alex andjel peter m. anscomb · 19 july 2016 alex andjel virgin ... rome, barcelona, edinburgh and...

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Speakers as of 19 July 2016

Alex Andjel Virgin Hotels Alex is responsible for leading the expansion of Virgin Hotels in EMEA. Working closely with capital partners and strategic investors, Virgin Hotels expect to acquire new two or three properties in cities across Europe. The brand is keeping options open, but key cities such as London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Edinburgh and Manchester remain a top priority. Prior to Virgin Hotels, Alex most recently served as VP Development for YOTEL, and previously as Director of Development for Orient-Express Hotels Ltd (Belmond) where he managed more than $500 million of acquisition, financing and dispositions of non-core assets. He successfully executed third party hotel management agreements for OEH in London and North American (Cadogan Hotel, Durley House and The Inn at Perry Cabin).

Peter M. Anscomb Edwardian Hotels, London Peter’s early career spanned 37 years in the finance sector, most of which was spent in the specialist industry sectors within NatWest, including 8 years in oil and mining and 13 years in airlines, travel and hospitality markets. It was through financing aircraft, and airline ownership of hotels in the late 80's that Peter first got involved in hotel finance, and post NatWest's acquisition by RBS in 2000 the next twelve years were spent heading the hotel operations within the corporate banks, and lending in the UK, Europe, US and Caribbean. In 2012, following reflection on the issues that then existed in the banking market and the inability to adequately serve clients, Peter decided to break from the bank, and the opportunity to join one of his long term clients, Edwardian Hotels London, gave the perfect opportunity for a change in career into the owner/operator/developer side of the industry. As one of the central directors for Edwardian Hotels London, Peter undertakes the company's finance raising activities, whilst also being involved with the commercial teams dealing with revenue, sales, marketing, along with branding negotiations with the brand owners, and elements of future development projects. Peter has been actively involved in the hotel conference scene for 19 years, and has now been involved with finance in the sector for 29 years.

Karl Badstuber AXA Real Estate Karl J. Badstuber joined AXA Real Estate in June 2013 as the pan-European Senior Hotel Specialist focusing on Transactions and Asset Management. Before taking up his current role, Karl worked at Morgan Stanley Real Estate for 5 years as Vice President – Hotels Europe. His previous post was as Managing Director of Hotel Operations at Grand City Hotels & Resorts, which at the time managed and operated over 40 hotels. Prior to that he worked for a number of international hotel companies including InterContinental and Starwood in various senior hotel management positions in Germany, Luxembourg, England and Australia. Karl successfully completed a 2-year management trainee programme with Sheraton Hotel Incorporation and gained his initial hotel operational experience in selected privately owned 5-star hotels in Switzerland (Davos, Lausanne, Ascona), after graduating from the Hotel & Catering College in Merano (Italy). www.axa-realestate.com

Stuart Bailey Splendid Hospitality Group A high energy, profit focused and goal-driven strategic executive, Stuart approaches business challenges with an intrinsic flair for innovation, creative problem solving and measured risk-taking to drive consistent improvements. His transformational approach and leadership style has been critical to the development of a group-wide team focused on growth. With significant experience gained in senior regional management roles with Macdonald and Hilton along with managing quality country house, 4 and 5 star city centre and boutique hotels, Stuart joined the Splendid Hospitality Group as Director of Operations in 2007. Stuart provided pivotal leadership and was key in the Group becoming one of the most successful franchisees in the IHG stable, winning over 14 awards in 3 years. He has an exceptional aptitude for simultaneously juggling the many tasks needed in today’s hotel Industry. As a member of the executive team Stuart is involved in driving both acquisition and organic growth strategies. His strong work and team ethic makes him an exemplary tactician in all areas of the business.

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Terence Baker Hotel News Now / STR Terence Baker has written about hotels, tourism, hospitality, events and business travel for more than 15 years. Now back in his native London after nearly 20 years living and writing in New York City, Baker heads up European activities for Hotel News Now, also focusing on the Middle East and on any news of interest that overlaps those markets. Outside the office his interests, perhaps obsessions, are travel, more travel, birding and distance running, sometimes all three at the same time.

Navneet Bali MEININGER Hotels Navneet Bali took over as CEO of MEININGER Hotels in 2013 following its acquisition by Holidaybreak in the UK. He joined Holidaybreak in May 2012 as Group Finance Director and Head of Corporate Development from Duet Group, a private equity firm based in the UK. At Duet he created and headed a joint venture with Intercontinental Hotels, the world’s largest hotel chain, to build Holiday Inn Express Hotels. Previous assignments include CFO and Head of Corporate development at ebookers, a leading European online travel company and Director of HVS International, a leading hotel consulting firm. His appointment aims to help MEININGER to grow into the leading international brand in its sector. He has more than 29 years of experience in the hotel, travel and ecommerce industry.

Patricia Barrigan Benson Elliot Services Lt With over 20 years of industry experience, Trish brings a wealth of knowledge in European and US real estate investing. Trish co-founded Benson Elliot with Marc and currently co-heads all investment and asset management activity with Joseph De Leo. Prior to Benson Elliot, Trish spent two years within the Dubai Holding Group as Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Real Estate Investments for Dubai Investment Group, with responsibility for defining and implementing the Group’s global real estate strategy. Under Trish's tenure, the Group’s portfolio of direct investments increased from $500m to $3.0bn. Previously, she spent ten years at Goldman Sachs, primarily in real estate principal investing and portfolio management for the Whitehall Funds in New York, Paris and London. Trish earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, summa cum laude, from Boston College. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute and a Founder of Women in Real Estate (London) and is a fluent French speaker.

Gaurav Bhushan AccorHotels Gaurav Bhushan is the Global Chief Development Officer of AccorHotels, responsible for overseeing the group’s hotel development strategy worldwide. AccorHotels currently has almost 3,800 hotels across 92 countries. AccorHotels broad portfolio of hotel brands – including Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Grand Mercure, The Sebel, Novotel, Mercure, ibis, ibis Styles and ibis budget – provides an extensive offer from luxury to budget. With a strong development pipeline of more than 875 hotels and over 150,000 rooms, AccorHotels opens, on average, a new hotel every two days somewhere in the world. Reporting to CEO and Chairman Sebastien Bazin, Gaurav manages the group’s relationships with investors and partners and is responsible for signing new hotels to the network. Gaurav began his career with Accor in 1995 in Australia, where he held various posts in operations and finance. From 2006 he headed the Asia Pacific development teams. It was in this capacity that he was able to secure the acquisition of Mirvac Hotels & Resorts in Australia and New Zealand and, more recently, the strategic alliance with Huazhu in China. He was promoted to Global Chief Development Officer role in July 2015. Gaurav has an MBA from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Finance & Investments from the Securities Institute of Australia.

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Filip Boyen Small Luxury Hotels Filip Boyen was appointed CEO of Small Luxury Hotels Of The World in August 2015. Boyen, who originates from Belgium, is a seasoned hospitality industry veteran with 35 years of experience. Prior to SLH he served as Chief Operating Officer & Senior Vice President for Belmond (formerly Orient Express), a position held for 6 years. Having spent 18 years with Belmond, Boyen rose through the ranks starting from being a GM in Bora Bora and Peru through to a number of high level operations positions. He began his career as Commis & Chef de Partie in Belgium, before taking on his first GM position in Moscow thus he has a thorough understanding of the hospitality sector from a grass roots level.

Cody Bradshaw Starwood Capital Europe Cody Bradshaw is a Senior Vice President at Starwood Capital Group and Head of European Hotels. In this role, he oversees the firm’s hospitality acquisition and asset management activities across Europe. Starwood Capital’s current European hotel portfolio consists of more than 20,000 rooms and $4B in asset value. Prior to joining Starwood Capital, Cody was one of the first employees at Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (NYSE: PEB) where he served as Vice President of Acquisitions during the twelve-month period in which the newly-formed “blind pool” REIT deployed over $1 billion of capital through the acquisition of over 20 major lodging assets. Prior to Pebblebrook, he was the first employee of the Chartres Lodging Group where he played an integral role in growing the firm over a seven year period into what at the time was comprised of five offices across the U.S. and Japan and a 20,000-room, $6 billion portfolio of lodging assets. He began his career at Hyatt Development Corporation after graduating from Cornell University. Cody co-created the Certified Hotel Asset Manager ("CHAM") professional designation program which launched in 2012. He co-founded the European chapter of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association ("HAMA") and is a member of the International Hotel Investment Council (“IHIC”).

Coley J. Brenan KSL Capital Partners International Coley Brenan, Partner, KSL Capital Partners. Mr. Brenan runs the European office for KSL Capital Partners, based in London. KSL is a leading private equity firm with $7.0 billion of equity capital commitments raised since 2005 and a 20-year track record of making investments exclusively in travel and leisure businesses. Through its investment vehicles, KSL has owned and operated some of the largest and most renowned hotel and resort properties in the United States and Europe, comprising 15,500 hotel rooms, 500 restaurants, 350 retail stores 250 golf courses and 630,000 members. In Europe, KSL currently owns The Belfry, a 312-room golf resort in Wishaw, England; Village Urban Resorts, a collection of 28 hotels located throughout the UK; and ESPA, the leading producer of luxury spa and wellness products and services which operates in 51 countries. Prior to KSL Capital Partners, Mr. Brenan was with Deutsche Bank Securities in their Real Estate, Gaming, Lodging & Leisure corporate finance team. He holds a B.S. from Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration.

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James E. Burba BHN Jim Burba is the co-founder and president of Burba Hotel Network LLC (BHN), the worldwide leader in developing and producing conferences for the hotel and tourism investment community. BHN hosts ten events each year around the world including: ALIS, ALIS Law, ALIS Summer Update, AOCAP, HICAP, HICAP UPDATE, HIFI, CHRIS, HOLA, and Hot.E. In 2008, BHN and Google teamed up to host Digital Discovery Day (D3) and in 2011, Burba was retained by the ITC, a joint agency of the UN and WTO to help organize WEDF which focused on tourism development in the least developed countries of the world. Actively involved in the hotel investment arena for 30 years, Burba was formerly: a principal at Pannell Kerr Forster, Senior Managing Director with Insignia/Hotel Partners, VP/Worldwide Director of Advisory Services at WATG, and President at Horwath HTL (US). A member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC) and the Industry Real Estate Finance Advisory Council (IREFAC), Burba has received numerous honors including the Educational Institute Lamp of Knowledge Award, IREFAC’s first Crystal Ball Award, and the ISHC Pioneer Award. In 2007, California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, re-appointed Burba to his second term on the California Travel & Tourism Commission and he recently served on its Executive Committee.

Stewart Campbell Redefine|BDL As Managing Director of Redefine|BDL Hotels Stewart leads the growth in and retention of hotels under management. Since joining the hospitality industry in 2003 he has gained a wealth of knowledge and experience in all types of hotels transactions. Through his relationships with key investors and his deal experience he is able to advise stakeholders on the best options to consider when looking at any hotel opportunity. He has vast experience in dealing with senior debt providers as well as the legal requirements for Hotel Management Agreements. These skills are vital in making deals happen and under Stewart’s leadership the growth in the number of hotels under management continues to go from strength to strength.

Jean-Philippe Chomette Algonquin Jean-Philippe Chomette, 52, is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Algonquin Group which he founded in 1998. Algonquin is an investor and operator of hotel properties through subsidiaries, investment funds and joint ventures that it creates with institutional investors, private equity funds, family offices and HNWI across Europe. Algonquin’s portfolio of owned properties currently comprises 40 hotels in six European countries, totalling more than 7,100 rooms in the up-scale and mid-scale segments, including 16 directly-operated hotels (1,700 rooms). Prior to founding Algonquin, Mr. Chomette worked in Investment and Finance at Banque Paribas and Everest Capital Limited in North America. He studied at ESSEC Business School of which he graduated in 1986 and lives in London.

Neasa Costin Facebook Neasa has worked in advertising and media for 12 years. Neasa has worked as Account Manager helping clients with their marketing and advertising needs in both creative agencies and traditional media. She has worked in Facebook for over 4 years and was appointed Travel vertical lead for the UK/Ireland market Jan 2013. Her role is to work closely all travel clients across the UK/Ireland to help develop their marketing strategy, offer best practice and drive their business needs through Facebook. Alongside her core role Neasa is also the EMEA travel lead, where she coordinates the EMEA travel team to develop the travel growth strategy.

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Dermot Crowley Dalata Hotel Group plc Dermot joined Dalata in 2012 where he has overall responsibility for business development and finance. He led the acquisition of the Moran Bewley Hotel Group in February 2015. He also played a leading role in the IPO of the Company in March 2014 and the equity fundraising in September 2015. He is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland. He previously worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Procter & Gamble, Forte Hotels and Renault Ireland, before joining Jurys Doyle Hotel Group plc as Head of Development from 2000 to 2006. From 2006 to 2012 he worked at Ion Equity on a number of transactions which included the establishment of Pillo Hotels.

Chris Day Christie & Co Chris Day joined Christie + Co in 1985 and, having worked in the Manchester, Birmingham and London Offices, was appointed Managing Director in 1993. He has overall responsibility for all Christie + Co's specialist transactional and advisory activities. Chris has overseen the successful expansion of Christie + Co into a truly global firm, which currently has 29 offices throughout Europe. Based in the London office, Chris has particular responsibility for our UK operations and travels regularly across Europe. He specialises in the sale and valuation of hotels, public houses and restaurants and has led teams handling numerous disposal and valuation assignments for many high profile clients. Chris is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and member of the International Society of Hospitality Consultants (ISHC). He commenced his career in the property profession in 1975, qualifying as a Chartered Surveyor in 1980. In recent years he has chaired the Central London Branch of the RICS, and is currently Chairman of the London Regional Board of the RICS.

Peter Ebertz Art-Invest Real Estate Dr. Peter Ebertz is Managing Partner at Art-Invest Real Estate and heads the firm’s hotel investment division. Art-Invest disposes of a range of investment vehicles enabling the company to develop, own and operate hotels in various stages of their life cycles; with its dedicated hotel fund Peter manages a portfolio of 20 hotels in Germany with a total volume of EUR 600 Mio. including the Sofitel Alter Wall Hamburg and the Le Méridien Parkhotel Frankfurt. Peter’s background includes hotel operational experience as well as investment banking and strategy consulting. Before joining Art-Invest Peter was project manager with E&P Real Estate GmbH & Co. KG where he oversaw project developments and transactions within a 1.5 billion hotel portfolio comprising of approx. 50 hotels. Peter Ebertz studied economic sciences and holds a PHD and Executive MBA from the University of Münster.

Thomas Emanuel STR Thomas Emanuel is Director of Business Development at STR. He is based in London, and oversees a team focused on driving STR Global’s business with Industry Partners. He has spent his entire career in the hotel industry, initially with Hyatt Hotel & Resorts, both at a corporate and unit level, and he started with the Deloitte HotelBenchmark team in 2006. Since the formation of STR in March 2008, he has led the Business Development department, and been part of their management team. Travelling extensively, Thomas has worked in over thirty five countries across six continents and is a regular speaker at leading hospitality conferences across the globe. Thomas holds a BA (Hons) in International Business.

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Gabriel Escarrer Juliá Meliá Hotels International Gabriel Escarrer Juliá was 21 when he founded what is now Meliá Hotels International group in 1956. He bought and managed a 60-room hotel on the island of Mallorca, from where he still chairs one of the most successful hotel companies in the world, currently owning or operating over 375 hotels in 42 countries, with almost 100.000 rooms. His visionary character led him to be the 1st Spanish Company to open an International hotel, in Nussa Dua (Bali), which is still a landmark in the destination, and to be a pioneer in the take-off of world-leading destinations like Cancun, Dominican Republic, or Cuba, where Meliá is still the first International hotel chain. Later, the Company would face the expansion in North America, Asia, and the main European cities. His vision also led the Group to develop a comprehensive portfolio of hotel brands, suitable for each customer segment and profile, and above all, Gabriel Escarrer inspired a strong set of family and professional values to the Company, that have always been the foundation for its growth and resilience to difficulties. As a result of his merits and his vast experience in the tourist industry, Gabriel Escarrer Juliá has received numerous acknowledgements, honors and Lifetime Achievement Awards, which demonstrate his important contribution to the national and international hotel business.

Jean-Bernard Falco Paris Inn Group Founder and Chairman of Paris Inn Group (2005), an asset management company of 32 hotels (4-5*) mainly located in Paris. With 1000 associates and €80M annual turnover in 2015 the company plans to reach 1 billion within the next 15 years. Founder of a hotel investment vehicle to deploy “Maison Albar” brand ($1billion), Co-founder and President of an Association for Professionalism in Hospitality and Tourism (30,000 members). The objective is to provide a professional service and high-quality accommodations in order to welcome 110 million tourists in France in 2020. Founder of the 1st Sino-French JV with “Plateno Group” in order to manage 150 five star boutique hotels in Asia (2014). Winner of the “PALME DE L’HÔTELIER” trophy (2014). Nomination as Federator of the “Tourism Export Industry” by the Ministry of the Foreign Affairs and International Development (2014). Founder of a JV with MORGAN STANLEY REI (Parisian hotel investment fund of €250M in 2013). Founder of a JV with PGIM (Prudential) - Parisian hotel investment fund of €60M in 2011. Partner and CEO of a company specialized in Parisian hotel transactions. Member of the National Chamber of Expert Financial Advisers: 2002-2005. Consular Judge in the Commercial Courts of Paris (2009-2013). Coach of a 130-member group to run the 2016 New York Marathon (employees and partners).

Michael Fuller Global Resilience UK Following a successful 21-year career as a Commissioned Officer in the British Army, Michael Fuller, MBE, successfully established himself in the security and resilience sector with notable successes in a number of areas. Michael established Global Resilience Partners Limited, which specialises in designing and implementing strategic and operational resilience and security solutions for critical infrastructure, major events, safe cities and also cyber/data protection. Some of our successes include; the design of the UK’s National Olympic Security Co-ordination Centre for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; writing the national security concept for the FIFA Brazil 2014 World Cup; a crisis management command and control solution for the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation; the design of an information exchange solution for Beirut’s counter-terrorism agencies; and, designing crisis management decision making solutions for the London Resilience Team. Global Resilience is currently designing the implementation of a secure cyber information exchange and management model for the UK’s nuclear sites. Michael is a keen sportsman, amateur chef, father of four and avid Bath rugby fan.

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Nevius Glussi Rosewood Hotel Group Nevius Glussi is Senior Corporate Director of Development at Rosewood Hotel Group, focusing on key markets throughout Europe and Africa for the development of both the ultra-luxury Rosewood Hotels & Resorts and neighbourhood-lifestyle pentahotels brands. Currently based in London, Nevius spent almost four years working for the company in Asia-Pacific before relocating to the British Capital. Prior to joining Rosewood Hotel Group, Nevius managed two private equity funds investing in beachfront properties in Asia-Pacific. During the six years investing in Asia’s emerging markets, Mr. Glussi completed acquisition and due diligence on more than US$ 1 billion of assets in 19 countries from Sri Lanka to Fiji and from China to Australia with a focus on coastal SE Asian markets. Previously, he worked as a consulting, feasibility and valuation expert at HVS, in New York and later in Singapore. An Italian citizen, Mr. Glussi is a graduate of the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne and speaks five languages including Italian, Spanish, French and Mandarin. Rosewood Hotel Group is a member of New World Group, a Hong Kong-based leading conglomerate and principal investor in many Rosewood Hotel Group properties, please visit www.rosewoodhotelgroup.com.

Estanislao Gómez NH Hotel Group BA in Business Administration and Master Degree in Marketing and Sales. I am an experienced professional in the hotel sector, having been involved in the transformation of NH from a local brand to a global player. Lease and Management Hotel contract negotiation is my main expertise, incorporating a deep knowledge of the Urban hotel business. After several experiences in the field of marketing and advertising, I am working at NH Hotel Group for the past 20 years. Currently, I am the Expansion Director of NH in Spain, Portugal and Andorra since 2006. During the past years, I have been dealing with different responsibilities at Corporate Level: supporting the development of NH in different operations in Europe, Africa and America (Italy, Romania, Czech Republic, Poland, Colombia , Panama, Senegal, etc.) including the Asset Management responsibility in Spain and Portugal, over various periods. Currently my main function is to identify hotel development opportunities for Business Unit Spain , Portugal and Andorra, under lease or management models; As well, I am in charge of the negotiation with potential investors and developers for the acquisition of various hotel opportunities, both existing and new developments, were NH will be the future operator.

David Goodger Tourism Economics

Mike Lee Goodson ADIA

Mike is Global Head of Hospitality at ADIA. He is responsible for management of the group’s hospitality portfolio, including acquisition and disposition activity and also all hotel asset management activities. In addition, he is a member of the ADIA Real Estate Screening and Executive Committees, and chairs the department’s Recruiting and Resource Development Committees. Prior to ADIA, Mike was Managing Director – Europe, for Host Hotels & Resorts, where he had overall responsibility for Host’s business in Europe, including its joint venture with GIC and APG. Prior to joining Host in 2006, Mike spent over 18 years in various roles with Intercontinental Hotels Group. His last role there was SVP Corporate Finance for IHG, where he spearheaded the global sale and manage-back programme for IHG’s hotel portfolio, disposing of approximately 175 hotels over a three-year period and maintaining flags on substantially all. A graduate of University of Florida, Mike resides with his family in Abu Dhabi and Atlanta.

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Peter Gowers Travelodge Hotels Peter Gowers is the Chief Executive of Travelodge. Travelodge is one of the UK’s largest independent hoteliers, with a portfolio of more than 500 hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain. The company has recently embarked on a significant change programme with the objective of becoming Britain’s favourite hotel for value. The programme includes a £100m hotel modernisation programme and a new £25m advertising campaign showcasing the new king size beds and upgraded rooms with the strapline ‘That’s Travelogical’. Before joining Travelodge, Peter was the Chief Executive of Safestore Holdings plc, (LSE: SAFE.L), the UK’s largest self-storage operator. This followed almost ten years with IHG plc (LSE: IHG.L), the world’s largest hotel company, where Peter served successively as Head of Strategy, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Executive, Asia-Pacific. Peter spent his early career in strategic planning with Bass plc, the UK brewing, pubs & restaurants and hotels conglomerate; and with a leading international management consultancy, specialising in corporate finance and media and telecoms.

Jan Hazelton Three Points Advisory Ms. Hazelton is a seasoned hotel investment and development executive with broad experience across multiple markets. Her experience includes all aspects of hotel investment including banking/lending, asset management, finance, development, feasibility and investment analysis. Currently she is Managing Director at Three Points Advisory, a boutique hotel advisory firm. Most recently, Ms. Hazelton served as the Vice President of Development for Europe for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. Prior to joining Four Seasons, she was a founding principal of Taylor Global Advisors, a hospitality advisory firm. Her background includes VP of Development at Hilton Hotels in London; ten years at Calyon/Credit Lyonnais as lender in New York and London; Olympus Real Estate Private Equity; ITT Sheraton in various development and owner relations positions; PKF in hotel advisory and she started her career at the Westin Century Plaza Hotel in the management training program. She has two degrees in Hotel and Business Administration from Washington State University. She is a Director of the International Hotel Investment Council, member of Urban Land Institute (“ULI”) and a past Vice Chair of ULI’s Hotel & Resort Council. Born and raised in Seattle Washington, Jan is an avid tennis player and skier, enjoys traveling, cooking and has a keen interest in health and fitness. She is actively involved with the Women for Women International and a member of their Leadership Circle.

Tim Helliwell Barclays Bank PLC Tim Helliwell heads the Barclays Hotels Team, with responsibility for the Bank’s hotel clients within the UK and Western Europe. The hotels team is an integral part of the Barclays Hospitality & Leisure business with key relationships in the travel, restaurant, pub, gaming, health & fitness, leisure operators and sports sectors. As Head of Hotels for Barclays, Tim focuses his time on ensuring the Bank maintains a cohesive approach to the market place both in terms of our funding strategies and our long term relationships with our clients and advisors. The Barclays Hotels Team covers all aspects of senior debt funding; equity & debt capital markets and wider banking needs.

Dyann Heward-Mills Baker & McKenzie Dyann Heward-Mills is a UK-qualified barrister and head of the Data Protection and Cyber Security Practice Group in Baker & McKenzie's London office. Prior to joining the Firm, Dyann acted as senior privacy counsel to GE Capital, where she provided global support and advice on matters pertaining to privacy and data protection. Dyann is a non-executive board member for a technology start-up business that has developed an innovative data analytics tool to track and monitor the performance of recruitment activities. She is active in the Firm's BakerWomen, BakerEthnicity and BakerOpportunity initiatives and spearheads the Firm's Cyber Ready Girls' initiative which aims to encourage more females into coding and wider tech roles. Dyann's main areas of focus include cyber security, binding corporate rules (BCRs), international data transfers, data breach, data protection audits, compliance frameworks, information governance and cloud computing. Other areas of focus include regulatory approvals, employee privacy, as well as technology roll-outs, direct marketing and Big Data initiatives.

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Bobby Hiranandani Royal Group Bobby Hiranandani, son of property tycoon Asok Kumar Hiranandani, joined Royal Group in 2009 after he graduated in Building and Construction Management. Bobby brings the necessary skills in building and developing hotels and offices which complements with the overall group's strategy and philosophy. Bobby, as Royal Group’s Co-Chairman, has embarked most ambitious projects which include Sofitel So Singapore, Sofitel Sentosa Singapore Resort & Spa, InterContinental Sydney Double Bay Hotel and DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur. The group owns various real estate including residential, serviced apartments and commercial properties in different prime locations of Singapore and has bought over many businesses through the years. Its portfolio spanning through Asia and Australia, looking at the growth in more developed markets and pushing out the rest of the world in certain areas of Europe and America.

Carmen Hui Host Hotels Ltd Carmen Hui, Senior Vice President of Acquisitions – Europe for Host Hotels Ltd, leads a team responsible for acquisition and disposition transactions on behalf of Host and its joint venture partners in Europe, GIC RE and APG. Since joining Host in 2004, Carmen has played a key role in establishing Host’s European joint venture in 2006 and carrying out strategic investments and disposals for Host and its partners, in addition to ongoing fund management in the region. Host’s European JV portfolio currently comprises 10 hotels with approximately 3,900 rooms across 7 countries, with approximately €1.7 billion AUM. Host acts as the general managing partner and asset manager for the partnership. Prior to joining Host, Carmen worked for Morgan Stanley’s Mergers & Acquisitions and Real Estate teams in New York and Hong Kong. She graduated with honours from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts degree having double majored in Economics & Mathematics and International Studies. Carmen was the recipient of the 2013 IHIF Young Leader Award.

Charles Human HVS Hodges Ward Elliott Charles is Managing Director of HVS London and of HVS Hodges Ward Elliott, the hotel brokerage and investment banking division of HVS. A qualified Chartered Surveyor, Charles has specialised in the hotel sector for over 20 years. He has led HVS’s activities in the acquisition, sale and financing of hotels, portfolios and development projects, and has a unique knowledge of global hotel markets and hotel concepts. Charles is a frequent speaker on the international hotel industry, on topics relating specifically to the valuation of, and investment in hotels, the transaction market and hotel financing.

Oliver Judge Hetherley Capital As Managing Director of Hetherley Capital Partners, Oliver oversees all aspects of asset management for the existing portfolio, developing strategic plans, reviewing all budgets and expenditures, and working with hotel management companies to increase profitability and overall portfolio returns. He is responsible for sourcing and closing new business opportunities for Hetherley, along with brand and owner relations. Previously Director of Asset Management for a hotel REIT based in the US, Oliver was responsible for a complex portfolio of branded and non-branded hotels, with a combined capital value in excess of US$850 million. Having previously held other senior hotel consultancy and operations management positions, Oliver has a wealth of experience in hotel asset management, operations management and hotel financial analysis. Working with Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, Oliver has co-designed the school’s first hotel asset management course. Oliver is a member of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association, as well as the Emerging Leaders Council for the European Owners Association of IHG.

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Bruno Juin BNP Paribas RE Hotels With over 20 years’ experience in the hospitality industry, Bruno has an extensive knowledge of the hotel, tourism and leisure sectors and is a recognised expert in the European market. Operating from BNP Paribas Real Estate Paris office, Bruno is responsible for all the Hotel division. In his current role he also supervises divestment of portfolios and single assets, feasibility studies, hotel management agreement and lease negotiations as well as operator selections. He has overseen valuations representing up to €5.0 billion on an annual basis, providing operational reviews, strategic advice as well as recommendation on market positioning to a wide range of investors: banks, institutional investors, investment funds, hotel chains and private equity investors. Bruno studied at IMHI, a joint program established by Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and ESSEC where he earned a MBA in International Hospitality Management to complement his previous Hotel Baccalaureate from the Hotel School of La Rochelle and his Undergraduate Degree in Hospitality Management.

Franz Jurkowitsch Warimpex Finanz AG Dr. Franz Jurkowitsch is chairman, co-founder and co-owner of Warimpex Finanz- und Beteiligungs AG. Dr. Jurkowitsch has worked in real estate development and investment business in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, France, Romania and Russia since 1985. He is chairman of the Supervisory Board of Vienna International Hotelmanagement AG (since May 1999) and chairman of the Supervisory Board of Sigmund-Freud-Privatstiftung (since October 2003). Mr. Jurkowitsch graduated from the University of Economics in Vienna. He also holds a doctorate from the University of Economics in Vienna (since 1971).

Wilma Kellermann-Baans Steigenberger Hotels AG Wilma Kellermann-Baans has been involved in hotel development since 1997 when she started her development career with Rezidor Hotel Group in Brussels followed by an assignment at Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Prior to her move to Brussels she held several management functions within a franchise organization in Germany where she lived from 1981 till 1997. In March 2009 (till now) she started her own company and has been representing the Steigenberger Hotel Group (Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, InterCityHotels and JAZ) to supporting their International Development Strategy - resulting in an active pipeline of executed deals and developments in Europe and the Middle East including the first Steigenberger Hotel in Dubai, the first JAZ in the City in Amsterdam and the first InterCityHotel in the Benelux (Enschede).

Christian D. Kielgast Nordic Hotel Consulting Christian Kielgast is partner and co-owner of Nordic Hotel Consulting – a leading hotel advisory company with offices in Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm and Reykjavik. NHC is active within investment advisory, asset management and consulting. Christian leads the company’s investment advisory activities and has in recent years advised, or currently advising on, transactions worth ca. 1 billion EUR across the Nordics, Baltics and Germany for a range of leading international and Nordic hotel real estate investors. Christian is a graduate (honors) of Ecôle Hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland.

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Fredrik Korallus Generator Hostels Fredrik Korallus is Chief Executive Officer of Generator, the award winning, design-focused hostel group, where he leads the continued development and growth of the brand including the imminent entry into North America. With over two decades of hospitality experience spanning four continents, Mr. Korallus successfully aligns vision and strategy and has earned a reputation for building a winning culture based on collaboration, accountability and achievement. Most recently, as CEO of The Hotel Collection, Mr. Korallus oversaw the successful financial turnaround of the company’s 21 hotels across the United Kingdom. A leader within Carlson Rezidor for over twenty years, Mr. Korallus further held a variety of strategic, commercial and operational roles, including the global launch of the Park Inn brand, the global alignment of the Radisson brand and the global introduction of Radisson Blu. Mr. Korallus received his Hospitality and Business Management B.T.E.C from Thames Valley University at The University of West London and his EMP in Executive Management from INSEAD (2002).

Jacek Kulakowski Fosun Property Holdings Jacek Kulakowski is an Investment Manager with Fosun Property Holdings, where he is responsible for European Investments. He joined Fosun in March 2015 with three years of experience in Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A), Valuations and Transaction Advisory Services. Previously, Jacek was an Analyst in the Corporate Finance team at Credit Suisse in Zurich, Switzerland, focusing on execution of mid-market M&A transactions across a number of industries in the EMEA region. Prior to that, Mr. Kulakowski worked in M&A advisory and due diligence teams of UBS and EY in Germany and Poland. Jacek graduated from Cracow University of Economics with a Master Degree in Finance and Accounting. He also passed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Program.

Mark Lanspa Wells Fargo Bank Mark Lanspa is an Executive Vice President with Wells Fargo Commercial Real Estate’s Hospitality Finance Group, where he is responsible for clients based in New York and London. Mark has more than 25 years of real estate finance experience and joined Wells Fargo in 2012. Previously, Mark was a Managing Director at Credit Suisse, was a Principal at Oasis Real Estate Partners, a real estate debt advisory firm, and held positions at Goldman Sachs and GE Capital. Mark earned a BS degree in accounting from Georgetown University and a MBA from Columbia University. Mark is active in numerous professional and community organizations, such as the Urban Land Institute, and currently serves on the boards of the Real Estate Lenders Association, where he is a past president, and God’s Love We Deliver, which provides food and nutritional counseling for people living with serious illnesses, where he serves as a Board Member and Treasurer. He also is a member of the Alumni Council of Mount Michael Benedictine High School, Elkhorn, Nebraska.

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Dan E. Larkin Bryan Cave LLP Dan Larkin is a corporate partner in the London office who specialises in asset-backed transactions and financings and has experience advising on structured financings, public-private partnerships, capital sourcing, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, joint ventures, privatisations, development projects, securitisations and restructurings. Dan has particular experience with transactions in the hospitality and leisure, real estate, transport, energy, construction, consumer products and retail, and media and entertainment industries. Mr. Larkin’s career also includes positions as Global Head of Hospitality at a large international law firm along with other senior management positions in real estate capital markets and finance, as managing director (and Head of the European Global Hospitality & Leisure Group) with PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Financial Advisory Group in London, and in senior executive roles with Hyatt International Corporation and Ameritech during which he provided legal counsel and business advice on matters throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as Asia-Pacific and the Americas. Among professional associations, he has served as an officer of the International Bar Association and as an officer of the American Bar Association’s Section of International Law. Mr. Larkin is recognised as a specialist in Commercial Contracts by Chambers UK 2016.

Frédéric Le Fichoux Cushman & Wakefield Frédéric Le Fichoux is a partner at Cushman & Wakefield. He is leading the hotel transactions’ teams in Continental Europe and the hospitality team in Central & Eastern Europe. With over 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Fred has an extensive knowledge of the hotel real estate sector and is a recognized expert in the European market. He has spent the last 10 years in managing and growing the hospitality team for the CEE region at Cushman and Wakefield. He has recently taken new responsibilities to focus on hotel transaction advisory and brokerage services across continental Europe. Fred has advised on the acquisition and disposal of over EUR 700 million of hotel transactions in Europe, over the past years. He holds a MBA in Hospitality Management from Cornell University and ESSEC Business School. He is also Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) since 2010.

Gaël Le Lay Foncière des Murs Gaël Le Lay, 44, is Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Foncière des Murs, a subsidiary of Foncière des Régions specialized in Hotels and Service Sector property. With an asset portfolio of €4 billion, Foncière des Murs is a key partner of Accor, B & B, Louvre Hotels, Meininger, Motel One. Gaël Le Lay was previously Hotel Investments Manager at Axa Real Estate, a position he held for 7 years. Prior to that, he worked for 11 years in the Accor Group, where he began his career, first as Internal Control Manager, then as Project Manager reports to the Head of Investment. He joined Foncière des Murs in September 2013.

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Michael Leue Bryan Cave LLP Michael Leue focusses his practice on advising complex transactions, mostly with an international element. Multinational M&A transactions feature as prominently as advising on corporate matters, in particular relating to limited liability companies and stock corporations. This includes representing clients in national and international arbitration and litigation, providing ongoing legal advice to corporations with regard to complex operational issues as well as on the shareholder side. His specialization on listed and non-listed Aktiengesellschaften (stock corporations) includes advising supervisory and executive boards on capital increases, domination agreements, profit and loss pooling agreements, listings, de-listings and public offerings, shareholders meetings and protection against and defense of shareholder activism. Furthermore, he advises on corporate structures and corporate finance. He has advised hospitality clients on the corporate and transactional side, ranging from horse racing courses to golf courses, from restaurant projects to an international chain of night clubs and from international investment in German hotel projects to German investment in international ones. Mr. Leue advises based on a deep understanding of the business and with high personal engagement. Apart from his work as a lawyer, Mr. Leue has gained experience through being trained and having worked at a bank and serving on supervisory boards of various companies.

David Ling CDL Hospitality Trust David’s 26 years of experience spans from establishing and expanding new businesses, investment to professional activities in the hotel real estate industry with roles including CEO, senior executive and board member. He maintains excellent relationship with major industry players and has diverse geographic experience in markets across Asia Pacific and Europe. As Head of Strategic Development, David is currently responsible for origination of strategic investment opportunities from the regional and international markets for CDL Hospitality Trusts (CDLHT). CDLHT is a leading hotel real estate investment and business trusts listed on the mainboard of Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Limited. His passion and entrepreneurial spirit drove him to establish four new offices of HVS in Asia between 2004 and 2014 as its Chairman and CEO, as well as founded the largest and most influential hotel investment conferences in mainland China – the annual China Hotel Investment Conference. During his earlier career, David was a pioneer member instrumental in establishing Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels’ presence in Asia in the 1990s and early 2000s as its Senior Vice President, initially in Investment activities and subsequently heading its Advisory Services.

Josh Littman Hard Rock Hotels Josh Littman is the EMEA Vice President of Development for Hotels at Hard Rock International, based in London, having joined the company in April 2012. At Hard Rock, he is responsible for expanding the firm’s portfolio of hotels in the EMEA region, which involves the sourcing of opportunities, negotiation of transaction details and close participation throughout the planning stage for any new projects through to opening. Notable accomplishments include executing deals for the company’s first European resort (Ibiza), first European capital city (Berlin) and soon-to-open first Middle East hotel (Dubai). With extensive experience in hotel and mixed-use real estate, Josh brings strong hotel operations, financial analysis, economic modelling and development planning skills to the firm, built up over his 18-year career.

Chris Martin HVS Hodges Ward Elliott Chris Martin is a Senior Director of HVS Hodges Ward Elliott, and has over 15 years of specialist hotel brokerage experience gained in Europe, the Middle East and the Asia Pacific region. He joined the firm in 2009 from Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, with whom he spent almost ten years in Asia and Europe, specialising in hotel brokerage. As well as negotiating the sale of numerous major hotels, including several portfolio disposals, Chris also has extensive experience in hotel operator selections, lease and management agreement negotiations and the sale of hotel development projects.

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Keith McBain JLL Hotels & Hospitality Keith is a Chartered Surveyor who has specialised exclusively within the Hotel & Hospitality commercial real estate sector since 1999. Leader of the Hotels Advisory team in Scotland and part of a highly experienced UK team providing acquisition, development, lettings, restructuring, sales and valuation services. Keith’s experience covers the full cycle of hotel real estate development and sale, across the entire range from Budget to Luxury hotels and Extended Stay accommodation. Keith currently handles Operator Search and Valuation assignments for Clients who Own Operate, Build or Finance hotels & hospitality real estate from local, UK and international markets.

David MC Michels Michels & Taylor Knighted in 2006 for services to hotel and catering industry. Sir David Michels is currently Chairman of Michels & Taylor, London & Capital, Miroma and Iconic Bet.com. He is also a board member of Strategic Hotels and Resorts and is currently President of both The Tourism Alliance and The Institute of Hospitality. Previous roles have included that of Deputy Chairman of both Marks & Spencer plc and easyJet plc, Board member of The Savoy Hotel, Jumeirah Hotels, British Land plc, RAB Capital, Arcadia plc and Paramount Restaurants and David is also a past President of the British Hospitality Association. Having spent over 40 years in the hotel and gaming business, Sir David retired as Chief Executive of Hilton Group plc in 2007 having sold Hilton International to Hilton Hotels Corporation for £4 billion and launching Ladbrokes as a stand alone public company. Prior to this David was Chief Executive of Stakis plc, which he joined in 1990 and sold some 9 years later to Ladbrokes plc for £1.2 billion. David's previous experience included Executive President Worldwide Marketing for Hilton, Managing Director of Hilton UK and prior to that, some 17 years in various hotel positions around the world with Grand Metropolitan Plc.

Jasper Muller citizenM hotels Jasper Muller is currently heading the Development & Investment team at citizenM hotels. A graduate of the Amsterdam School of Real Estate and Delft University of Technology, Jasper is a real estate professional with over 18 years of working experience. Jasper started his career at the real estate teams of consulting firms Arthur Andersen and Deloitte. In 2006 he joined the team of citizenM hotels, to help expand the brand to metropolitan cities around the world. In 2014 and 2015 Jasper was based in Hong Kong to help citizenM’s Asia partner establish the brand in the Asia market.

Sharan Pasricha The Hoxton (Ennismore) Sharan oversees the various components that make up Ennismore and is responsible for the overall strategy of The Hoxton and Gleneagles. Without the benefit of knowing 'how it should be done' across Hospitality, Sharan relishes throwing the daily 'curveball' or two at his team. He has been a jack of all but master of none in a career that spans private equity, a turnaround CEO and media entrepreneur. Sharan was educated at the Doon School in India, holds an Accounting & Finance degree from Regents College where he was a Deans List Scholar and an MBA from London Business School.

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Mark Rajbenbach Paul Hastings LLP Mark Rajbenbach is a partner in the Real Estate department of the Paul Hastings London office. Mr. Rajbenbach’s focus is in commercial real estate and corporate real estate transactions, with particular emphasis in the hotels sector. He focuses his practice on tax-based transactions and structuring, cross-border transactions, joint ventures, investment sales and purchases (including structured transactions of corporate holding vehicles), and hotel leases and management agreements throughout Europe and beyond.

Inmaculada Ranera Christie & Co Inmaculada has been Managing Director for Christie & Co Spain and Portugal since they were established in Barcelona in 2000. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the Real Estate sector, and sixteen years’ in the hotel sector. Previous experience has included working for the Catalonia Development Agency, responsible for attracting foreign investment to the region, where she also coordinated and managed the ‘Site Selection Division’. She joined then the property company King Sturge, where she started as Business Development Manager and became Manager for Catalonia of the Land Division. Since she joined Christie & Co, Inmaculada has been involved in projects in Spain and Portugal as well as cross border deals, including hotel operator searches and hotel transactions. She has been responsible for sales of large portfolios as well as city, coastal and resort hotels. She has also been involved in the international growth of Spanish hotel groups, helping them to find hotel assets in Europe. Inmaculada has valuable experience in commercial due diligence, having been involved and in most of the hotel debt portfolios which have been on the market in Spain and Portugal within the last years. She is also a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

James Riddell Lone Star Europe Since 2009 has worked on the origination and execution of commercial real estate led opportunities. Broad investment focus in the UK, Irish and Scandinavian markets looking at loan portfolios, direct investments and developments. Responsible for approximately $20 billion of investments in the UK and Irish markets in the last 5 years, including c.$2.5 billion of UK hotel investments and the take private of Quintain Estates and Development plc. Prior to joining Lone Star, worked in the real estate investment banking team at Morgan Stanley Investment Bank and prior to this worked as an Associate Solicitor in the corporate M&A team at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP.

Pierre-Frédéric Roulot Louvre Hotels Group Pierre-Frédéric Roulot is the CEO of Louvre Hotels Group, the international hospitality player based in Paris, France. He joined the Group in 2007, bringing more than 25 years of experience in the service industry including extensive knowledge in marketing, brand management, operations management and franchise network development. Since the acquisition of the group by the Chinese conglomerate Jin Jiang in March 2015, Pierre-Frédéric has been successfully collaborating with his new shareholder to smoothly integrate Louvre Hotels Group to their existing structure while pursuing sound business development. In December 2015, in addition to his current role, Pierre-Frédéric was named CEO of Groupe du Louvre – the holding of Louvre Hotels Group – which has become the new European headquarters of Jin Jiang International. He is responsible for implementing European development strategies of Jin Jiang, supporting Louvre Hotels Group to achieve better performance, as well as facilitating and coordinating the growth of its brands in China. Prior to joining Louvre Hotels Group, Pierre-Frédéric spent 20 years with McDonald’s where he served in various strategic positions including Deputy Managing Director for France and Operations Director, Southern Europe. Pierre-Frédéric holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Management from HEC Paris. A French citizen, he is married with two children and lives in Paris, France.

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Andreas Scriven Christie & Co Andreas is responsible for Christie + Co's international offices and the Consultancy team based in London. He has extensive consultancy and M&A experience across the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the USA. He joined the firm from Deloitte, where he spent six years working in the UK and the USA across the company’s Consultancy and Corporate Finance divisions. Prior to joining Deloitte, Andreas was based in Los Angeles as part of Arthur Andersen’s Hotel Business Consultancy team. He has operational hotel experience in the USA, Switzerland and Hong Kong. He is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and speaks fluent German and Swiss-German.

Dominic Seely Westmont Hospitality Mr. Seely is responsible for acquisitions in Europe. Westmont, founded in 1975, has been active in Europe since 1996 and has acquired, owned, and operated more than 350 hotels across twelve countries. What started with a single hotel in North America, has grown to become one of the largest privately-held hospitality organisations in the world with a presence across three continents. Westmont has a diversified portfolio ranging from budget and aparthotels to mid-market business and large conference hotels to boutique and luxury hotels. Prior to Westmont, Mr. Seely ran his own hospitality investment advisory firm called Townhouse Capital that acted for a dozen different institutional and private investors as well as advising governments on FDI in the tourism sector. He has also held senior executive positions at Kharafi Group, the Kuwaiti conglomerate, and Stein Group, the pan-European luxury lifestyle hotel owner operator. Before the hotel industry, he worked in tech VC and investment banking with Kleinwort Benson. He is a regular speaker at various investment forums including, but not limited to, Hot.E, IHIF, GRI, and Hoftel.

Martina Serdarušić Erste & Steiermärkische Bank Martina Serdarušić is Head of Tourism and commercial financing Group in Erste & Steiermärkische bank, Croatia. Martina started corporate banking career in 2004. For the last 8 years she has been responsible for financing real estate tourism projects in Croatia and Montenegro including hotels, large scale touristic resorts, nautical marinas and camping site. She graduated from Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb and has been enrolled in Tourism and Hospitality Management MBA program at Modul University in Vienna.

James Simmonds Belmond James Simmonds is responsible for sourcing hotel, train and cruise opportunities worldwide to deliver Belmond’s five-year growth plan to double in size, primarily through management agreements, as well as acquisitions and joint ventures, and leases in highly-strategic markets. Belmond’s collection includes 46 iconic hotels, trains and river cruises in 22 countries. The company was established in 1976 with the purchase of the Belmond Hotel Cipriani in Venice, is headquartered in London and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Prior to joining Belmond, Mr. Simmonds served as SVP Development for Rosewood Hotel Group in Hong Kong, leading their rapid expansion in the Asia Pacific region. He has worked for Mubadala Development Company (an investment vehicle of the Government of Abu Dhabi) leading their hotel investments and developments internationally, and for IFA Hotels & Resorts (a mixed-use developer with projects in the Middle East and Africa) in development and asset management, and previously in hotel advisory roles for Deloitte and Ernst & Young, based in London. He has a range of experience across hotel investment, development, asset management and consulting, across key regions worldwide. Mr. Simmonds graduated from the University of Surrey, UK, with first class honours in hotel management.

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Marc N. Socker Invesco Real Estate Marc Socker is the Managing Director of Invesco Real Estate’s (IRE’s) Hotel Fund Management team, a dedicated specialist team who manage IRE’s investments in the hotel real estate sector. He joined the IRE hotel team in October 2007, which today consists of six professionals with extensive experience from both a hotel operator and fund management perspective. Marc has wide-ranging experience in hotel transactions, financings, management contract negotiations and asset management, which he has gained from over 11 years of working within the global hotel and real estate industries at companies such as DTZ Corporate Finance’s hotel advisory services and the Hilton Group Plc’s real estate department. Marc has a BCom (Hons) in Economics and Business from the University of Edinburgh. IRE manages a diverse, multi-branded pan-European portfolio of hotels comprising 30 hotels with €1.1bn of AUM across eight countries on behalf of both dedicated close-ended pooled vehicles and separate account clients. IRE’s hotel investments cover a wide range of risk appetites and strategies.

Rod F. Taylor TGA Limited Up until 2008, Rod Taylor was a career corporate banker. Previous appointments included being Head of Hotel Finance, U K & Western Europe for Barclays Bank and then Head of Hotel Finance, Europe, Middle East and North Africa for Europe Arab Bank. In 2009 Rod established his hotel consultancy, Taylor Global Advisors Limited. This coincided with the 2008/2012 recession and the core strategy behind the company was to assist hotel owners and their lenders facing challenging financial situations. TGA sought to bring a fresh pair of eyes and a problem solving mentality, resulting in a fair and equitable solution. In addition to the above, Rod has also during the interim been invited to join the board of directors of several hotel groups, often in a situation where a quick win solution was not possible and longer term commitment was required. Successful outcomes in respect of challenged situations were delivered in respect of aAIM Lagonda, Four Pillars Hotels Group and Lords Hotels Group. Rod was also Chief Restructuring Officer for Cedar Court Hotels Group, Chairman of Surya Hotels Group and for 8 years a NED of the highly respected and hugely successful Firmdale Hotels Group. Currently TGA are providing strategic advice in respect of two separate, 4* full service hotel developments in Central London.

Peter Tengström Midstar Midstar was originally founded in 2008 and is a hotel real estate investment and asset management company with investment capabilities in the Nordic region. Midstar currently owns 14 hotels with a total of 1763 rooms in 10 cities in Sweden and 3 in Norway. Peter is part of the founding team of Midstar and is the managing partner. Peter has close to 20 years of experience in hotel asset management from both the owner and the operator perspective. Before founding Midstar he spent three years with the Rezidor Hotel Group, based in Brussels, responsible for business development in the Nordic and Baltic region including new developments as well as major repositioning of existing hotels in the portfolio. He also spent five years working for Pandox AB, a public hotel real estate company in Stockholm, as part of the acquisition and investment team. During his earlier career he worked in London with consultancy companies HVS, and CBRE. Peter holds a Hospitality Management Diploma from Cesar Ritz, and a BSc in Hospitality Administration from Cornell University, focusing on finance and hotel real estate.

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Christof Winkelmann Aareal Bank AG Christof Winkelmann has been Member of the Management Board at Aareal Bank AG since 1 July 2016 and is responsible for the markets in the Structured Property Financing segment. Prior to this, Christof Winkelmann was Head of the Special Property Finance division of Aareal Bank. He first worked for Aareal Bank from 2000 to 2006, being responsible for the Bank's hotel financing business. He moved to Zurich-based Valartis Bank in 2006, as a Managing Director, returning to Aareal Bank in 2008 as Managing Director Special Property Finance. In this function, he was responsible for the Bank's Special Property Finance business, i.e. financings for hotels, retail and logistics properties. Mr Winkelmann started his career at the Palace Hotel, New York City, and with consultancy firm Arthur Andersen in Frankfurt/Main. Christof Winkelmann was born in 1975 and studied Hospitality Management and Business Administration at the University of Las Vegas, Nevada. He is a member of the Lodging Industry Investment Council (LIIC), the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC Europe) and the Urban Land Institute (ULI Europe), among others.

Rob Torres Google, Inc. With over 20 years of travel industry experience, Rob Torres serves as Google’s Managing Director of advertising and marketing for the travel sector. In this role, Rob oversees the strategy development and profitable growth of integrated marketing campaigns. His group serves some of the largest travel brands in the US. Prior to joining Google, Rob was Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Expedia.com. During his seven year career at Expedia, Rob managed a team that had Global responsibility for 30 strategic accounts, generating gross bookings in excess of $2 billion. Rob is active in the hospitality industry and community affairs. He currently serves as the vice chairman of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association (HSMAI) and is on the board of directors for the Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME), the US Travel Association, Fareportal, Regatta Solutions, the Adventure Travel & Tour Association (ATTA), Sustainable Travel International (STI) and the Washington Leadership Council for the American Lung Association. Twice Rob has been listed among HSMAI’s Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales and Marketing. Rob holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of Southern California and a Masters of Business Administration from Georgetown University.

Sean Worker BridgeStreet Sean Worker is President and Chief Executive Officer of BridgeStreet Global Hospitality. With more than 50,000 apartments in over 60 countries, BridgeStreet – comprised of six unique brands – is the leading hospitality solution offering served apartment experiences for travellers seeking alternatives to the typical hotel accommodation. Sean is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the company and leads BridgeStreet’s 500 teammates in living the brand promise. Sean joined BridgeStreet in 2009. Prior to joining BridgeStreet, Sean served as Managing Director and Executive Vice President, International Operations for Wyndham Hotel Group, London, United Kingdom, where he was responsible for managing a portfolio of over 650 franchised and managed assets throughout EMEA, India and Asia Pacific and was a board member of CHI Hotels & Resorts. Previously, Sean held various senior positions, with responsibility for development, sales and operations, at Interstate Hotels and Resorts, Bristol Hotels & Resorts, Marriott and Hilton in the United States and Europe. During this period, he oversaw and operated a range of assets and global brands. Sean holds a BA in Business with a specialty in Hotel & Hospitality Management from Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology and is a patron of the school. He is a native of Galway, Ireland.

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Camil Yazbeck Patron Capital Partners Camil Yazbeck is Investment Director – Hospitality & Leisure and Partner for Patron Capital, a Pan-European private equity real estate investor, representing €3.4 billion of capital across several funds and related co-investments. Patron’s Past & Current Hospitality Platforms consist of 60+ multi-branded hotels spread across 13 countries, including Generator Hostels, Luxury Family Hotels, Jupiter Hotels, The Spencer Hotel Dublin, Staybridge Suites, Hotel Arts Barcelona, the Bratislava Carlton hotel and 3 Linder Hotels in Switzerland. Patron's strategy is to back local partners and management teams in growing their respective business. Camil leads all aspects of origination, acquisition, underwriting, execution and asset management of new and existing investment opportunities in Patron’s hospitality sector investments. Prior to joining Patron, Camil spent over 20 years in the hospitality industry, focusing on all aspects of hotel operations in a variety of roles throughout the world. He held several senior positions with international hotel companies, including Operations Director, Group and Area General Manager. He acquired extensive experience moving up the ranks in hotel operations, in hotel pre-openings as well as the extended stay hotel market, within independent and branded hotels including Le Meridien, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Mercure, Best Western, The Ascott Group, Citadines and Staybridge Suites. Camil earned his MBA from IMHI - Cornell University and ESSEC School of Management, and his French Diploma in Hotel Management from the Lycée Hôtelier Château Bellerive (Grenoble Academy, France).

Huw Zachariah HSBC Huw is an experienced corporate banker having worked for HSBC for over 30 years in a wide variety of roles, the majority of which are credit related or relationship management positions. For the last 13 years Huw has focused exclusively on the UK hotels sector. HSBC has been a consistent lender to the UK hotels and serviced apartment sectors over a long period; it supports borrowers across all different property types from single assets to portfolios, budget to high-end, branded to un-branded. We support customers - both existing and new - by providing senior debt and other banking services on acquisitions, re-financings and developments. The Team currently has a healthy pipeline of new deals under consideration.

alex andjel peter m. anscomb · 19 july 2016 alex andjel virgin ... rome, barcelona, edinburgh and...

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