Turab Saleem

Head of Hospitality – Al Rajhi Investments

An accomplished and meticulous professional with 25 years of proven success record in various aspects of the Hospitality and Tourism industries including Hotel management, Asset Management, development and operations. A strategic thinker with a strong work ethic, clear direction and resourcefulness. His consulting experience includes over 78 major projects with a value of approximately USD 18.2 Billion. His consultancy role includes advisory to new developments, hotel groups, hotel owners, airlines and Tourism Authorities.

Turab holds a master’s degree in hospitality management with a major in Hotel development & 2^nd Major in Asset Management from the New York University and bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from Swiss University. He has also attended Cornell University school of Hotel Administration in Hospitality development, Financial management and Hospitality & Marketing related programs.

He has been working in various continents including Europe, North America, USA and the Middle East holding senior Hospitality advisory and management positions and worked for a number of years with well established hospitality development groups and hotel groups where he has been exposed to some of finest hospitality projects including flagship hotels i.e Miami, Dubai, Paris, Doha, Riyadh, London, Washington and New York city.

Khalifa Bin Braik

Managing Director of Hotels – Majid Al Futtaim Properties

Khalifa Bin Braik is the Managing Director of Hotels at Majid Al Futtaim Properties, leading the business unit’s growth strategy across the entire portfolio of existing assets and new developments. Mr. Bin Braik is responsible for portfolio performance and expansion in alignment with Majid Al Futtaim’s vision of developing integrated lifestyle destinations.

Mr. Bin Braik has over 15 years of Real Estate and Hospitality leadership experience in various organisations. Starting his career with Dubai Holding, he joined Majid Al Futtaim - Properties in 2014 from Sharjah Holding as a Director in the Shopping Malls Business Unit and soon after was appointed as Head of Asset Management for the Hotels Business Unit. In his last role, Khalifa was responsible for optimising the operating and financial performance of the entire portfolio of Majid Al Futtaim Hotels, as well as building robust relationships with our international hotel partners.

Mr. Bin Braik Holds a Masters in financial economics from Boston University and a B.Sc. in Economics from Northeastern University.

Kevork Deldelian

Chief Executive Officer – Millennium Hotels & Resorts

A seasoned hospitality professional, with over three decades of Operational and Senior Leadership experience, Kevork was appointed as Chief Operating Officer for Millennium Hotels & Resorts Middle East and Africa in March 2017. He was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Hotels & Resorts, Middle East and Africa in August 2019 to continue his vision towards evolving the Millennium brand and lead it to reach new heights of success.

Under his strategic leadership, the company witnessed rapid growth with closer to doubling its portfolio since he took over, that resulted in leading the company to become one of the fastest-growing hotel management companies in the region.

He oversees the company’s divisions and its operations across the Middle East and Africa where Millennium Hotels & Resorts Middle East and Africa operates over 40 hotels with over 14000 keys and 35 hotels in the pipeline.

Kevork has a focused vision on ‘people development’ and has successfully launched a comprehensive four-tier national development programme centring the career advancement of fresh graduates, executives and leaders. Before joining Millennium Hotels & Resorts in the Middle East and Africa, Kevork held the position of Vice President Asset Management at Tetra Hospitality Investment LLC, the holding company for the Lakhraim Business Group’s hospitality sector where he overlooked the performance of the Tetra-owned hotels along with all future developments and acquisitions. He is also a member of the Bethlehem University Tourism Institute (BUTI), Board of Directors.

Alison Grinnell

CEO – RAK Hospitality Holding LLC

Alison has over 25 years of experience working with the hospitality industry; extensively travelled, she has worked in over 30 countries covering Europe, United States and Middle East/Africa. Alison comes from a strong financial background, with a BSc in Economics and an ACA Chartered Accountancy Qualification. She started her career with Andersen in the UK and US, moving to PwC in 2001. Alison moved to the Middle East in 2012 from PwC London to help establish and develop PwC’s Middle East Hospitality and Leisure practice into a leader in its field. Alison joined RAK Hospitality Holding in 2016 as CFO overseeing the Groups Finance and Treasury functions. In 2019 Alison was promoted to CEO responsible for both the Groups established businesses covering Hotel ownership, Hospitality Logistics, and Asset Management and Advisory Services; as well as the newly formed RAK Leisure subsidiary with a focus on developing F&B and Leisure activities across Ras Al Khaimah, and in particular on Jebel Jais Mountain.

Omar Issa

Director of Strategy – Dur Hospitality

Omar Issa is the Director of Strategy at Dur Hospitality, a leading Saudi grown hospitality company. At present, he oversees the continuous articulation and execution of Dur’s expansion strategy within KSA, and directly manages key strategic initiatives.

Omar comes from a management consulting background, where prior to joining Dur he worked as a strategy consultant with a boutique consulting firm based in Jordan, and had served clients through various strategic engagements across the Middle East and North Africa, with a focus on hospitality and real estate sectors.

Complimenting his multi-faceted skills of hotel operations management, Omar holds a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Jordan, and is a certified project manager by the Project Management Institute.