Rabih Feghali

Hospitality Director
The Red Sea Development Company

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.

Ali Manzoor

Partner, Hospitality and Leisure
Knight Frank

Ali has been in the Middle East since 2011 and has been primarily working on hospitality development projects throughout the MENA region. In this time he has worked with developers, investors and governmental institutions on feasibility studies, concept definition, pricing strategies and optimum site use for both large-scale multi-use projects and stand-alone assets. Ali has worked with major hotel operators to develop market entry strategies for new markets, and has also helped developers successfully select operators for hospitality assets across the region.

Filippo Sona

Managing Director, Global Hospitality
Drees & Sommer

Filippo Sona is one of the most recognized names in the global hospitality consultancy community having carried out work in more than 28 countries for the past 25 years. From UK to Europe, Middle East, Africa and USA he has carried out more than 735 hospitality projects ranging from market & financial feasibilities, valuations, operator selection, project management and strategic asset management. Currently is Managing Director-Global Hospitality at Drees and Sommer, a global firm specializing in consultancy, asset management and construction management.  Filippo understanding of management agreements has been an invaluable skill to global law firms as an expert witness and advisor in commercial negotiations. Filippo is a regular speaker at international hotel investment conferences and writers for many international hospitality publications. Filippo is an associate member of RICS and holds an MBA from Oxford Brooks University and an Honours Degree in Hospitality Management from the University of West London.

Noelle Homsy

Development Manager
Shaza Hotels

Noelle joined Shaza Hotels in 2018 to boost the growth of the company in the Middle East, North Africa, and South-East Asia, particularly in the experiential lodging segment. Her diverse background, unique set of skills and innovative mindset allowed her to be an instrumental part in driving Shaza’s new vision and strategic initiatives.

Prior to Shaza, Noelle was handling claims, risk management and arbitration cases for real estate projects in KSA, Kuwait and Lebanon. Her career started in architectural design and project management, where she managed construction sites with 400+ workers at a very young age. She also launched an online start-up to support young Arabs in resume-writing and job applications.  

An architect by profession, Noelle holds an MBA from INSEAD, a certificate in Negotiation and Dispute Resolution from Harvard University, and a Masters in Engineering Management from the American University of Beirut. Noelle is also part of the steering committee of the INSEAD Alumni Association in the UAE. 

Mishary Alhajery

Country Director, Saudi Arabia
Kerten Hospitality

A seasoned real estate development strategist with over 20+ years of experience in roles influencing the development of residential, commercial and industrial products. Hospitality expertise acquired over a decade in aligning infrastructure for upscale and midscale industry projects with gross development value exceeding USD530 million and utilizing various financing projects including REITs and closed-ended funds. Mishary has held C-level executive roles for over 10 years in companies from different verticals including real estate development, property management, hospitality development, construction management and manufacturing.

Olivier Boppe

Director of Development
Six Senses

As a Director of Development Olivier is responsible for the expansion of Six Senses in the Middle-East and Africa. He joined Six Senses after having worked for renowned consulting and hotel companies such as Starwood, PwC, and Horwath HTL, gaining valuable international experiences, and releasing publications on upcoming wellness developments. Olivier holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne in Switzerland. He is convinced that the future of successful hospitality is based on personification of each projects and is passionate with his mission that is to expand Six Senses into new and exciting locations, creating destinations unto themselves.

Paul Gardiner

Chief Executive Officer
Mantis Collection

Paul Gardiner is the CEO of Mantis Collection (internationally), a hotel group made up of eco-lodges and hotels located on all seven continents. His career began as a game ranger in South Africa in 1994 on his father’s wildlife reserve called Shamwari. Today his responsibility with his team based out of the UK is to grow the Mantis brand beyond just Africa. They have opportunities in the Middle East, Cuba, China, Montenegro, the Swiss Alps, the South of France and the UK that they’re currently exploring. With the world going crazy for glamping and eco experiences they’re well placed to capitalize on the opportunity considering they already have experience in developing, operating and marketing these products so successfully throughout Africa for over 25 years. In recent years Paul has also struck up a relationship with the television personality and adventurer, Bear Grylls. Mantis Media is the creative arm of Mantis Collection and they’re responsible for taking what Bear does so well on television and bringing it to life for kids, adults, corporates etc. Essentially they’re responsible for all Bear’s location based entertainment. They recently partnered with Merlin Entertainments to develop a $22m Bear Grylls Adventure Park in the UK.

Mantis has recently partnered with Accor Hotels, together they have a 50/50 JV. The JV allows Mantis amazing distribution via their new “big brother” and it gives Accor a stronghold in Sub Saharan Africa where Mantis are particularly strong – so it’s a win win for both. Together the JV has already launched the Conservation Community Fund Africa (CCFA) This grant-giving Foundation is registered in South Africa as a non-profit company and has uniquely brought together three internationally admired wildlife conservation organisations as its Founding members: Wilderness Foundation Africa, Tusk Trust and African Parks. The Mantis Accor partnerships intentions are two fold, the one is to further grow and develop the Mantis brand across Africa, and the second is to take the unique Mantis eco lodge DNA model to other amazing parts of the world.

Although Paul is UK based he spends a third of the year in South Africa – he and his father are the driving force behind a new pioneering initiative which they’re launching at their game reserve in South Africa which will see the creation of the first ever Eco Lodge Innovation Hub. Paul has also launched his very own media platform to help spread the word of the amazing work that people from all walks of life are involved in, within the world of conservation and eco-tourism.

Reem Garash

Chief Executive Officer
Shada Hospitality Co.

The second generation family running Shada Hospitality co. since 2011 as the Chief Executive Officer. With extensive exposure to financial industry and business management, Mrs. Reem was able to lead the company towards new achievements and business opportunities.

She has worked in the banking sector with Banque Saudi Fransi.

Today, Shada Hospitality has a proven track record, market share and solid growth plan focusing on the local hospitality industry.     

Reem Garash has a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance from Dar Alhekmah college and a masters in business administration from McColl School, NC.

Devret Pattani

Development Manager
Accor

In his position, Devret contributes to the growth of Accor portfolio in the Middle East, in particular introducing newly acquired brands to the region.

Prior to working for Accor, Devret held various positions in the industry such as a role with TRI Consulting working on feasibility studies, operator searches and strategic consulting on hospitality projects in the Middle East region. He also gained valuable experiences prior to that in other regions with SilverNeedle Hospitality in South Asia and with Marriott International’s European development team based out of Zurich.

Devret holds a Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management from Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne.

Shady Hassan

Senior Director, Lodging Development
Marriott International, Middle East & Africa

As Senior Director for Lodging Development, Shady looks after Marriott International’s development efforts in KSA, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Shady has over 14 years of hospitality experience in operations, advisory, ownership and development within the United States and MEA region.

Shady has worked across different departments in operations with leading Hotel Operators before moving on to the Hospitality Real Estate advisory side of the industry with JLL. During his tenure with JLL he worked on multiple assignments with owners across the region. Prior to joining Marriott International he was with Meraas Holding where he was the Head of Hospitality Planning & Feasibility.

Amir Lababedi

Managing Director Development, MENA
Hilton

Amir is Managing Director Middle East & North Africa where he is responsible for driving growth throughout this region for Hilton Worldwide’s suite of industry-leading brands.

Amir has previously held senior roles at HVS (Dubai & London offices), and has also spent several years working in managerial roles with UAE sovereign based entities where he focused on hotel and other forms of real estate development, and corporate finance.

Prior to joining Hilton Worldwide, Amir was Vice President Development for Movenpick Hotels & Resort where he led the development of the brand in the Middle East & Africa to achieve all-time record growth for the brand in the region.

Amir is a keen sportsman with a passion for combat and motor sports. He’s also known to pick up a tennis racquet and snowboard from time to time.

At home Amir is heavily outnumbered, where he is the only male among three precious girls.

Ahmad Shaban

Director of Commercial, KSA
IHG

My name is Ahmad Shaban Fernandez, a Jordanian Spanish Commercial professional with more than 15 years of experience within the hospitality industry.

In my current role, I’m in charge of the Commercial performance and teams of the 23 managed hotels by IHG within the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with the execution of all projects the company has in the pipeline.

I’m a Commercial strategist that has worked for several hospitality chains, and been based at several destinations within the ME region i.e. UAE, Kuwait, and Jordan.

Majed Al Ghanim

Managing Director of Tourism and Quality of Life Sector
Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority (SAGIA)

Accomplished Saudi national executive with more than 13 years of experience in hospitality transactions advisory, travel and tourism. In addition to strategic planning, business and product development.

A persuasive and persistent leader with a proven track record in achieving positive business and organizational results. The ability of planning, managing, directing and controlling processes and activities to building and preparing the vision, mission and general strategic direction of organizations, in addition to a sound financial background are Majed’s main strengths.

Rani Majzoub

Head of Advisory, Markets & Operations - Saudi Arabia
JLL

Eng. Majzoub is responsible for the Advisory, Markets, and General Operations of JLL’s business in Saudi Arabia and brings with him more than 20 years of hands-on Real Estate development and consultancy experience spanning Strategy, Pubalic Private Partnerships, Feasibility Studies, Highest and Best Use, Valuations, Research, and Capital Markets.  His significant years of experience in the KSA have made him an expert and renowned figure in Real Estate (Hospitality, Retail, Residential, Office, Leisure/Entertainment) while he also has considerable experience in other sectors, such as infrastructure, education, and healthcare. 

In his last role as Head of Real Estate at KPMG, he has built the KPMG Real Estate practice from scratch to become one of the biggest and leading specialized Real Estate advisory team in Saudi Arabia. Also during his tenure with KPMG, he took a lead role in publishing Public Real Estate Market reports, authoring multiple Real Estate thought leadership, and being main speaker in International Real Estate conferences.

Eng. Majzoub has not only advised on several large-scale, regional, multibillion-dollar Real Estate projects, but he has served as Head of the Investments Department at Emaar The Economic City, one of the largest and most ambitious real estate projects in the Middle East. 

Eng. Majzoub received his BE in Civil Engineering from the American University of Beirut and was a CFA Level III candidate. He also completed highly respected executive training courses at Harvard Business School, London Business School and Amsterdam Institute of Finance.

Rene Beil

Managing Director
Beaufort Global Partners LLC

Beaufort Global Partners LLC is a private boutique Investment, Asset Management & Development Firm specializing in hospitality real estate and public market ownership with a focus on hotels, commercial buildings, residential projects, and industrial complexes. The firm is based in Dubai, UAE

René Beil, Managing Director of Beaufort Global Partners LLC, brings a seasoned history in hospitality management, operations, finance, investments, asset management and business development to the group.  He has led business development and growth initiatives on multiple continents as prime driver of investments, asset management, and new business development for Sovereign Wealth Funds, Government, Public & Private Companies, Royal Families, High Net-Worth Individuals as well as Family Offices.

He has a proven track record in organization building, discrete off market Private Negotiations & Transactions, Business Development to Asset Management from Boston to Buenos Aires, London to Paris through Dubai to Singapore as well as Hong Kong, accompanied by a comprehensive network of personal relationships at senior principal levels in, Government, Commerce and Finance.

Beil is of German nationality, was born in Singapore and raised in South East Asia, Bali, Manila and Hong Kong, He spent his adolescence in Europe, The Hague, Geneva, Brussels and Paris where he pursued a successful hotel career with InterContinental Hotels and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts.  Subsequently, he ventured to the United States of America, Boston, in the pursuit of academic achievements

From Boston University, Beil holds a Bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management, complemented by a Minor in Marketing and a Master’s degree in Finance and Economics. He is today a member of the Advisory Board to Boston University School of Hospitality

In his past appointment as Vice President Asset Management of Dubai Investment Group, Beil’s responsibilities included the asset management of the international hotel and real estate asset portfolio of Dubai Holding, which incorporated but not limited to the Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts and other international real estate assets.  Furthermore, he was mandated to seek investments, develop & grow markets in South America and cultivate business relationships between Middle East and LATAM.

Beil is currently leading the formation as one of the founding members of the Hospitality Asset Managers Association MEA (HAMA MEA) which is being launched during AHIC 2014. He is fluent in English, French, German, Dutch and proficient in Spanish.

Donald Bremner

Managing Director
Stirling Hospitality Advisors

Donald is the Managing Director of Stirling Hospitality Advisors with 20 years of experience in asset management, development and hospitality advisory services in London, New York, the Caribbean and the GCC. With multiple roles across the industry including Hotel Manager, Asset Manager, Director of Development and Director of Rooms for Jumeirah Group and Operations Analyst, Revenue Manager, Director of Rooms and Director of Food and Beverage for InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Donald has been the Industry Chair for the Hotel Asset Management Association and has a BSc from Aberdeen University in Scotland.

Olivier Harnisch

Head of Hospitality
Public Investment Fund

Olivier Harnisch is Head of Hospitality for the Public Investment Fund, based in Riyadh and responsible for the development of the Fund’s Hospitality investments. Prior to that Olivier held the position of CEO at Emaar Hospitality in Dubai from 2016 until 2019. He began in the hospitality industry in 1986 in Nice, France. His career to date includes 14 years at Hilton where he was Vice President for Northern and Central Europe and 4 years as COO of the Radisson Hotel Group in Brussels. Olivier holds an MSc in Organisational Behaviour from the University of London, an MBA in International Finance from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh and a Degree in Hospitality Management from Berlin School of Hotel Administration. Having worked across the globe, Olivier is fluent in six languages, he is also a passionate airplane pilot.

Ignace Bauwens

Chief Operating Officer
Roya International

A dedicated hotelier, Ignace started his 30-year career immediately after graduating in Hotel Management with Honors from HTI in Bruges (1990). 

Following the classical management development path, he began as Manager of F&B with IHG (1990) then quickly rose through various roles to General Manager of Accor Hotel Group in Brussels (2000) prior to moving to Dubai to head up the opening of the Accor Group Middle East Cluster at the Dubai World Trade Centre in 2002.

Since then, his work in  top regional leadership roles across MEA and Asia with global five-star operators (IHG, Accor-Sofitel, Wyndham) as well as major hospitality development groups (Abu Dhabi National Hotels and DWTC) has given him an atypical career path with proven expertise in financial performance management, quality improvement management and restructuring. 

His experience as a strategic, operational, financial and business development specialist in often challenging environments has been focused on maximizing business growth, optimizing company profits as well as shareholder returns.

Joining Ròya in 2019, he describes himself as a pragmatic. Pro-active, results driven multi-cultural leader who develops strong teams that can deliver solid performance and customer driven results.

Panos Loupasis

Vice President Development, Middle East, Eurasia & Africa
Wyndham Hotels and Resorts

As Regional Vice President Development for Middle East & Africa at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Panos Loupasis is responsible for leading the company’s growth strategy and execution in the region.  
 
Joining the company as Senior Director of Development for Middle East & Africa in 2011, his remit further expanded in November 2015 to steer Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ growth strategy in the Middle East & Africa region. 
 
Prior to joining Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, he has held various development and asset management positions, including roles at the Rezidor Hotel Group and AccorHotels. He was also instrumental in the introduction of the Holiday Inn Express brand in the GCC. Panos has over 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry, also including operational roles in properties in Europe, the Americas and the Middle East. 
 
Panos is a native Greek and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the Aristotelian University in Greece and an MBA in International Hospitality Management from IMHI, a programme established by Cornell University in the US.
 
He is based in Wyndham Hotels & Resorts’ Dubai office.

Jad Shamseddin

Chief Hospitality Officer
Ajlan & Bros Holding Group

Rebecca Viani

Director of International Development, EMEA
Darden Restaurants

As Director of Development for Darden International – parent company to restaurant brands: Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52, Yard House, Capital Grille and Eddie V’s - Rebecca Viani handles the franchise expansion and development for EMEA and Southeast Asia. With over 15 years in the industry, she started her career in Latin America, where she led her company to acquire a master franchise license for a U.S. snack brand. After successful introduction and implementation of this new product into the market, she moved from the franchisee side to the franchisor side, taking a corporate position with multi-brand franchisor, United Franchise Group, out of Florida, USA. Eventually becoming Vice President of Operations, Rebecca played a key role in the growth and international development of one of their brands, as they expanded from 30 U.S. locations to 110 locations in nine countries, over 4 years. Her love for international business then took her to Dubai, UAE, where she became Head of Franchising for restaurant group, Awj Investments, tasked with developing and expanding their franchise department, while leading the global expansion of their brands. Since joining Darden in 2018, Rebecca continues to focus her efforts on the growth of the Darden brands internationally. She is a Certified Franchise Executive (CFE), with a passion for helping and educating others in the industry. Her career contributions include speaking engagements at industry events such as the Global Restaurant Leadership Conference, Global Restaurant Investment Forum and Franchise Consumer Marketing Conference, with written contributions including publications such as Franchising World, Franchise Update and other online platforms.