The Future Hospitality Summit has confirmed the first speakers for the region’s flagship hospitality investment platform taking place from September 25-27 at Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island.
FHS brings together the Middle East and Africa’s industry leaders for discussions, deals and insight on the continued growth of the region’s hospitality and tourism sectors.
Confirmed speakers from some of the world’s most dynamic hospitality brands include Accor chairman and CEO Sébastian Bazin, Camil Yazbeck, global CDO of Accor; Guy Hutchinson, president and CEO of Rotana; Kevin Jacobs, Hilton’s CFO and president of global development, and Gilda Perez-Alvarado, global CEO of JLL Hotels & Hospitality.
Among the names representing the real estate, asset management, consulting, banking and investment community are: Mariam Al Musharekh, executive director of Human Resources at Miral Group; Raed Kuhail, executive director of digital & technology at Miral Group; Giuliano Gasparini, head of hospitality asset management at Wasl Group; Dale Qi Shen, Mashreq Bank’s VP director of real estate structuring & advisory; Andrew Gilmore, principal economist of The Economist Group, and Nick van Marken, MD of van Marken Consulting. Stephen Sackur, presenter of HARDTalk, will return to FHS as MC for the event.
Technology will once again be at the forefront of the FHS 2023 program, with leaders discussing the future of the hospitality and travel tech stack. Confirmed speakers include Cenk Sidar, CEO and co-founder of Enquire IA.
“We are excited to announce our first speakers as part of what is set to be an exceptional line up of distinguished regional and global industry leaders, representing some of the world’s most respected hospitality brands and investment organizations. FHS, alongside the 19th edition of our flagship event AHIC will be making its debut in Abu Dhabi thanks to our host sponsors, Abu Dhabi Convention & Exhibition Bureau, Miral, and Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island,” said Jonathan Worsley, chairman of The Bench.
Under the theme “Focus on Investment,” FHS 2023 will comprise several content tracks, including Investment, Operating Models, Innovation, the Future of Tourism and ESG. In addition to main stage keynotes, interviews and panel discussions, the event will feature a series of networking opportunities, excursions, masterclasses and workshops, including a sneak peek of USALI 2024, a masterclass on best practices for financing hospitality assets and key considerations in the UAE, a student workshop with The Emirates Academy and a Think Tank to discuss the hospitality talent pipeline to develop and attract the best industry professionals.
Once more, the Future Hospitality Summit will be hosting the finals of the Sustainable Hospitality Challenge, a The Hague initiative that sees over 50 schools participate in a global competition that inspires and connects students from around the world to create innovative, regenerative, and sustainable solutions. This year’s challenge is proud to announce that for the first time, internationally reputable architecture, technology and design universities will be joining the top-tier hospitality institutions, forming multidisciplinary student teams.
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