Saudi state. In this role, Inzerillo is charged with developing and implementing a master plan to turn 67 square kilometers of development area into one of the world’s greatest gathering places, encompassing world-class cultural, entertainment, retail, hospitality, educational, religious, office and residential assets, with the UNESCO World Heritage site of At-Turaif as its center-point. When complete, the development will add 27 billion Saudi riyals to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's GDP, attract 27 Million visitors and employ more than 55,000 people.

Inzerillo also serves as Vice Chairman of the Forbes Travel Guide. The Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award is universally accepted as the Olympic gold medal of hospitality. As CEO of Forbes Travel Guide from 2014 to 2018, Inzerillo successfully spearheaded the globalization of the North American company’s international footprint to more than 100 countries worldwide.

Inzerillo was President and CEO of IMG Artists, the global leader in artist management, performing arts and lifestyle events planning, from 2012 to 2014. At IMG Artists, he directed global strategies for music, events, festivals, government consulting and artist and facility management businesses.

From 1991 to 2011, Inzerillo was president of Kerzner Entertainment Group, where he raised the profile and positioning of its properties in South Africa, the Bahamas, Dubai, Morocco, Mauritius, Mexico, the Maldives, as well as conceptualized and positioned the start-up of its One&Only and Atlantis brands. He oversaw the now-legendary launches of The Lost City at Sun City in South Africa, Atlantis in the Bahamas and Atlantis, Dubai, the latter considered to be the most covered hotel resort opening of all time, including achieving the front cover of Time magazine.

From 1991 to 1996, Inzerillo served as COO of Sun City, the unique South African resort complex built by Sol Kerzner. While in South Africa, he enjoyed a close personal friendship with President Nelson Mandela. In 1994, Inzerillo coordinated major portions of Mr Mandela’s Presidential Inauguration in South Africa.

In 1987, he was the founding President and CEO of Morgans Hotel Group, later rebranded as Ian Schrager Hotels. While there, he conceptualized and opened Morgans, Royalton and Paramount in New York; the Delano in Miami Beach; and Mondrian in L.A.

Throughout, Inzerillo’s leadership has led to the conceptual success of breakout brands such as Atlantis, One&Only Resorts, Ian Schrager Hotels, Four Seasons and Hilton Hotels.

In his personal life, Inzerillo has long been involved with philanthropy, especially with respect to children, education and HIV/AIDS. He was honored with a Knighthood by the Knights of Malta in Rome, Italy, in 1996. Inzerillo is also a founding advisory board member of the Clinton AIDS initiative.

Inzerillo is the recipient of a host of awards and distinctions, including a cameo role in the James Bond film, ‘Casino Royale’ in addition to being featured on the front cover of Forbes magazine.

Jerry Inzerillo is married to former CNN anchor Prudence Solomon. Their daughter, Helena Zakade Inzerillo, was named by her Godfather, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Nelson Mandela. Inzerillo resides in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and New York City.

Dr Felix Klanner is the Director of Electric and Autonomous Mobility at NEOM. Offering a background of 15 years’ leadership experience in the premium automotive industry in the areas digitalization, autonomous driving, and future mobility. He has authored and co-authored various peer-reviewed publications and more than 100 patents in the fields of mobility services, electric mobility, driver assistance systems. Dr Felix Klanner received his doctoral degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Technology in Darmstadt, and his diploma from the University of Technology in Munich, Germany. He was awarded his Global Executive MBA by the University St. Gallen, Switzerland.

Khalil Lamrabet is the Chief Executive Officer of the Saudi Air Connectivity Program, having joined in February 2021 to establish the program from the ground-up, he is leading the entity to become a catalyst of Air Connectivity growth across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, enabling tourism, and contributing to achieving the Kingdom’s tourism target under Saudi Vision 2030 ambitions.

Khalil has extensive experience in air service development, airport management, aviation business management and customer acquisition in the aviation sector.

Prior to assuming his position as CEO of the Saudi Air Connectivity Program, Khalil was the Senior Vice President of Aviation Development at Abu Dhabi Airports, the Director of Aviation Business Management at Dubai Airports and other various airport management roles.

Before working in the airport side of the aviation industry, Khalil was in Route Planning and Analysis at Emirates Airlines. Earlier in his career, Khalil was part of the Sales and Marketing team at Bombardier Aerospace, where he supported sales campaigns in Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Khalil holds a Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering from McGill University and a Bachelor of Aeronautical Engineering from Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal in Canada.

John has extensive experience managing large teams across various geographical markets. He has in-depth knowledge of the luxury hospitality industry and the healthcare sector.

With over 30 years of hospitality management experience, including six years as Area Vice President of Marriott International, overseeing properties in Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. He was also the Group CEO of Columbia Asia Healthcare, where he managed fund-raising, investment, and development projects for over 30 private hospitals. John then joined the Shangri-La Group, as Executive Vice President for Europe, the Middle East, India, and Indian Ocean Region. Currently, he is heading the hotels and resorts division at the Royal Commission of AlUla in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, after managing the hospitality sector at NEOM as Executive Director.

CAREER

THE ROYAL COMMISSION OF ALULA

July 2021 – present

Executive Director – Head of Hotels and Resorts Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

In charge of the overall planning, development, and execution of one of Saudi Arabia’s most prominent giga projects. Acting as asset owner, developer and working with hotel operators. Reporting directly to the CEO and H.E the Governor, providing senior counsel on hospitality management and strategy for the region. This includes project, operational and asset supervision, operator selection, HMA negotiations, concept definition, performance and financial planning and execution.

NEOM

March 2020 – February 2021

Executive Director – Head of Hotels and Resorts Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Responsible for the direction, strategy, and guidance for all Hotels & Resorts within NEOM. This includes identifying key partners and hospitality operators and the establishment of guidelines for investment as well as the selection of potential investors.

SHANGRI-LA GROUP

August 2018 – March 2020

Executive Vice President Middle East, India & Indian Ocean

Overall responsibility for the management & oversight of the MEIIO Region for the Shangri-La Group. This region comprises 11 hotels & resorts across eight countries.

Vice President Hong Kong S.A.R. China

Overall responsibility for the strategic planning of expansion of the Shangri-La Group with a key focus on development and property asset management.

COLUMBIA ASIA HEALTHCARE

November 2013 – April 2017

Group Chief Executive Officer Malaysia, India, Vietnam, Indonesia & Kenya

Management & oversight of this Regional Group of 30 private hospitals in Southeast Asia, India & East Africa.

Achievements:

Design, opening & ramp up of 5 new hospitals & the ongoing renovation & expansion of existing 25 facilities. Oversaw successful fund raise project which brought about a partnership & capital investment of US$101 million from the Mitsui Corporation. Aligned the Group around one common Vision & Mission.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL

January 1990 – October 2013

Market Vice President Middle East & Africa

February 2012 - October 2013

Specific responsibility for Marriott International Qatar and North / Central Africa. Planning & oversight of the Marriott International Business Council.

Achievements:

Opening & ramp up of Marriott Executive Apartments, Courtyard by Marriott & Renaissance branded hotels in Doha, Qatar. Appointed as the Renaissance Brand General Manager Expert for North Africa properties. Business Council Chairman.

Area Vice President Southeast Asia

December 2007 – January 2012

Overall responsibility for the operations & performance of 30 Marriott & Ritz Carlton properties in Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore & The Philippines.

Achievements:

12 new hotel openings in 2008 & 2009 combined with the design & set up of the new Marriott Area Office in Bangkok. Under my leadership the Southeast Asia Area achieved high balanced scorecard results for guest satisfaction, market share and profitability.

OTHER POSITIONS HELD

2007 GENERAL MANAGER – PRE-OPENING

Renaissance Shanghai Zhongshan Park Hotel, China

2004 – 2007 GENERAL MANAGER

JW Marriott Shanghai & Marriott Executive Apartments, China.

2002 – 2004 COUNTRY GENERAL MANAGER

Marriott Hotels - Jordan

2000 – 2001 GENERAL MANAGER – PRE-OPENING

Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa, Jordan

1998 – 2000 GENERAL MANAGER

Hurghada Marriott Beach Resort, Red Sea, Egypt

1990 – 1998 GENERAL MANAGER / DEPUTY GENERAL MANAGER:

Marriott International, London, U.K.

Renaissance Hotels & Resorts , Grenada, West Indies

1986 – 1990 DIRECTOR OF FOOD & BEVERAGE:

Renaissance Hotels & Resorts , Caribbean, Turkey, London

1981 – 1986 VARIOUS MANAGEMENT POSITIONS:

Southern Sun Hotels, Southern Africa

QUALIFICATIONS

Bachelor of Arts Degree from Manchester University.

3 ‘A’ Levels & 8 ‘O’ Levels.

Languages: English, French & Turkish.

Member of the Global Hoteliers Club having worked on four continents.

KEY ATTRIBUTES

• Robust luxury hospitality background, with major international brands.

• Experience in Asia, Middle East, Europe, and Africa.

• Strong believer in developing people and nurturing talent

• Adaptable with strong commercial acumen and excellent relationship management skills.

• Firm, yet fair leader with an entrepreneurial frame of mind.

• Solid media training as well as crisis management and mitigation

• Diplomatic, charismatic with a go-getter attitude

John Pagano is the Chief Executive Officer of The Red Sea Development Company (TRSDC) and AMAALA, sister projects set along the north western coast of Saudi Arabia that will play key roles in the realisation of the Vision 2030 – KSA’s economic roadmap for the future.

At TRSDC and AMAALA, John is leveraging his 38 years of international experience in delivering large scale multi-billion-dollar developments. Since 2018, he has led The Red Sea Development Company’s growth from the ground up and is creating a unique eco-luxury, sustainable, regenerative tourist destination that will contribute to transforming the global tourism industry and to the diversification of the Saudi Arabian economy. In January 2021, he was appointed as CEO of AMAALA, and tasked with driving the next stage of development for the ultra-luxury destination.

John’s experience covers every facet of the real estate value chain including site acquisition, master planning, planning, project structuring, financing, construction, and asset management.

John is the former Managing Director, Development of the Canary Wharf Group in London. The iconic 16.5 million sq. ft. mixed-use development serves as a landmark and the UK headquarters for multiple global financial, professional, and business services institutions. During the 23 years spent at Canary Wharf, John held numerous senior leadership positions, and was responsible for the creation of the Group’s delivery organisation, a major contributor to the Group’s success and a key highlight of his career.

Additionally, he also established Canary Wharf’s residential business and secured planning permission for over 3.5 million sq. ft. of residential developments, representing over 4000 new apartments. The residential business along with the planning of the Group’s 10 million sf development pipeline represents a significant part of the Group’s value creation going forward.

As President of Baha Mar Development Company Ltd (BMDC), a luxury hospitality and residential development company in The Bahamas, John spent four and a half years in the Caribbean overseeing the master planning and financing of a transformative $3.5 billion luxury tourism destination resort. It now welcomes thousands of guests a week to its four new hotels, convention centre and the Jack Nicklaus Signature championship golf course.

Prior to joining TRSDC and AMAALA, John established his own international strategic advisory company, Old Fort Capital Investments Ltd, drawing on his extensive experience, providing strategic advice internationally on large scale real estate developments.

John holds a BASc degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Toronto. He also studied Corporate Finance at the London Business School.

Marko has over 16 years of international real estate and hospitality experience in the segments of Development and Investment. Marko worked on projects in more than 15-countries across Europe, Middle East and Africa with the total project value exceeding USD 50bn.

Marko has held numerous leadership positions throughout the course of his career. In his current role, Marko is Director of Hospitality and Real Estate Development at Tourism Development Fund. Prior to this his roles included Executive Director at Public Investment Fund – Projects; Head of Investment at Al Rajhi Investment, Senior VP at JLL where he led hotels and hospitality team for MENA, etc. Marko is originally from Slovenia (EU) and has been based in the GCC region for the past 9 years.

Growing up in a family of diplomats, Abdullah Al Muslemani has lived in over 20 countries across the globe and in each has lived and experienced multiple cultures, languages and service. With a degree in Hospitality and Tourism, Abdullah is a meticulous results-oriented team leader with a passion for service.

Over the last decade, Abdullah has held key leadership roles within the luxury hotel and resort environment, predominantly in the Middle East, Europe and the Caribbean. Abdullah is a key mentor to Saudi Nationals in the service industry, and his ability for "straight talk" brings real perspective.

With a firm belief that the success of a company and organisation is rooted in its guiding culture of how employees are treated, Abdullah is able to deftly harness a team to maximise performance.

Currently the CEO of Crown and Company and also Sora Saud Trading Company.

During the pandemic Joey co-founded Leslie and in this short time they have become the world's leading on-table QR payment provider, with teams scattered across the UK, US, Europe. Leslie helps venues hone-in and focus on capturing missed opportunity revenue within food, beverages and service sales globally. They are poised to be the leader in the ‘last mile of payments’ being the go-between the consumers & venues to Order, Tip & Pay.

Prior to co-founding Leslie, Joey spent the last 5 years focusing on investing, mentoring and advising early-stage start-ups. His business success is rooted in ambition, integrity and seizing the right opportunities at the right times.

Leslie is named after Joey's late grandfather, Leslie Barnett, who spent his whole life in Blackpool where Joey was born and raised.

The Leslie brand is named after him and the Leslie logo features a brand mark of a line drawing representation of a tangerine coloured flower. Tangerine is the colour of Blackpool Football Club and each petal within the brandmark corresponds to one of their four values; Reliability, Integrity, Making a difference and Energy. which lie at the very heart of Leslie, running through the veins of the brand, culture and business DNA.

Joey Barnett
Co-Founder - Leslie
www.getleslie.com

T: +44 20 3981 8601
M: +44 7894 946 592

Fresh On Table founder and CEO Atul Chopra is a serial entrepreneur and recognized No 1 Game-changer in Caterer Top 50 2021 Power list.

Starting his professional journey as an Investment Banker he pivoted to become a Tech entrepreneur in early 2000.

He went on to create one of India’s early success stories of Telecom product companies which went global.

Post that he turned into an active investor, mentoring, and seeding several startups.

He founded Fresh On Table in 2019 with a vision is to boost sustainability through food by cutting the travel times and distance of produce.

From a modest proof of concept in France, his company are among those at the forefront of the UAE’s food security ambitions, which today remains an evolving benchmark for food security in the entire Gulf region.

He has teamed up with some of UAE’s most revered hotels and restaurants, opening their eyes to the UAE’s incredible choice of local produce and ingredients.

With this comes greater transparency and traceability, improved freshness and taste and reduction of carbon footprint.

Atul is a Chartered Accountant and lawyer by training.

Amal Dokhan is a Partner at 500 Global overseeing the Sanabil 500 MENA Seed Accelerator program and fund. Prior to joining 500 Global, she was an active angel investor in Saudi Arabia. Amal was the CEO of GEN SAUDI and Managing Director of Babson Global Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership. She was also the Manager of Learning and Design at the Entrepreneurship Center at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, where she co-designed and led the TAQADAM accelerator program and Corporate Innovation programs.

Matteo is the founder and director of Seeds Consulting, the London-based business development agent for a range of established and fledgling international restaurant concepts, such as I Am Döner, The Avocado Show, Pitaya, The Butcher, The Vegan Junk Food Bar, Crepeaffaire, Bubblewrap and Flower Burger. Matteo has forged numerous partnerships between such trendy and profitable brands, and the most reputed operators worldwide, delivering tremendous growth in a variety on geographies, including the UK, mainland Europe and the Middle East.

Gemma Greenwood has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist, editor and corporate and crisis communications consultant in the UK, Middle East and Asia. She is also an accomplished moderator, having organised and presented the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) conference programme since 2010, both live and online.

Over the past 11 years, Gemma has moderated several high-profile sessions featuring major industry leaders at ATM and WTM London and launched ATM’s successful summits on hospitality, halal tourism and Saudi Arabia. She has also moderated conferences for hospitality industry giants such as InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

As an editor, she has personally overseen the launch of and managed several landmark business titles including Hotelier Middle East, Hotel News Middle East, Arabian Travel News, the highly regarded Arabian Travel Market (ATM) Yearbook series and more recently, the first World Travel Market (WTM) London annual to celebrate the event’s 40th anniversary in 2019, with a second edition to follow in 2022.

Gemma is also currently editor of Motivate Publishing title, Business Traveller Middle East and not only writes and edits the publication but plays a key role in executing the highly regarded BTME awards programme, as well as presenting webinar content for key clients.

As Director of Content Incorporated, she supports major hotel, tourism, hospitality and real estate companies with a wide range of corporate communications and editorial services, from content and PR to media and crisis communications training.

Her clients include Dubai Tourism, the Abu Dhabi government, Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA), IHG, Accor, Rotana, The First Group, Atlantis The Palm, as well as travel and hospitality industry start-ups.

Today I am the proud Managing Director of the Digital & Media division in Jakala Spa BC with a team of 150 people in Milan (Italy), London (UK) Rome (Italy) and Riga (Latvia).

After almost 16 years spent in growing 77Agency as an independent entrepreneur, in 2020 77Agency merged in Jakala Spa BC with the vision of creatng the first independent player Worldwide in unlocking the power of Customer first Party data with the power of digital communication and advertising; having a comprehensive offering focused on Loyalty, Engagement, Advisory, MarTech, AdTech always at the service of the success of our customers.

My history: I Joined 77Agency in 2007. I started working as New Media Strategist to support the company founder in further developing operations and business. In few years, I became Head of Operations and partner at first, then in 2013 I took the role of General Manager becoming also one of the two main shareholders of the company.

Since there, 77Agency has grown a lot and we became a leader independent agency operating in digital marketing, with more than 160 employees, 4 offices (London, Milan, Rome and Riga) operating digital advertising campaigns in more than 25 Countries in 16 different languages.

Thanks to our development and research activities, carried on with our team in UK, Latvia and Italy 77Agency became Global Partner of Facebook, as founding members of the Facebook Strategic Preferred Marketing Developer programme. In 2014 we decided to spin-off Gotu.io from 77Agency, soon becoming the leader in Europe in serving local digital campaigns of SMBs and retail chains in Facebook and Google. In 2016 Gotu.io was awarded with the prestigious Facebook Innovation Spotlight prize in the category “real result for customers”.

From 2012 to 2014 I have been member of the board of IAB (Interactive Advertising Boureau), where I have organized the first ever Italian seminar dedicated to social media, sharing the stage with the four main Italian publishers: Mediaset, Rai, Sky and Cairo Group.

Following a successful 25-year career in the hospitality business, Bani Haddad founded Aleph Hospitality in 2015 to provide hotel owners in the Middle East and Africa with a customised, results-driven alternative to traditional hotel management models.

A visionary leader, acclaimed speaker and widely respected hotelier, Bani successfully developed, launched and managed several major international hotel brands prior to making the bold move to set up Aleph Hospitality.

From site selection, fundraising and construction at Hospitality Management Services and pre- and post-opening operations at Starwood and Disneyland Resort Paris, to strategic growth and development as Regional Vice President Middle East & Africa for Wyndham Hotel Group, Bani has first-hand experience in virtually every aspect of hotel management.

Under Bani’s leadership, Aleph Hospitality operates 10 hotels and has more than 15 under development in Africa and the Middle East.

Bani holds an MBA from IMHI, a joint programme established by Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and ESSEC. Originally from Lebanon, Bani has lived in the United Arab Emirates since 2005.

Imagining she would one day design her own little hotel and retire on a Greek Island, Noelle studied architecture and ended up building an unconventional career. Starting with architectural design and construction project management, she later handled claims, risk management and arbitration cases for real estate projects in the Middle East. A born multitasker, she also earned a Masters in Engineering Management from the American University of Beirut and a certificate in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from Harvard University --all the while, Noelle was still looking for a way into the hotel world.

In 2017, Noelle moved to Singapore for her MBA, and travelled all around South East Asia, visiting multiple eco-luxury camps in the region. After graduating from INSEAD, Noelle jumped at the opportunity to enter the hospitality industry, taking on a role in luxury hotel development with a focus on experiential lodging. During that time, she successfully signed 4 lodges in the UAE and moved on to lead the hospitality and tourism practice at Grant Thornton UAE. Her passion for watching hotels come to life combined with her love for responsible tourism finally led her to launch ENVI Lodges.

Hamza Khan, 28, is the co-founder of Letswork. He is a qualified lawyer, having received his law degree from the London School of Economics and having trained at Clifford Chance LLP. In October 2017, Hamza was selected for the E25 entrepreneurship program at EMAAR. Three months later, Hamza launched Letswork with his co-founder, Omar Al Mheiri. Letswork is the Middle East’s largest flexible workspace solution provider.

Aradhana Khowala is globally identified as an authority on the travel, tourism and hospitality industries and has over two decades of experience across 75 countries in 5 continents. She is currently CEO & Founder of Aptamind Partners a Private Client Advisory that is a trusted advisor to ambitious leaders in Governments, Family Offices, Private UHNW Investors and International Organisations. Previously she was the MD of Tourism Sector at NEOM - the US$ 500 Billion land of the future purpose built for a sustainable and a new way of living.

An experienced Board Member she has an active portfolio of Board roles and currently serves as the Chair of the Advisory Board of the Red Sea Project in Saudi Arabia which is a signature “giga” project of Saudi Arabia Vision 2030, which, through breakthrough models for international tourism, sets new standards for sustainable development and environmental stewardship.

Aradhana also serves as a Board Member and Steering Committee member of World Tourism Forum Lucerne a highly focused, top level, strategic body that brings together selected leaders around the world to reflect on the big challenges facing the industry. She is also a Board Member of Elaf Group, the leisure arm of a sustainable and publicly listed holding company - SEDCO. In the past she has worked for Jones Lang LaSalle, covering UK, Benelux and Scandinavian markets, a Strategy Consulting practice in Europe and Asia as well as in Hospitality Operations in India.

Aradhana has won multiple awards including the 21st Century Icon Awards in 2017 in association with CNBC and London School of Economics as an Inspirational Game Changer in Tourism. In 2014, she was featured as one of the 50 most Influential Next Generation leaders who will likely define the future of the Tourism sector by Swiss Economic magazine Bilan (Forbes equivalent) and in 2021 she was featured as an inspirational woman rethinking a sustainable future of tourism by City Nation Place.

A keen industry practitioner, she is a regular speaker and moderator well known for her international advocacy on sustainable tourism, climate change, women and diversity and has participated in global policy discussions in United Nations bodies, WEF as well as the G20 apart from some of the foremost Family Office conferences as well as Tourism and Leadership Summits around the world. She read at Cornell University in US, is a certified NLP Coach, has an MBA from Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland and an International Director Certification from INSEAD in France.

A passionate advocate of the transformative power of tourism and the prospect it presents for combining conservation with community, culture and commerce, she spends a lot of her time engaging Presidents, Prime Ministers and Tourism Ministers lobbying for travel and tourism as a force for good. She also guest-lectures on tourism, authentic leadership and entrepreneurship at different Universities globally.

Victor is an aviation & mobility enthusiast. Over the past 10 years, he worked for the MEA region, selling Embraer’s aircraft (3^rd aircraft manufacturer in the world) to airlines. In 2020, he took on a personal challenge and crossed Africa by land from Cape Town to Cairo.

He is now leading MEA for Eve Air Mobility, a company that produces electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft for the future of sustainable urban air mobility.

With over 15 years of international experience, Joachim Marciano is a dedicated and experienced business leader specialized in growth hacking, go-to-market strategic planning and Business development.

Since early 2020, Joachim Marciano has served as the Head of Service Industries for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). He leads the department in charge of the commercial growth of Facebook and its expanding portfolio of apps, services and platforms (Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Messenger, Oculus, Workplace, etc.), across the Travel, Tourism, Financial Services, Automotive and Mobility industries.

Having joined Facebook among the first 3% of its current employees globally, Joachim was one of the first Southern Europe industry head and contributed in multiple leadership positions to building a multi-billion dollar business in Southern Europe, by structuring & scaling the sales team, and enabling the first partnerships with market leading traditional and digital native organisations.

Before Facebook, Joachim led the relationship between emerging technology providers, such as software houses, system integrators, consultancy firms, and Gartner. Joachim also spent a couple of years working as an entrepreneur in the entertainment industry, where his passion for music drove him to co-create among others, the now world renown Music Festival: Life Festival. He currently sits as a board advisor to several start-ups in EMEA.

An experienced technology entrepreneur with a background in technology and property. Neil has over 20 years experience as a founding CEO for innovative companies as well as being a board member of various public and private companies in the UK, Canada and Australia. Neil completed two public listings raising over $40m for multiple projects.

Today Nimesh is the CEO/Founder of Kabuni, a privately held company in the UK building a vision to unlock the design potential of every child and elevate their lives through a Safe Metaverse within which kids can explore, learn and grow.

After living 11 years in Canada with a family of four kids with his wife of 15 years, Nina Jane Patel and Neil recently returned to the UK. A family of entrepreneurs, with a deep passion for leaving a legacy - their four kids run a charitable project - Kids Help Kids addressing solutions to help kids eat, sleep and learn daily.

I have got more wrong than right as a person and entrepreneur but remain curious and committed to leaving this planet in a better place for generations to come.

Born and raised in India, Gaurav moved to Dubai in 1993 and started his career in the advertising industry. He joined Hilton Hotels in 1997 as Head of Marketing for the Arabian Gulf and in 2003 he established Insignia Worldwide, a branding, design and communications firm that specialises in luxury hospitality, travel, tourism and destination brands. Insignia is ranked amongst the Top 100 SMEs by Dubai Government.

A vibrant thought leader, Gaurav is renowned for his expertise in brand strategy and reputed for being a creative protagonist in his field. As an anthropologist, author and activist, he works at the intersections of strategy and storytelling, curating cultures and creating destination brands that resonate with distinction.

Through his career, he has worked with over 200 hotels across 20 countries, numerous leisure, entertainment and retail destinations as well as national and regional tourism boards. His passion is to make the whole world worthy of travel by defining and deploying brand strategies that are enriching, engaging and equitable.

He is also the founder of Quillon Hospitality, a boutique development advisory, asset management, sales representation and third-party operations company.

With a focus on GCC, India & UK source markets, the company currently offers its services to over 20 properties. Gaurav is an active philanthropist along with his wife Lucy Bruce, and co-founded Harmony House, a day-shelter for over 500 destitute children in India.

He is ranked 11th amongst the 50 Most Powerful Indians in the UAE and 47th amongst the 100 Most Influential Indians in the GCC by Arabian Business magazine. Gaurav is actively involved in the tourism and hospitality industry and on the advisory board of numerous associations and conferences as well as a strategic partner of the Hotel Asset Managers Association.

The perennial protagonist, Gaurav is passionate about place-making, strategy & storytelling. His philosophical views are shaped by the principles of Buddhism and as a destination and brand strategist he has authored the narrative for some of the world’s most revered international brands within the real estate, hospitality, travel and tourism industry.

Gaurav Sinha is also the author of the book titled Compassion Inc. published by Ebury Press, an imprint of Penguin Randomhouse UK. His book sits at the intersection of life philosophy and business strategy, providing insights about unleashing the power of empathy in life and business.

Jonathan is one of the founders and organisers of multiple leading international conferences for the hospitality industry including AHIC (UAE); AHIF (Africa); SHIC (Saudi) and SAHIC (Latin America). Jonathan branched out into aviation and F&B, through AviaDev and GRIF. In 2020, the Bench team pivoted quickly to virtual and hybrid conferences with the launch of the www.hospitalitytomorrow.com series and the Future Hospitality Summit for the G20 Saudi Secretariat.

In 1997, Jonathan co-founded the annual IHIF (Berlin) which today attracts over 2,500 delegates. Earlier in his career, he worked for real estate consultants CBRE & Hotel Partners, hotel advisors PKF and hotel operator Forte & Holiday Inns. Jonathan was a board director and co-founder of STR Global until 2019 and is on the advisory board of inHovate and Hotel Swaps. He also sits on the Advisory Board for RAK TDA, a member of Women in Hospitality (WiH) and is a Trustee of Future Talent, a charity that provides financial support to gifted young musicians.

Jonathan’s drive is building great teams and communities around him to propel industry transformation.

Optimistic, see opportunity in the empty half of the glass. More creative in dire situations. Works with passion to construct a more prosperous nation.

Education

• Master of Science: (HONS) Accounting, King Saud University - Riyadh, SA.
• Bachelor of Science: (HONS) Marketing, University Of Tampa - Tampa, Fl, USA.
• Advanced Leadership, Strategic Management, Project Management, and Human Resource Management Programs. Public Policy analysis

Current Work Experience

• Founder and CEO of Mukatafa Company for Advocacy. www.Mukatafa.com

Previous Work Experience

• CEO of a group of private business
• V.P. People & Shared Services, McDonald's - RICC, Riyadh, SA.
• V.P. Marketing & Business Development, NAFA, Riyadh, SA.

Memberships

• Ministry of Municipality Advisory Committee for Investment in the Municipal Sector
• Ministry of Commence Advisory Committee for Retail sector development
• Supervisory Committee for Trade Franchise Center, Small and Medium Enterprises General Authority "Monsha’at"
• Restaurant and Cafes Association "Qoot"
• Grocery Store Association "Mo'an"
• Fashion, Jewelry & Beauty Association "ZY"
• Board member, Alfa.Co
• Board member, Tamkeen
• Board member, Quara Holding
• Commercial Committee in the Riyadh Chamber

Mert Askin is President of Food & Beverage at Azadea Group, responsible for strategy and development. The F&B arm of the group currently has more than 100 outlets across eight countries in the Middle East and Africa.

Azadea Group is a premier lifestyle retail company that owns and operates more than 40 leading international franchise concepts in fashion and accessories, food and beverage, home furnishings, sporting goods, multimedia and beauty and cosmetics across the Middle East and Africa spread across 13 countries overseeing more than 550 stores.

Prior to joining Azadea in 2014, Mert gained extensive operational experience leading the casual all-day dining chain of the d.ream Group, one of the world’s fastest growing restaurant groups with more than 140 outlets, including Kitchenette, Gunaydin, Nusr-et and Zuma.

Earlier in his career, Mert was a management consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) based out of Munich, Germany, where he advised clients in various industries on business strategies globally, and with Ernst & Young Luxembourg in advisory practice.

Mert Askin holds a bachelor’s degree in Operations Management from the Koc University, Istanbul, where he graduated with the highest of honors. He also holds an MBA from UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School as a Richard H. Jenrette fellow. Mert is an elected Board Member of the Dubai Restaurant Group, and a member of the Corporate Governance Association of Turkey.

Mayada Badr holds a bachelor’s degree in Design Management from Parsons School of Design, 2005, and a High Diploma in Culinary Arts and Desserts from the International School “Le Cordon Bleu” in Paris, 2009.

Mayada is one of the leading Saudi names specialized in Culinary Arts. She received high training under the supervision of world-class chefs, and she has great expertise in the field as she founded Pink Camel, a high-end patisserie in Jeddah, and she is a partner in two other restaurants. Further, chef Mayada used to be a culinary consultant and represented the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on many international occasions. Her scientific and academic career is also marked by great accomplishments.

Based at Hilton’s MEA Regional Office in Dubai, Emma Banks is responsible for F&B strategy and development across EMEA, supporting Hilton’s trading and future pipeline of hotels.

Over the course of Emma’s career, she has seamlessly transitioned from independents to large global hospitality companies. She joined Hilton in 2019 with a mission to make the company the clear leader in F&B. In this short time she has made a big impact, bringing exceptional F&B talent into the business while being actively involved in Hilton’s various diversity initiatives.

Emma recognizes the critical responsibility that F&B plays in protecting the planet and has been involved in initiatives to reduce single-use plastics, track food waste and source ingredients locally. Emma is also a role model to women in the industry, ranking #1 in Caterer Middle East’s “2020 Women in F&B” Power List. At the end of 2020 Emma was elected a Member of the Board of Governors and Member of the Board of the Academic Committee of Dubai College of Tourism (DCT) and in 2022, she was selected to be one of HSBC’s ’75 Faces of the UAE’.

Emma holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Leeds University.

Stefan is Managing Director - KEANE Consult & KSA (www.keanebrands.com) providing the lead on strategic F&B consulting and masterplanning from studios In London, Dubai, Bangkok and Miami. He was previously F&B Senior Director at Marriott for Middle East & Africa based in Dubai; with over 1200 F&B venues and $1 billion + revenue.

Stefan has over 300 F&B concepts to his name and brought brands such as Buddha Bar, Hakkasan, Pierre Gagnaire and Embassy to the ME. His previous positions include 10 years as founder/CEO of TRIBE: one of the most successful F&B strategy houses in the Middle East with extensive work on malls such as Mall of the Emirates and Yas Mall.

He was also the regional F&B lead with IHG in SE Asia, Hilton (Europe) and a consultant with E&Y. KEANE are currently engaged on F&B strategy & masterplanning assignments with a number of the 'giga' projects in the Kingdom.

French-born Nicolas Budzynski describes himself as “a dynamic restaurant professional, self-driven, with a forte in project, change management and concept creation”.

Working as the Global Operations Director for LPM Restaurant & Bar, based in Dubai, he overlooks the restaurant operations and brand development of LPM globally.

Nicolas graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management from the Institute Paul Bocuse in Lyon, France. From the time of his graduation, he gained experience across various markets and regions (including Middle East, Turkey, Asia, Europe, and the USA) with an array of other recognizable restaurant groups, including Zuma (Turkey and Asia), International Hotels Establishment in Bahrain (Bushido and Trader Vic’s), Fauchon and the Jumeirah Group, including restaurants and the iconic Burj Al Arab Hotel.

Michael is the executive chairman of Claus Meyer Holding, an operator and investor in high-end restaurants and food companies in the US and Scandinavia such as Studio in Copenhagen, Agern in New York’s Grand Central Terminal, and Gustu in La Paz, Bolivia. In the Spring of 2018 he will also be involved in opening two restaurants and a bar in a new 5* hotel (Pacai) in Vilnius, Lithuania. He is also a director in the Melting Pot Foundation and Manq’a, a charitable organisation that operates 12 cooking schools for under-privileged youths in Columbia and Bolivia. Finally, Michael is an investor, mentor or board member in a number of start-ups, such as Fooducer, a Danish VC-backed platform with a unique approach to linking food suppliers with their customers, or Rockstart, a leading European Food-Tech accelerator and investor.

After completing his MBA from Dartmouth College in the US, Michael spent a number of years with the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, and as founder/CEO of an online media group in Scandinavia. In addition to his food related ventures, Michael is a managing partner in Corpro that advises private equity firms and corporate management teams across Europe on strategy, operations and M&A related issues.

Michael is Danish, but has lived in London for the past 17 years.

Mohammed has 19 years of experience owning and operating renowned being the first to attract international luxury and lifestyle restaurants to the kingdom from all across the world .

Jawa Always is creating a new era in the F&B market with his goal and motive to make Saudi Arabia a leading restaurant scene globally , Making sure to support and be part of “Saudi Arabia’s Vision for 2030”.

Being the first partner of the Azumi group(Zuma,Roka,Oblix,Inko Nito) and other international restaurants such as Mr.Chow, Amazonico and other international renowned brands, will add a new dimension and expertise to the future of Saudi hospitality .

“It has always been a dream to see the Kingdom at this point in its development; with such an elite group of F&B professionals shaping the future of hospitality in Saudi Arabia. We hope to be able to share insight to other international restaurants when opening in Saudi Arabia.”

One of GCC’s hospitality Industry stalwarts, Duncan has over 25 years' experience in the restaurant Industry which includes 20 years in the GCC. He was educated at Strathclyde University Glasgow and Nanyang University Singapore, graduating with a BA honors degree in Hotel & Hospitality Management.

Duncan currently heads up the highly successful and award winning home grown brand 'Café Bateel', with 20 premium Mediterranean Cafés across the GCC. Prior to this Duncan spent 8 years with the Landmark Group where he was latterly the General Manager of their Casual Dining & Fast Casual Restaurant Divisions.

Chef Roaya Saleh is the President and Founder of RS Management WLL, registered in the Kingdom of Bahrain to provide consultancy in the hospitality industry across the globe. Chef Roaya is also the founder of Villa Mamas Restaurant Group since 2012, the group has opened restaurants in Bahrain, London, Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, employing over 200 staff. Villa Mamas restaurants provide full-service and retail offerings in-store and through an international online store selling products such as tea, spices, condiments and homeware.

Chef Roaya has been featured in numerous TV shows as a culinary guest expert and judge for Masterchef and Top Chef Arabia, as well as being featured in Forbes and Financial Times. She has published two cookbooks in both English and Arabic. Chef Roaya has won various accolades recognizing her success as a businesswoman such as The Bahrain Award for Entrepreneurship, Woman of the Year and has been internationally recognized for her innovative and successful business model. She has been honoured for her philanthropic work in the Kingdom of Bahrain by the Supreme Council and other NFP organizations. She continues to focus on the empowerment of young women especially and is invested in mentoring and inspiring the younger generations to come both in the culinary field and elsewhere in the world of business as whole.

In addition to driving Villa Mamas’ brand awareness across the GCC and Europe through partnership, Chef Roaya recently launched an exclusive collaboration with the Shangri-La Bosporus Istanbul to showcase her best-selling and signature dishes.

Roaya is very active in the day-to-day management of all Villa Mamas restaurants and is looking forward to expanding both the Villa Mamas brand as well as exciting new concepts worldwide.

Rohit Sachdev is the CEO and Founder of Soho Hospitality and is responsible for the overall strategic vision for the company’s hotel and restaurant development, interior design and f&b consulting business.

Soho Hospitality’s portfolio includes the 163 key Fraser Suites Sukhumvit and 5 f&b brands including Above Eleven, Charcoal Tandoor Grill & Mixology, Havana Social, Cantina Wine Bar & Italian Kitchen and Soho Pizza. The company employs approximately 250 people across all business verticals.

Soho Hospitality is currently embarking on an international expansion of its brands with the opening of Havana Social Ho Chi Minh City, Above Eleven Dubai, Charcoal Tandoor Grill in Singapore and Colombo in 2022.

Rohit is a graduate of the Stern School of Business at New York University and is regularly invited to participate as a keynote speaker at key hospitality and F&B conferences across the region including the Thailand Tourism Forum, Hotel Investment Conference South Asia, Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific, South East Asia Hotel Investment Summit and the Global Restaurant Investment Forum.

David has worked in the hospitality and retail industry in the USA, EMEA and South Asia as a brand builder, creator, operator, franchisee, franchisor and advisor for some of the world’s best known and respected brands including Hard Rock Cafe, Armani Caffe, Caffè Nero, Magnolia Bakery, Bloomingdales, Mercedes Benz (Russia), Anheuser-Busch InBev.

In addition to his role as partner, strategic advisor with Dubai based Socius Group he is a Non-Executive Director of EIGHTClouds, a Private Equity venture focusing on consumer and F&B brands from the UAE. He is also a Director with the British Business Group Dubai and the Northern Emirates, advisor with the Henka Institute experts in transformational coaching and a proud co-founder of MERA the Middle East Restaurant Association and an equally proud member of GRIF’s Advisory Board.

David also moderates, speaks, writes, advises and mentors across the hospitality and services sectors, globally from Dubai.

An experience driver, emotion designer and food and drink advocate.

As F&B Manager for India, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Hilari is bringing restaurant and bars to the forefront of Accor’s hotels, defining and building the tools to drive F&B experiences in over 600+ operating and opening hotels across the region.

Even though she was compelled to eat her vegetables as a toddler, her love for plant-based dishes grew along with that for F&B and led her to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management from Hotelschool The Hague, with a particular interest in food psychology and consumer behaviour.

Her past experiences range from serving, bartending and chopping vegetables in a kitchen to corporate F&B, developing concepts and products for 5 brands across EMEA as Food & Drink Manager for Radisson Hotel Group. Ending up in the diving industry before joining Accor, she spent a year building awareness for scuba diving as a promoter of mental wellbeing through teaching and guided dives.

Her goal is to ultimately develop a stimulating concept of her own somewhere in the world, with the aim of creating positive emotions.

Peter heads up the development of Boxooo International, a platform that connects determined creators directly with passionate consumers to share experiences and build businesses across digital channels as well as real life venues.

After starting his career on the Copenhagen restaurant scene, he has since successfully led complex operations and bespoke developments throughout Europe and now the Middle East.
From working with Claus Meyer, the cofounder of NOMA and the godfather of the Nordic food movement, to developing popular food hall concepts such Seven Dials Market in London, Peter has been at the forefront of industry-leading projects throughout all aspects of hospitality and food for more than two decades.

He is passionate about elevating talent and promoting inclusivity and will ensure that boxooo enables success for itself as well as its partners, not only by providing financial investment, or access to technical insights and digital tools, but also through promoting and enabling knowledge sharing and business support.