WiT JAPAN & NORTH ASIA

TravelTech entrepreneur based in Singapore and Tokyo with 20 years of experience who led his company to an IPO, a buyout and two exits.

One of the original investors & advocates of Travel Massive.

Kei co-founded Venture Republic Group (VRG) in 2001 and has been serving as a CEO since foundation. Company runs a group of online travel services worldwide including TRAVEL jp, Japan’s largest online travel metasearch/media, Trip101, Singapore based global online travel media and Allstay, mobile accommodation search app in Korea.

In 2008, he led the company to an IPO and to LBO by the management in 2012. Kei also led to acquire Flocations, a Singapore based travel startup, have it grown to one of the fastest growing online travel media in the world under Trip101 brand that attracts the users from 200 countries.

Harvard MBA. Keio University BA.

Cross country & alpine skier/snowboarder. Love jazz, coffee and working from vacation homes.

Started her career in the hospitality industry in Los Angeles and later returned to Japan, she has engaged in marketing at Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel. Left the hotel industry once, joined Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, PricewaterhouseCoopers BPO and Chuo Aoyama Audit Corporation as an accounting auditor and business process consultant.

Established Agora Hospitalities after leaving corporate career in 2007. Founded the company with a vision to establish, under “A Collection of Beautiful Japan”, a portfolio of boutique hotels and traditional ryokans representing the soul of Japan. Under her tenure (2007-2017), the collection comprised 13 properties.

She founded her second hotel management company, SAVVY Collective, Inc. (2017- ), to provide hospitality business solutions with a Luxury & Lifestyle concepts.

Prior to AGORA, she was a Senior Vice President of Business Development for ISHIN Hotels Group (2003-2007) and an Executive Director of Operations at Space Design Inc. developed and operated 14 serviced apartments in Tokyo.

Graduated from the University of Southern California (USA) with a Bachelor of Music from Thornton School of Music, Piano Performance. She also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from University of Wales (UK).

Siew Hoon is a travel trade journalist, author, entrepreneur and podcaster who established WiT in 2005 to address the evolving landscape of travel technology and customer behaviour.

Over the years, WiT has grown into a prominent events and media platform in the Asia Pacific region, expanding its coverage to include markets such as Japan, South Korea, and the Middle East. Recognised as “Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Singapore Tourism Board, Siew Hoon’s efforts led to the acquisition of WiT by Northstar Travel Group in 2014.

Siew Hoon is happiest when platforming the future movers and shakers of the industry, lending a voice to those who are out to change, disrupt, and build back better. She thrives on launching unique, people-centric events by blending global insights with local knowledge, while exploring new markets and staying informed about industry developments.

Siew Hoon’s published titles include “Around Asia In One Hour: Tales of Condoms, Chillies & Curries,” and children’s books such as “Adventures of Habibie The Turtle” and “The Story of Baitong and Boon.” Siew Hoon also hosts the “A Life In Travel” podcast.

As Senior Director of Product at Booking.com, Adrienne Enggist leads the product strategy for a diverse, cross-functional selection of teams charged with making Booking.com the easiest way for travelers to build, manage and experience their trips.

Adrienne joined Booking.com in 2010 as one of the company’s first dedicated product owners and has been an integral figure in growing and developing the consumer product department. Over the years she has helped launch and build teams for a number of consumer-facing product initiatives including email marketing, the Genius loyalty program, Guest Reviews, and the AI Trip Planner.

Adrienne has worked in the airline and online travel industries since 1998, holding a variety of different roles with Icelandair, XL.com, the Avion Group and the Holiday Extras Group. Prior to her career in e-commerce and digital travel, she was a professional chef. Adrienne is originally from the United States and currently lives in Amsterdam with her family.

Michael is leading the team who manage Expedia Group’s lodging inventory across Asia Pacific. In this role, he works with lodging supply partners to maximize their success and potential on the Expedia Group platform and stay ahead of digital innovation.  He also works with peers across Expedia Group to create great traveller experiences and be an advocate for the APAC region.

Michael joined Expedia Group in 2015 as Representative Director. In his seven-year tenure with the company, he has built a unique B2B knowledge that can benefit all supply partners as they charter the complexities of the travel ecosystem. Prior to joining Expedia Group, Michael worked at Microsoft where his last role was Director of Corporate Accounts.

Michael holds a degree in Applied Mathematics from M.I.T. He was born in Okinawa (Japan) and raised in the U.S. from the age of 7.

Eri is contributing to the improvement of hotel search within Google Search at Google, where she has been for the past 2.5 years. In this role, she is dedicated to making hotel search more efficient and user-friendly. Furthermore, she maintains a strong interest in exploring and integrating sustainable practices within the travel and technology sectors. Prior to joining Google, Eri gained a deep understanding of the tourism industry at a global online travel agency. This experience has given her extensive knowledge of both Japan’s major urban markets and regional destinations, as well as the complex travel ecosystem, giving her a well-rounded perspective on the industry

Myunghoon Chung is the CEO of GC Company, Korea’s leading online travel and leisure platform that operates Good Choice, Hotel Time and Mangoplate services.

Prior to joining GC Company, Myunghoon worked in investment banking and private equity, most recently as head of Korea for CVC Capital Partners, a global private equity firm. At CVC Capital Partners, Myunghoon led the firm’s acquisition and portfolio management of GC Company.

Prior to that, Myunghoon worked for The Carlyle Group and Standard Chartered Private Equity, where he led and managed investments in technology, media, telecom, business services and industrial companies in Korea. Prior to that, he worked for Credit Suisse in London and ABN AMRO in Singapore.

Myunghoon received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Seoul National University, M.S. in International Economics from Johns Hopkins University, and MBA from INSEAD.

Toshio Omiyama is currently spearheading the Azuma Farm Resort project, a collaboration between East Japan Railway (JR East) and Adrian Zecha, the founder of Aman Resorts.

Aside from this primary role, he supports AsiaBridge Connections, led by Fabian Tan. This initiative aims to enhance opportunities for Asian companies to connect with Japanese businesses.

From 2019 to 2024, Omiyama identified growth opportunities for JR East in Southeast Asia. He managed retail operations along the Thomson-East Coast Line in partnership with SMRT and NTUC FairPrice. He also played a pivotal role in a joint venture with Ya Kun Kaya Toast to expand Japanese F&B brands in the region. Additionally, Omiyama served as a committee member for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Singapore (ASME).

With over 25 years of experience, Omiyama has overseen JR East’s hospitality portfolio, which includes the acclaimed Tokyo Station Hotel and Gala Yuzawa Ski Resort.

Omiyama holds a Master’s degree in Hospitality Management from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Keio University.

Ken was GIC Japan’s Country Head, where he looked after Real Estate, Integrated Strategies and Value Add investments. Over his 19 year career with GIC, Ken led the Japan team, building up a core portfolio of real estate assets across office, residential, retail, logistics and hospitality sectors, in addition to assisting GIC with its other investments in equities, private equities and infrastructure. Ken’s vast network in Japan and Asia also helped GIC establish a strong brand name and build up investments in various financial assets across different industries. Ken also sits on the board of directors for Christel Vie Ensemble, is co-chairperson for LIVES Tokyo, and the former ULI Japan Vice Chairman. Ken graduated Order of Troy receiving a BSc in Business from University of Southern California.

Ken was elected as an outside director at the general meeting of shareholders at Keihan Holdings Co.,Ltd.

Ms. Dongre joined Phocuswright in 2014. Coney supports various syndicated, special and custom projects and helps the team in data collation and management. She is adept in travel market sizing and travel trends’ analysis. She is the author or co-author of Phocuswright’s annual reports for different regions, with a focus on the APAC travel market. Coney is a frequent speaker at Phocuswright’s conferences and other strategic company partner events.

Prior to joining Phocuswright, Coney worked as an IT consultant with Infosys Limited, where she used her analytical skills to understand the requirements for projects and lay a foundation for project development. Coney is an engineering graduate from Bhopal University and holds an M.B.A. (marketing) from Symbiosis University. Apart from work, Coney enjoys gardening and bird-watching.

Mizuho joined corporate development of Recruit Co.,Ltd. in 2015.

Recruit is not only a company of workforce as its name implies but rather an action media conglomerate, providing wide range of vertical booking platforms. It may be easier to express in this way that a company has all these brands as its business —Expedia, Klook, OpenTable, Mindbody, Zillow.

She focuses on topics such as transaction platforms, SaaS, mobile as well as equity funding for later staged ventures, internationalization, and business extension, across travel tech, food tech, prop tech, and beauty tech sector.

During her career, Mizuho lived and worked in 4 countries including experiences at World Employment Confederation former Ciett in Brussels.

Jan-Frederik Valentin is a seasoned travel industry advisor and co-founder of ennea capital partners. His notable fields of expertise are Investment, Product, Business Strategy and Marketing. With a team of 9 people, ennea does Fundraising and M&A services in the travel industry, runs a small investment vehicle and offers MasterClasses for founders. Prior to building his own business, Jan led marketing and strategy at KAYAK. Before this, he worked in different companies in the travel & and news industry.

I invest in Japan’s next generation of founders as a METI-authorized fund, with capital pooled from individuals who receive tax breaks for participating.

Previously, I co-founded and led Gengo as both CTO and CEO. As Gengons we built an efficient, scalable human-powered AI training data platform, with a community of over 22,000+ workers. We served many market-leading customers including Amazon, Buzzfeed, Expedia, Google, and TripAdvisor. As a team we raised over $25M from VCs including Atomico, Intel Capital, Recruit, NTT, and DBJ. We were acquired by Lionbridge in early 2019.

Prior to both Gengo and launching a few projects that were recognized in the WSJ and Time.com, I spent four years at Sony Corporation in various roles starting with multi-channel audio R&D, then audio compression, and finally in the Corporate Technology Strategy team under then-CEO Howard Stringer. The journey was full-on “salary-man” — from hanko’ing documents to retail sales training in Akihabara !

In college I studied at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), and received dual bachelors in Computer Science and Music Theory at Brown University.

I am forever grateful to my friends, family, mentors, and advisers, who’ve supported my journey. They believed in my vision and supported me through some of the most defeating experiences a founder could endure. I hope I can return the favor to a new generation of globally-minded entrepreneurs.

Mizuho joined corporate development of Recruit Co.,Ltd. in 2015.

Recruit is not only a company of workforce as its name implies but rather an action media conglomerate, providing wide range of vertical booking platforms. It may be easier to express in this way that a company has all these brands as its business —Expedia, Klook, OpenTable, Mindbody, Zillow.

She focuses on topics such as transaction platforms, SaaS, mobile as well as equity funding for later staged ventures, internationalization, and business extension, across travel tech, food tech, prop tech, and beauty tech sector.

During her career, Mizuho lived and worked in 4 countries including experiences at World Employment Confederation former Ciett in Brussels.

Jan-Frederik Valentin is a seasoned travel industry advisor and co-founder of ennea capital partners. His notable fields of expertise are Investment, Product, Business Strategy and Marketing. With a team of 9 people, ennea does Fundraising and M&A services in the travel industry, runs a small investment vehicle and offers MasterClasses for founders. Prior to building his own business, Jan led marketing and strategy at KAYAK. Before this, he worked in different companies in the travel & and news industry.

Timothy Hughes is the Vice President Corporate Development of Agoda (Booking Holdings Company). Timothy is a “retired” blogger and pundit. Previously he was the editor and publisher of one of the top online travel industry blogs (the BOOT: the Business Of Online Travel) and a writer at Phocuswire.

Tim is a former lawyer and venture capitalist. As a venture capitalist and consultant he helped a number of start-ups (inside and outside travel) secure funding, set up online media companies, managed investments in public companies and held regular client briefing sessions for a brokerage house. As lawyer he represented technology, new media, Internet, telecommunications and broadcasting clients in Australia, Europe and Hong Kong.

He first joined the online travel industry in 1999 and has worked for top tier online travel companies in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Tim has a Bachelor of Commerce and Hons Law Degree from the Australian National University.

I invest in Japan’s next generation of founders as a METI-authorized fund, with capital pooled from individuals who receive tax breaks for participating.

Previously, I co-founded and led Gengo as both CTO and CEO. As Gengons we built an efficient, scalable human-powered AI training data platform, with a community of over 22,000+ workers. We served many market-leading customers including Amazon, Buzzfeed, Expedia, Google, and TripAdvisor. As a team we raised over $25M from VCs including Atomico, Intel Capital, Recruit, NTT, and DBJ. We were acquired by Lionbridge in early 2019.

Prior to both Gengo and launching a few projects that were recognized in the WSJ and Time.com, I spent four years at Sony Corporation in various roles starting with multi-channel audio R&D, then audio compression, and finally in the Corporate Technology Strategy team under then-CEO Howard Stringer. The journey was full-on “salary-man” — from hanko’ing documents to retail sales training in Akihabara !

In college I studied at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA), and received dual bachelors in Computer Science and Music Theory at Brown University.

I am forever grateful to my friends, family, mentors, and advisers, who’ve supported my journey. They believed in my vision and supported me through some of the most defeating experiences a founder could endure. I hope I can return the favor to a new generation of globally-minded entrepreneurs.

Eric holds a Master’s degree in Economics and a Ph.D. in Political Anthropology. As a founding member of Dida, he initially oversaw overseas operations and strategic partnerships. Since 2019, his focus has shifted to corporate development strategy and innovation. With extensive experience in various segments of travel technology, Eric possesses deep insights into the evolution of the tourism industry chain. He leads his team in exploring innovative digital transformation practices, empowering partners through technology and fully embracing the company’s philosophy of “Driven by Tech, Powered by People.” Since 2025, he has concurrently served as President of the Tours & Activities Division, accelerating Dida’s diversified business expansion.

Brett Henry is a travel tech industry leader and a seed stage, angel investor. He brings a strong travel, travel tech, and VC/start-up executive network combined with 20 years of B2B travel technology industry experience across disciplines including product marketing, business development, strategy, planning and sales.

He thrives on leading dynamic and diverse teams driving customer focused, innovative, growth opportunities.

He is a speaker at travel technology events globally including Digital Travel Summit, Aviation Summit, Webintravel, EyeforTravel, China Travel Distribution Summit, and ITB-Asia.

My key strength are logical thinking, strategy development, sales and negotiation, offline and online marketing and execution power. I always challenged new industry when I have changed my career. I was a material engineer when I took over my family business. After getting an MBA in the US, I challenged as a consultant in an automobile industry. Then, I enhanced my sales and marketing skills in FMCG industry by working with Philip Morris. I stretched my EC and IT skills through my career with Amazon.co.jp. Now, I am challenging to stretch a start up company as co-founder CEO in travel and AI industry.

Raphael Lanfant is a seasoned executive with over two decades of experience in the travel and technology sectors, specializing in the Asia-Pacific, China, and European/US markets. He currently serves as the Vice President of Hopper Technology Solutions (HTS) for the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions at Hopper, a prominent travel technology company. Based in Singapore, Raphael has been instrumental in forging strategic partnerships in APAC and helping airlines and travel sellers expand their footprint in the travel and fintech space. Before joining Hopper, Raphael held positions at Alibaba Group and Expedia, where he contributed to the company’s global expansion efforts.

Takero Kaneda is a board member CSO of Goldwin Inc., one of the leading sport/outdoor apparel companies in Japan, where he is responsible for the corporate mid-long term strategies with new business developments. Takero started his career as a member of Mitsui &Co., Ltd., a leading trading firm in Japan, and after Mitsui, he joined the start-up, Golf Digest Online, Inc., as COO and successfully made an IPO in 2004.

Max is a Japanese-British lawyer & entrepreneur based in Tokyo. Inspired by backcountry snowboarding and Japan’s relationship with nature, he launched Kammui in 2023. Kammui’s mission is to connect travellers with unique nature-based experiences and empower local guides and communities.

Caesar is the President of Traveloka, Southeast Asia’s leading travel platform. He is responsible for fostering collaborations with stakeholders in the ecosystem, including businesses of all sizes and
government relations.

Caesar joined Traveloka in 2014, and has held numerous roles ranging from product management and business development, to commercial strategy and customer care. He most recently led FinTech, where he utilized technology to develop a suite of financial services for the platform, addressing the structural challenges and opportunities in Southeast Asia, and in turn, providing increased access to credit and enabling users to upgrade their lifestyles in a responsible manner. Prior to that, Caesar was CEO of Transport, Traveloka’s largest business unit, scaling and localizing customer care technology and operations to over 2000% growth in gross booking value in a span of five years in six different markets across the region.

As part of the World Economic Forum’s network of Global Future Councils, and having lived in both an underdeveloped economy and the world’s largest economy, Caesar is a strong believer in making the world a better place through technology. He is also the Deputy Head of Financial Technology, Innovation and Literacy at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where he advocates for financial inclusion and literacy in Indonesia.

Caesar holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from the University of Washington, and an MBA degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He started his career as a software engineer in a Seattle-based B2B tech startup that was subsequently acquired by Nuance Communications, now part of Microsoft, moving into a strategy and management consultancy role at the Boston Consulting Group, before joining Traveloka.

During his spare time, he enjoys sports, especially running and tennis.

Atsuya Kawada entered the Ministry of Transport in 1998 and assumed his current position in 2023.

He is responsible for elaborating various national tourism policies, introduction and improvement of the International Tourist Tax and Tax-free system, and managing tourism-related statistics.

This is his third time assignment at JTA followed by 2009-2011 and 2017-2020.

As a transport ministry official, He has numerous experience in transport policy making process for more than 25 years, including aviation, regional transport, maritime transport as well as tourism.

He holds a B.A. in the Faculty of Law from University of Tokyo, LLMs from NYU Law School.

Mr. Daisuke Tonai joined JNTO in 1993. He was stationed in Los Angeles, USA, for a total of eight years, serving as the Executive Director and in other roles at the JNTO LA Office, working to attract American tourists to Japan. He also served as the first Executive Director of the newly established JNTO Manila Office for three years, starting in 2018. Since April 2023, he has been Executive Director of the Global Projects Department at JNTO Head Office in Tokyo, where he oversees theme-based promotions such as Luxury Travel and Adventure Travel.

For over 30 years, Morris Sim has been elevating people, brands, and businesses across the globe. He currently serves as Executive Director of Montara Hospitality, the visionary force behind Thailand’s award-winning Trisara Resort, Michelin-starred PRU and JAMPA, and the upcoming Tri Vananda—an integrated luxury wellness estate and future home of the exclusive Health Resort by Clinique La Prairie (opening in 2026).

Morris is also a lecturer at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan and advises hospitality and real estate groups throughout Asia as an executive coach and business strategist. In Japan, his clients have included leading developers such as Hokkaido Tracks (now H2) and Supernova Land (Koa Niseko).

Previously, Morris co-founded Circos Brand Karma, a digital intelligence platform and consultancy that helped hotel brands such as Shangri-La, Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and Mandarin Oriental boost direct sales and brand equity through social media analytics and digital branding. Following its acquisition by Next Story Group in 2017, Morris served as Chief Marketing Officer and launched Kafnu, a hybrid co-living and co-working brand.

A passionate advocate for innovation, Morris began his career at Microsoft, where he led award-winning global marketing initiatives and product development for over a decade. He later became Chief Technology Officer at RalphLauren.com, launching its now-thriving e-commerce platform.

Morris holds a degree from Stanford University and brings a rare blend of tech, brand, and human insight to every conversation.

Tomotaka leads Data Driven Re-Design Strategy Team, a part of Strategic Impact, which offers solutions to social issues.

Before joining EY, he worked for a government financial institution and a global consulting firm.

He spearheads initiatives for solving various social issues, focusing on formulation of data-driven strategies.

In recent years, along with supporting policymaking for tourism, he has been playing a leading role in offering data utilization platform services in cooperation with local governments and tourism-related operators throughout Japan. Now he is recognized as one of the leading experts in ecosystem and platform businesses.

Committee Member of the Japan Tourism Agency (Promotion of tourism DX)
Committee Member of the Japan Tourism Agency (Functional enhancement for JNTO certified Foreign Tourist Information Centers)
Evaluator for Sustainable Countryside Stay Models Creation Support Program

Jay Wardle is the President & GM of Adara, a RateGain Company, one of the world’s largest data exchange platforms with access to ethically-sourced travel intent data. With a career rooted in strategic leadership, Jay has a proven track record of driving innovation and growth. At Adara, he oversees the integration of a data consortium that connects over 300+ travel brands, providing comprehensive insights into travelers’ behaviors. He is responsible for enabling clients to enhance personalization and relevance throughout the customer journey, fostering stronger and more profitable relationships. Jay is successfully steering the company towards continued success, leveraging his extensive experience in ad tech and data solutions to deliver critical intelligence for leading travel brands.

Prior to his role at Adara, Jay served as President of Dstillery, where he efficiently transformed the company into a data science-driven powerhouse specializing in behavioral data and targeting for programmatic advertising. His leadership saw a significant increase in brand partnerships and revenue diversification, positioning Dstillery as a key player in the ad tech industry.

Jay’s career also includes pivotal roles at MettleWorks, AOL, and American Express, where he consistently drove revenue growth and managed key client relationships. His visionary approach and expertise in data-driven solutions have solidified his reputation as a pioneering force in ad tech, particularly within the travel industry.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Jay is passionate about fostering innovation and diversity of thought and enjoys exploring the latest trends in technology and data analytics.

Naohisa has served as the Head of Strategy & Business Development for the Travel & Mobility Business at Rakuten group since July 2021. In December 2024, he expanded his responsibilities to include serving as the Head of the Mobility Business.

Naohisa began his career at Accenture and joined Rakuten in 2012. He worked in the Rakuten Ichiba e-commerce business, where he managed the Business Development Department and the Marketing & Web Design Department. In 2021, he transitioned to Rakuten Travel after being responsible for the acquisition of a Silicon Valley startup and post-merger integration operations at Rakuten’s U.S. office. His expertise in strategy, business development and management has played a key role in driving new business initiatives and the rapid growth of every business he has been involved in.

Naohisa earned a Master’s degree from the University of Tokyo.

After joining JTB in 1998, Iwata gained experience in corporate sales before transitioning to e-commerce operations in 2006.

Iwata played a pivotal role in the launch of “Rurubu Travel,” overseeing its sales planning and website operations. Subsequently, Iwata contributed to domestic online accommodation procurement and online alliance operations.

From 2018, Iwata served as the site owner of “Rurubu Travel” website for two years, followed by one year as the product manager for domestic products in web sales. Subsequently, from 2021, he spent four years as the Director of Web Sales System Development and Operations.

As of February 2025, Iwata has been appointed Head of Web Sales Business Division.

Founder of KabuK, Japan’s leading travel tech startup, redefining how people explore the world. With a background in investment banking and financial engineering, he set out to challenge the traditional OTA model that has remained unchanged for decades. In 2019, he launched HafH, a subscription-based travel service designed to make travel seamless and accessible.

Amy Wei is the Senior Product Director at Trip.com Group, where she exemplifies seasoned leadership in steering innovative product developments across diverse platforms including the Trip.com app, desktop, and mobile sites. Under her leadership, Amy oversaw the successful integration and launch of the revolutionary AI assistant TripGen on February 17, 2023, marking one of the first instances an OTA integrated advanced AI into its mobile app. Its successor, TripGenie, launched on July 26, 2023, employs cutting-edge large language model technologies to revolutionize travel planning and booking. It offers capabilities ranging from crafting detailed itineraries to facilitating instant bookings through both text and voice commands, and enhances user interactions with intelligently displayed images and links, leading to swift navigation within the app.

Prior to her tenure at Trip.com Group, Amy held significant roles in product management at global tech giants including Amazon, Motorola, and Nokia. In 2015, she transitioned to Qunar, a subsidiary of Trip.com Group, spearheading its international expansion in airline ticketing. Later, as the CEO of Trip.com Group’s global train ticketing division, she launched TrainPal in February 2018. This innovative platform for train and bus bookings saw unprecedented growth in the European markets, achieving a 520-fold increase in monthly ticket volume within 20 months, and becoming the second most popular booking service in the UK since 2019.
Amy holds an MBA from Tsinghua University and a Bachelor’s degree from Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. She is renowned for her global perspective, exceptional leadership skills, and her adeptness at nurturing international businesses from inception to market leadership, consistently driving outstanding results.

As Regional Manager of North Asia at Booking.com, Luiz Henrique Rodrigues de Paula
oversees Japan and South Korea, managing business growth, operations and strategy, based in
the Tokyo office.

Luiz joined Booking.com in June 2022 to lead the growth strategy for the region, after 8.5 years
in leadership roles at Groupon, including Director of Sales Strategy for APAC and General
Manager in Japan. An entrepreneur at heart, he also founded two startups, including Centro
Educacional Horizonte, which served thousands of students in Brazil.

Luiz is an avid traveller with a passion for exploring the diverse cultures and cuisines of
Asia-Pacific. He enjoys the vibrant energy of cities like Tokyo and Bangkok, as well as the
serenity of hidden onsen towns and mountain trails in places like Kamikochi. This balance of
urban excitement and natural tranquillity fuels his love for uncovering unique regional
experiences.

Luiz holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economy from and a MBA in Business Administration and
Business Intelligence from FIA Business School, both in Brazil.

• Started carrier in Toppan Printing in 1994 to plan and promote the Internet business, which was still extremely new in Japan.
• He was stationed on the west coast of the United States from 1999 to 2002 and graduated from the University of Rochester MBA in 2004.
• After returning to Japan, he contributed to business growth as the head of the management department of the company’s digital content business company.
• Moved to Rakuten Group in 2007 and led PMI (Post Merger Integration) of domestic and overseas acquisition companies as C-level officer. He became an Executive Officer of Rakuten Group in 2011.
• He launched the Rakuten Mobile (MVNO) business in 2014 which became No. 1 market share in 2017.
• After that, he oversaw the sales and marketing departments as Managing Executive Officer of Rakuten Mobile, Inc. He joined Agoda, a Booking Holdings company in March 2020. He is currently in charge of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan as the Associate Vice President and head of the North Asian region.
• His lifework is to improve the life of consumers by utilizing the technology/IoT and to reform existing industries with tech advancements and aiding the digital transformation of Japanese industries

Joe Lu is the co-founder and CEO of HeyMax, a fintech startup helping consumers earn more travel rewards – Max Miles – through smarter spending. A former engineering leader at Facebook Singapore, Joe launched HeyMax in 2023 after a sabbatical in Japan, aiming to make travel more accessible by turning everyday purchases into Max Miles. Under his leadership, HeyMax has grown rapidly across Asia, partnering with hundreds of merchants and airlines to power the emerging Traveller Economy.

Reiwa Travel Inc. is a digital travel agency with the mission of “Designing New Travel Experiences.”

It aims to provide innovative experiences and new societal value through international travel.

Since April 2022, Reiwa Travel Inc. has been offering the international travel booking app ‘NEWT.’

It aims to maximize the digital transformation (DX) of booking and management operations in the travel industry, offering new and innovative package tours that are easy, affordable, customizable, and secure.

It is dedicated to creating societal value through the experience of international travel.

Engaged in consulting for over 10 years at Accenture and Deloitte.
While working on various global system development, business transformation, and M&A projects, led supply chain platform business for the aviation industry.
Also involved in initiating a product development division inside Deloitte Japan.

Joined PKSHA Technology in 2021.

Primarily responsible for AI Solution projects in the telecommunications, entertainment, and manufacturing sectors, which includes LLMs / Generative AI.

Andrew Park is the Co-CEO of Travelholic, Korea’s leading travel channel on social media reaching over four million travelers. Under his leadership, Travelholic has also grown into a successful travel MCN. Before joining Travelholic in 2023 and spearheading its turnaround, Andrew has built multiple travel ventures, including a high-end destination management company (DMC) in Korea and an award-winning travel planning app that was later acquired.

A native of Seoul, Andrew combines his deep entrepreneurial experience with a global perspective, having earned his MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from Yonsei University. Fueled by a passion for connecting people through travel, he continues to shape and influence the industry by championing innovative travel content, technology, and experiences.

Sunny is the Director of Global Business Development at Tidesquare, South Korea’s leading technology-focused travel agency. She is responsible for spearheading business development and strategic partnerships across the travel vertical with the focus of enhancing Tidesquare’s presence on the global stage.

Sunny has over a decade experience in travel and hospitality with a Masters in International Trade and Economic Development from Yonsei University and a Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management from the Ecole Hoteliere de Lausanne. She has lived in six countries and considers herself a third culture kid. Currently located in Toronto and Tidesquare’s first North America employee, she is looking to connect with other like minded individuals passionate about travel, technology and hospitality.

After graduating from Keio University and working at several companies, Shota Kise joined Ame Kaze Taiyo in February 2022. Shota has been consistently involved in launching Ame Kaze Taiyo’s new travel business, from obtaining a travel agency license to full-scale operations. He successfully arranged nature experience tours (Nature Study Program) for parents and children, sending over 330 families. Certified Domestic Travel Services Supervisor. Hobbies include Aikido (3rd-degree black belt).

Founder of KabuK, Japan’s leading travel tech startup, redefining how people explore the world. With a background in investment banking and financial engineering, he set out to challenge the traditional OTA model that has remained unchanged for decades. In 2019, he launched HafH, a subscription-based travel service designed to make travel seamless and accessible.

Apurva brings 9 years of experience across consulting and early to mid-stage startups, with deep expertise in market entry and growth strategy. She holds an Engineering degree and an MBA from London Business School. Currently, she is focused on driving Kotozna’s international expansion and scaling innovative solutions across global markets.

Rintaro Umenai holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Keio University and a Master’s degree in Hospitality Management from Cornell University. His career spans leading organizations such as JTB, VISA International, NTT Finance, and First Data Japan, with a strong focus on travel, payments, and financial services. He played a key role in launching Travelfusion in Japan, helping to introduce next-generation airline distribution models to the Japanese market. Since 2009, he has served as CEO of Traveldata Inc., and since 2024, he also serves as Country Director of PKFARE Japan, driving innovation in global B2B travel distribution.

Victor Osumi is Managing Director and President – Japan for Delta Airlines. Victor is responsible for managing Delta’s entity in Japan and developing the business strategy to build Delta’s presence as an industry leader in the Japan market.

Victor joined Delta in July 2019 from Marriott International, where he served as Area Vice President, Japan and Guam, responsible for the operations of 43 Marriott-branded hotels and over 30 new hotels under development.

Victor graduated from Florida Institute of Technology with a BS in Aviation Management Flight Technology and then joined the United States Ari Force.

Throughout his career, he has assumed leadership roles with major global hotel companies, including Hyatt, InterContinental Hotels Group (IG), Marriott International, and Prince Hotels. Victor holds an FAA Certified Commercial Pilot and Flight Instructor’s license (CFII).

Mizuho joined corporate development of Recruit Co.,Ltd. in 2015.

Recruit is not only a company of workforce as its name implies but rather an action media conglomerate, providing wide range of vertical booking platforms. It may be easier to express in this way that a company has all these brands as its business —Expedia, Klook, OpenTable, Mindbody, Zillow.

She focuses on topics such as transaction platforms, SaaS, mobile as well as equity funding for later staged ventures, internationalization, and business extension, across travel tech, food tech, prop tech, and beauty tech sector.

During her career, Mizuho lived and worked in 4 countries including experiences at World Employment Confederation former Ciett in Brussels.

Jan-Frederik Valentin is a seasoned travel industry advisor and co-founder of ennea capital partners. His notable fields of expertise are Investment, Product, Business Strategy and Marketing. With a team of 9 people, ennea does Fundraising and M&A services in the travel industry, runs a small investment vehicle and offers MasterClasses for founders. Prior to building his own business, Jan led marketing and strategy at KAYAK. Before this, he worked in different companies in the travel & and news industry.

Timothy Hughes is the Vice President Corporate Development of Agoda (Booking Holdings Company). Timothy is a “retired” blogger and pundit. Previously he was the editor and publisher of one of the top online travel industry blogs (the BOOT: the Business Of Online Travel) and a writer at Phocuswire.

Tim is a former lawyer and venture capitalist. As a venture capitalist and consultant he helped a number of start-ups (inside and outside travel) secure funding, set up online media companies, managed investments in public companies and held regular client briefing sessions for a brokerage house. As lawyer he represented technology, new media, Internet, telecommunications and broadcasting clients in Australia, Europe and Hong Kong.

He first joined the online travel industry in 1999 and has worked for top tier online travel companies in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Tim has a Bachelor of Commerce and Hons Law Degree from the Australian National University.

Paul joined Recruit Co., Ltd. in 1997 and co-led digital business building and corporate venture capital investing efforts. While at Recruit, Paul was also a founding member of Golfport (an online golf reservation site) – subsequently sold to Rakuten in 2002.

He joined McKinsey & Company’s Tokyo Office in 2002, was elected Partner in 2007 and Senior Partner in 2014. He supported clients in the retail, consumer products, media, telecommunications, finance, and pharmaceutical industries with growth strategy, digital and AI, branding, marketing, and M&A.

He has served as head of the Asia Pacific Marketing & Sales Group, head of the Asia Pacific Analytics Group, head of the Asia Pacific Consumer Goods & Small Business Group, and Managing Partner of QuantumBlack Japan.

Paul joined Incubate Fund as a General Partner in March 2021.

Paul has authored articles in the Harvard Business Review, Nikkei Business, Toyo Keizai and speaks regularly at industry events. Paul grew up in Australia and has been a resident of Japan for the past 30 years. He is a co-founder of UWC ISAK Japan.

A dynamic and results-driven marketing professional with expertise in driving revenue growth and optimizing direct booking strategies. Demonstrated proficiency in hotel operations and management, having held leadership roles such as Executive Assistant Manager in Bangkok, Thailand, and General Manager in Bali, Indonesia. Highly skilled in crafting and executing impactful marketing strategies, with a strong focus on distribution management, loyalty programs, strategic partnerships, and revenue optimization. Recognized for delivering measurable business outcomes and fostering sustainable growth in highly competitive markets.

After graduating from university, he started his career as a hotelier in Malaysia after working for a travel agency. For nearly 40 years, he has held key positions in domestic and international hotels of global hotel chains.

Since 2000, he has been the General Manager of Hyatt Group with more than 20 years of experience. He is the first Japanese General Manager in the Hyatt Group.

He has extensive experience in opening international hotels, and will lead the hotel operations, drawing on his wealth of knowledge and the international perspective he has developed over many years of working overseas.

Vivian Wong has over 20 years of experience in the hospitality and real estate industry. She presently heads up the Business Development Team for Japan and Korea in The Ascott Limited. She has extensive experience with real estate funds & developers regarding co-living & hotel investments as well as developments. She is actively increasing Ascott’s footprint in Japan and Korea.

Prior to joining Ascott, Vivian served as the Head of Acquisitions at Dash Living and Vice President of Mapletree’s Investment Team in Japan. Furthermore, her other earlier roles include Portfolio Director of a real estate investment fund, Director at a construction firm, and Associate Director on CBRE’s Japan Investment Team.

Vivian holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation; is a Chartered Surveyor in both the UK and Hong Kong; and is also a Licensed Real Estate Transaction Specialist in Japan.

For over 30 years, Morris Sim has been elevating people, brands, and businesses across the globe. He currently serves as Executive Director of Montara Hospitality, the visionary force behind Thailand’s award-winning Trisara Resort, Michelin-starred PRU and JAMPA, and the upcoming Tri Vananda—an integrated luxury wellness estate and future home of the exclusive Health Resort by Clinique La Prairie (opening in 2026).

Morris is also a lecturer at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan and advises hospitality and real estate groups throughout Asia as an executive coach and business strategist. In Japan, his clients have included leading developers such as Hokkaido Tracks (now H2) and Supernova Land (Koa Niseko).

Previously, Morris co-founded Circos Brand Karma, a digital intelligence platform and consultancy that helped hotel brands such as Shangri-La, Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, and Mandarin Oriental boost direct sales and brand equity through social media analytics and digital branding. Following its acquisition by Next Story Group in 2017, Morris served as Chief Marketing Officer and launched Kafnu, a hybrid co-living and co-working brand.

A passionate advocate for innovation, Morris began his career at Microsoft, where he led award-winning global marketing initiatives and product development for over a decade. He later became Chief Technology Officer at RalphLauren.com, launching its now-thriving e-commerce platform.

Morris holds a degree from Stanford University and brings a rare blend of tech, brand, and human insight to every conversation.

Howard is co-founder & ceo of Section L, an apartment-hotel management company with 9 properties across Tokyo and many more in the pipeline.  Section L’s vision is to build and manage hotels without strangers, where guests can easily connect with and enhance each other’s journeys through intuitive, in-house social networking app and a community-centric service team.  Prior to Section L, Howard worked for Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts as an asset manager as well as a founding team member of the JEN by Shangri-La brand, with over 5,000 rooms across Asia Pacific.  His other experiences include guest service with Four Seasons Hotels, hotel development advisory with Horwath HTL, and founding a short-term rentals platform in Japan.

Howard is originally from Taipei, Taiwan and is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration.

Kamonwan Wipulakorn is Managing Director of Bound and Beyond Public Company Limited, a SET-listed company that owns Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok and Capella Bangkok. In her role, she is responsible for all aspects of the business, especially the development of strategic plans for the firm’s sustainability.

Kamonwan started her career in finance industry as an associate with foreign brokerage firm more than thirty years ago and has worked her way up ever since. In 2002, she left banking industry to become CFO for her client’s petrochemical company, and in 2008, she became CFO of Erawan Group, where she began her professional career in the hospitality industry. She continued climbing the corporate ladder being appointed as a president and director of the group in 2011 and CEO in 2014. During her time at Erawan, she played a crucial role in driving the group forward and spearheading its expansion in Southeast Asia. She oversaw more than 7,000 hotel rooms and 6,000 workers in Thailand and the Philippines. She has also sat on a board of directors of several other Thai listed companies to represent diversity and has been well recognized as Asia’s distinguished female leader for her champion-in-action in shaping Asia’s business landscape.

Kamonwan graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Chulalongkorn University in Thailand and obtained her MBA from Western Illinois University in the USA. Even after these accomplishments, she continued to pursue self-development by attending several leadership and executive programs, including those distinctive ones at Harvard Business School and Stanford University.

As Head of Strategic Partnerships at GetYourGuide APAC, Chris Lee leads the regional brand partnership strategy, driving business growth through strong collaborations across the travel ecosystem, including airlines, hotel chains, and digital platforms. With 17 years of experience in building and scaling teams, Chris specializes in developing strategic partnerships, optimizing market penetration, and leveraging technology to accelerate business performance.

Prior to joining GetYourGuide, Chris led key strategic initiatives at Booking.com, Amadeus GDS, Vrbo, and Amazon-backed LivingSocial, playing a pivotal role in scaling businesses. Throughout his career, he has built and nurtured impactful relationships across the travel, e-commerce, and digital media industries, driving innovation, market expansion, and revenue growth.

Chris holds a master’s degree from UCLA Anderson Business School. Currently based in Singapore, he enjoys traveling, golf, and cooking for his family.

Yu Taniguchi was born in Kanagawa, Japan, in June 1984, and spent approximately 10 years of his childhood in Singapore. Before founding his own company, he gained experience in sales, legal, and corporate planning at a global integrated payment management platform provider. In March 2011, he founded VESPER Inc. (now TableCheck Inc.) and assumed the role of CEO. Under his leadership, TableCheck has driven global expansion as a Japan-born tech company, offering a platform that connects restaurants and guests worldwide.

Yuki is the CTO of Veltra, driving technology strategy in the travel industry—an extension of his long-standing passion for entertainment that began in the gaming world with engineering roles at Nintendo and Nokia. He is the Co-Founder and former CTO of Alpaca, a global fintech startup, and the Founder of SISU LLC, where he partners with leading companies to implement cutting-edge technologies in AI, aerospace, and advanced systems.