Speakers

Markus AklinVice President, DevelopmentONYX Hospitality GroupMr. Aklin has been working with ONYX Hospitality Group since 2003. In his role as Vice President, Development, he is responsible for expanding ONYX with particular focus on South East Asia. Mr. Aklin graduated with a degree from the Swiss Hotel Management School in Lucerne and worked in...

ProfileSunny Bajaj has been in the hospitality development business now for 22 years, established Amburaya in 2000 and since then has forged business alliances with different internationally-renowned operators like  Starwood & IHG.  Today, the group has four hotels in operation, which are the Bel-Aire  Bangkok, Sheraton Pattaya Resort, W...

Bill Barnett is the Founder & Managing Director of C9 Hotelworks.  C9 is a leading hospitality, tourism and property advisory firm in Asia Pacific, who work directly with developers, investors, financial institutions and hotel operators.  Its core business focus includes feasibility studies, asset management, operator selection and...

Kipsan Beck, Chief Marketing Officer, PACE Development Corporation PLC Joining PACE in 2008, Kipsan Beck is the Chief Marketing Officer, responsible for managing the complete communications plan for PACE, comprising strategy, advertising, direct marketing, internet and events for all of the PACE properties including MahaNakhon.  Growing up...

Timothy Markland BlaiklockChief Operating OfficerCentara Hotels & Resorts Markland is a Canadian national and previous to joining Centara was Senior Vice President of Sofitel Asia Pacific, responsible for the operations of 54 Sofitel branded hotels and resorts in the region. Educated in England and in France, Markland began his career in...

Claire Bostock, Executive Director Absolute Yoga Group (Absolute Sanctuary, Absolute Yoga, Absolute Pilates, Absolute Fit Food) Claire originally a banker from Singapore, left the banking world and went into yoga teaching and also counseling work, working as a Counselor with MD Specialist & Adam Road Hospital. With a passion for integrated...

Mr. Chiaranussati founded Real Estate Capital Asia Partners(RECAP), a series of Pan-Asian real estate investment limited partnership in late 2004. RECAP I and II have invested in excess of US$410 million capital and the third Fund RECAP III, was closed with US$530 MM.   Mr. Chiaranussati participates in acquisition, value enhancement and...

Suparat Chirathivat is a powerful business driver with strong entrepreneurial instincts and acumen. As Centara Hotels & Resorts Vice President of Business Development he is responsible for driving the company’s strategic partnerships and overseeing the chain’s expansion plan on a domestic & international basic. During his seven-year...

Christopher Chung is Managing Director (Asia) and member of the hospitality divisional board for the Lewis Trust Group, a private family office, with USD 2.0B of global real estate holdings including twenty-one hotels comprised of 4,000 keys and six hotel development projects. He is currently based in Bangkok, Thailand. Christopher started his...

Scott Gorsuch Principal Leisure Design Group Scott Gorsuch Ph.D. is Founder and Principal of Leisure Design Group, a boutique consultancy providing development management and owner representation services to high end hotel, resort, and residential projects in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. LDG's "Design Focused and Brand...

Tether is a group of friends who are passionate about one thing: telling stories that matter.  Tether was born from the desire to work on brands that share the desire to create passionate and emotional connections with customers.  Everything that our team of visionaries, strategists, designers and implementers create tethers back to the core of...

Mr. Pongsathorn is the Deputy Governor for International Marketing (Asia and South Pacific), Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). He has held several executive positions in this organisation including Deputy Governor for Policy and Planning, Executive Director for ASEAN, South Asia and South Pacific Region Department. He was once the Director of ...

As a pioneer of boutique hotels in Thailand and the creative force behind AHMS The Collection, Anchalika Kijkanakorn holds fast to her vision of boutique hospitality founded on attention to detail, unique experiences and highly personalised yet unobtrusive service. AHMS The Collection comprises AKARYN Samui Resort & Spa and akyra Chura...

Anthony Lark Vice President - Business Development Montara Hospitality Group  Born in Sydney, Anthony travelled to Europe for a gap year after school with his family after which he took a job as a busboy in a 5-star Sydney hotel, while studying Architectural drafting at college. That cemented his love for the business, and he gave up his studies...

Mr. Mark Lettenbichler, Chief Executive Officer of Regent Hotels & Resorts, holds over 30 years of experience in the luxury hotel market. Prior to joining Regent, he served as Regional Vice President of Ritz Carlton Hotels in Asia following senior leadership positions in Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Korea, and Japan. Mr. Lettenbichler ...

Jeff has deep experience in travel, having started his career as a tuxedo-wearing room service employee at the Hyatt in Cambridge. He advanced to Hyatt Corporate in Chicago and then ran electronic distribution for Expedia and then managed Sales at Travelzoo. Jeff graduated from Boston University and is a huge fan of deep sea fishing, winning ebay...

Anthony has been working in Asia for over 25 years, and is the visionary behind several successful hotel brands including his X2 (CrossTo) and AWAY chain brands. His work in the conceptualization, design and development of design hotels has won him over 10 local, regional and international awards in recent years. He is currently CEO of Bespoke...

Robert McIntosh is the Executive Director, responsible for CBRE Hotels in Asia Pacific. Based in Singapore, he has over 30 years of property experience, 20 of which are in hotels. The division services the hotels and leisure industry, including resorts, golf courses, casinos, theme parks, pubs, hotels and motels.   Robert’s experience has...

KEVIN B. MURPHY, ISHC, FIH, MAICD. Kevin Murphy is the President & CEO of Asiawide Hospitality Solutions (AHS), continuing to head a team of highly experienced hospitality professional advisors that provide informed guidance to existing and new hotel owners and hospitality investors for their hotel real estate interests worldwide. AHS assists...

Victor Pang, Vice President, Development – Thailand, Cambodia, Laos & Myanmar, Accor Asia Pacific – Bangkok Regional Office Singaporean, Victor Pang joined Accor at the Novotel Singapore. He subsequently moved as a member of Accor’s pioneer team to Thailand as part of the opening team of Novotel Bangkok on Siam Square. Thereafter was given a...

Klaus R. Rauter, Managing DirectorMai-BS (Thailand) Hospitality Group Klaus R. Rauter, originally from Austria is working in Thailand’s hospitality industry since the mid 1980’s. His hotel employee career started being a Chef and ended being Group General Manager before founding his own company to contribute even more to Asia’s Tourism...

As CEO and founder of GOCO Hospitality, Ingo Schweder brings more than 30 years of experience from the fields of spa and hospitality.He has been involved with the design, development, and worldwide operation of iconic hotels and wellness destinations. Under his guidance, Ananda in the Himalayas, the globally recognized destination spa, was...

Mr. David Shackleton is Chief Operating Officer of Dusit International, responsible for helping to reinforce the company’s growth, capabilities and profit performance.  He has nearly three decades of experience in the hospitality industry and started his hotel management career in London, UK before moving to Canada with Westin Hotels &...

With a career spanning over 25 years within the hospitality industry, Harry Thaliwal’s extensive experience has taken him to nine different countries in a variety of operational and senior leadership roles. After an initial grounding in a renowned Swiss Hospitality School, Harry’s career started with the Pan Pacific Group in hotel operations. ...

Rustom VickersGroup Director of DevelopmentDusit International Mr Rustom Vickers heads up the development team of Dusit International, a hospitality management company based out of Bangkok, driving the company’s expansion. Rustom has a diverse background in hotel operations, management consultancy and development in addition to holding an MBA from ...

Pote Videt is a Managing Director of Lombard based in Bangkok.  Lombard is a leading international private equity investment manager with offices in Bangkok, Hong Kong and San Francisco, and extensive working relationships in Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, Shanghai and Taipei. Formed in 1985, Lombard has made more than 90 minority growth and control...

Samir Wildemann is one of Thailand’s most knowledgeable and experienced hoteliers. He is currently General Manager and Corporate Executive Officer at The Okura Prestige Bangkok, a five star property with 240 rooms and suites that employs more than 350 staff. He joined the Okura Group in 2011 as the hotel’s first member of staff and oversaw the...

Stefan Wolf, Senior Vice President Revenue & Distribution Strategy, Onyx Hospitality Group Stefan has more than 18 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He started his revenue management career with Marriott in Germany and Korea. At the InterContinental Hotels Group, he was part of a global taskforce developing an in-house...