Sally Edwards

Senior Advisor, Events and Festivals at Dubai Tourism

Sally Edwards is the Senior Advisor, Events and Festivals at Dubai Tourism leading a professional team who manage the planning and implementation of Dubai Calendar, Dubai Food Festival and Dubai Fitness Challenge. With the overall aim of increasing attendees to Dubai’s rich annual calendar of events and festivals, Sally and her team attract, create and market a year-round programme of world-class leisure events in the city through facilitating industry relationships, providing marketing support to event organisers and hosting the official portal for all of Dubai’s events, www.dubaicalendar.com, The team leads the planning and delivery of Dubai Food Festival and Dubai Fitness Challenge engaging industry, key partners and the public achieving year on year growth and success of both festivals.

Lynn Chouman

News Editor, LinkedIn

Lynn Chouman is an experienced journalist and media professional. She is currently a News Editor at LinkedIn, providing members with news and views that help them build future-proof careers and navigate a dynamic professional landscape. Lynn moderates panels with key decision makers and experts, discussing different business topics that include Artificial Intelligence, Technology and Development. Prior to joining LinkedIn, Lynn was a business news anchor at Al Arabiya News Channel. Lynn brings experience in economic policy and development, having previously worked at the World Bank office in Beirut. She obtained a degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut.

David Singleton

Partner, Socius Group

David has worked in the hospitality and retail industry in the USA, EMEA and South Asia as a brand builder, creator, operator, franchisee, franchisor for some of the world’s best known and respected brands including Hard Rock Cafe, Armani Caffe, Almaz by Momo, Caffè Nero, Magnolia Bakery, Serendipity 3, Bloomingdales, Mercedes Benz (Russia).

In addition to his role as partner with Global business development company he is also a Director with the British Business Group Dubai and the Northern Emirates, Associate Partner with Harrison Design, a global brand design and advisory studio, Partner with the Henka Institute experts in transformational coaching and a proud co-founder of MERA the Middle East Restaurant Association and an equally proud member of GRIF’s Advisory Board .

David also moderates, speaks, writes, advises and mentors across the hospitality and services sectors, globally from Dubai.

Paul Wainwright

Director, Asia-Pacific, Harrison

Paul is a brand-focused designer, with vast experience in Hospitality design and has worked on a wide range of projects; from nightclubs in Hong Kong to Boutique Restaurants & Hotels in Europe and USA. His knowledge and experience has developed and transformed a wide expanse of F&B and Hospitality projects worldwide. With an Architectural background and moving into interiors while working for an Interiors agency in Sydney, Australia he has spent 15 years specializing in food and beverage design.

Returning to the UK in 2010 to join one of London’s leading design agencies as a Design Director he maintained working with some of be worlds leading hospitality brands. Paul leads the Harrison creative team in creating concepts, brand repositioning and developing the design for many high profile US and International based Restaurant Brands.

As a Partner and integral part of the Harrison family he now oversees the Asia Pacific region supporting our existing clients global brands while looking to expand in new and emerging markets.

Naim Maadad

Chief Executive, Gates Hospitality

With over 28 years in the hospitality world across Australia, Asia, & the Middle East in various senior management roles, Naim has launched & operated some of the world’s best Hotels, Resorts, Spas & Lifestyle Food & Beverage Concepts.

Naim's career has exposed him to some of the best properties around the world and he partook & orchestrated several amazing openings & operations.

Covering a wide spectrum of positions within senior leadership, including the role of Managing Director for both Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas and The Anantara Group respectively. During his time with these exclusive properties, he was instrumental in nurturing sound relationships with owners, securing the best possible locations, negotiating and formalising contractual agreements, and appointing teams to infuse and reflect the ethos of the brands.

Being based in the ME over the past 18 years, he has witnessed tremendous industry growth, gained a deep cultural understanding & have been endorsed by principals & organizations alike.

In 2012, he established “Gates Hospitality” A homegrown Hospitality Company representing handpicked Concepts catering for the affluent life-stylers.

Gates Hospitality, the parent company of well-known homegrown brands such as; Ultra Brasserie, the internationally acclaimed concept; Reform Social & Grill Dubai, Folly by Nick & Scott, as well as Publique, Dubai's premier "Apres Ski chalet", The Black Lion, Bistro Des Arts and ownership of Six Senses Zighy Bay.

Continuing the successful growth of Gates Hospitality’s portfolio 2017, Via Veneto Osteria e Cucina opened Q3 this year; as well as Red Farm at Covent Garden, London, U.K., the first global foray of the group vide an international venue outside the region would be launched early 2018.

In principal, GH expertise that are extended are indicative but not limited to; Hospitality Guidance | Asset Management | Pre-opening Foundation | Day-to-day Operational Success.

Naim's philosophy & approach are simple, connecting like-minded investors, operators & brands to define concepts, successful portfolios & continue on shaping the hospitality industry.

Affiliations - on the Advisory Boards of :-

• Caterer Middle East
• Hotelier Middle East
• BNC Publishing
• Middle East Food Forum
• New Zealand Trade & Enterprise

Contributing Columnist for magazines :-

• Hotelier Middle East
• Caterer Middle East
• Hospitality News Middle East

Kevin McKenna

Trade Commissioner / Consul-General, New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE)

Based in Dubai, Kevin is responsible for NZTE's activities across the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and the Levant countries of Jordan, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.

He was previously New Zealand's trade commissioner and consul-general in Mumbai, India. Before joining NZTE, he was the executive general manager of the Abu Dhabi-based Transfield International group of companies across the Middle East, India and Asia.

Kevin has been a director of Middle Eastern companies, including Transfield International in Dubai, Transfield-Emdad Services and Intergulf Contracting in Abu Dhabi, and Transfield-Mannai FMS in Qatar.

He is a former Wing Commander in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and is a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit. He has a science degree from the University of Otago, and a Master's and business diploma from Massey University.

Síle Sweeney

Trade & Commercial Advisor, ​New Zealand Trade & Enterprise (NZTE)​

Sile Sweeney is Trade & Commercial Advisor at NZTE for the UAE, Qatar, Lebanon and Jordan. Her role is to support New Zealand exporters in the FMCG industry to develop their business plans and route to market strategies.

Ali Jalloul

Managing Director - MENA, Alacarte

Simon Ritchie

Editor, Caterer Middle East

Simon Ritchie is the editor of Caterer Middle East. A seasoned business and lifestyle journalist, Ritchie has worked across a number of publications and industries both in the UK, his home country, and abroad, before settling into F&B in Dubai.

Lynn Chouman

News Editor, LinkedIn

Lynn Chouman is an experienced journalist and media professional. She is currently a News Editor at LinkedIn, providing members with news and views that help them build future-proof careers and navigate a dynamic professional landscape. Lynn moderates panels with key decision makers and experts, discussing different business topics that include Artificial Intelligence, Technology and Development. Prior to joining LinkedIn, Lynn was a business news anchor at Al Arabiya News Channel. Lynn brings experience in economic policy and development, having previously worked at the World Bank office in Beirut. She obtained a degree in Economics from the American University of Beirut.

Ravi Chandran

Chief Executive Officer, Liwa Minor

Ravi has 28 years of extensive experience in Europe and the Middle East in the hospitality industry, executing multiple start-ups, creating new concepts and leading multi-brand operations and has spearheaded 24 food & beverage brands, turned around loss making businesses, restructured acquired businesses and sustained success through new business model innovation.

Ravi currently leads Liwa Minor based in UAE and operates The Coffee Club for the MENA region, an All Day Dining Café from Australia with 18 outlets in operation in UAE and one each to open in KSA and Qatar in 2018. Since joining in August 2016, Ravi has set the strategic direction for the MENA region for The Coffee Club brand with a steadfast and robust roll-out plan of 100+ outlets to be opened in the Middle East in the next five years along with entry to five new markets. Ravi is also working on expanding the company’s portfolio with plans to make an acquisition of an existing F&B concept and franchise an International F&B brand as part of its growth strategy.

Ravi graduated with a GMP from Harvard Business School, USA and also holds a MBA from University of Bradford, UK, and a Diploma in Hotel Management from Les Roches, Switzerland.

Muhammed Yildirim

Managing Director, Talabat

Rohit Sachdev

Chief Executive Officer, Soho Hospitality

Rohit Sachdev is the Managing Director of Soho Hospitality and is responsible for the overall strategic vision for the company’s diversified hospitality business.

Soho Hospitality’s portfolio includes the 163 key Fraser Suites Sukhumvit property and 4 f&b outlets including Above Eleven, Charcoal Tandoor Grill & Mixology, Havana Social and Cantina Wine Bar & Italian Kitchen. Soho Hospitality introduced new outlets as part of its f&b expansion including the opening of its flagship Above Eleven in Bali, Indonesia and Brasserie Cordonnier in Bangkok, Thailand in 2017. Additional outlets are slated for opening in 2018.

Soho hospitality also operates an interior design services and f&b consulting arm which designs hotels, resorts, restaurants, bars and nightclubs for the likes of Starwood, IHG, Accor, Taj Hotels, Moevenpick, Dusit International and Anantara. Soho Hospitality has received numerous accolades and awards including the World Travel Award in 2011 and the Asia Pacific Property Award in 2015 and 2016.

Rohit is a graduate of the Stern School of Business at New York University and is regularly invited to participate as a panellist in key hospitality and F&B conferences across the region including the Hotel Investment Conference South Asia, Hotel Management Summit, Global Restaurant Investment Forum.

Visit Soho Hospitality's website

Christian Abell

Vice President Food & Beverage MEA, Marriott International

Chris is leading our F&B team that is responsible for strategy development and execution across the food and beverage space; including outlet concepting, beverage, culinary, and driving R&B revenue.

A graduate of the Curinne School of Culinary Arts in Perth Australia, Chris was accredited as a Master Chef in London and was recognized as a member of the World Master Chef Society due to his culinary talents and food styling techniques.

Chris has worked in the hospitality industry for 30 years, the majority of that being with Marriott. He joined the MEA team in July 2017 from our Marriott Corporate HQ team in Bethesda Maryland where he was the Vice President of Experience Design as a member of our Insight, Strategy & Innovation team, having been certified as an Experience Designer by Pine and Gilmore. The Marriott ISI team leads change within our industry by developing disruptive thinking across brands, disciplines and continents, & Chris’s role within that team focused on Food & Beverage and concept design. Chris’s previous roles with Marriott include: Senior Director of Project Development and Concept Design for Asia Pacific, Regional Director of Operations Asia Pacific, Director of Food & Beverage, JW Marriott Hong Kong and Executive Chef JW Marriott Hong Kong. In his early career as a chef, he trained under Michelin accredited restaurants across Europe. Christian has been recognized for his culinary talents as Marriott International’s Chef of the Year during his tenure at the JW Marriott Hong Kong.

During his time at Marriott HQ, Christian had the incredible opportunity to participate and play an active role across a number of significant brand development and positioning projects including:

• AC Hotels Design Strategy – Christian was a key member of the AC Hotels Design Strategy team that worked to evolve the design strategy for the brand; developing key design pillars and guest experience proof points and ensuring their pull through in order to support growth and owner interest in the AC Hotels brand.

• Wanderlust Renaissance Design Strategy Initiative –an initiative where Christian worked with a small, cross-disciplinary team to author a design strategy focused on delivering more original, discovery-driven design and set of guest experience outcomes to further differentiate the Renaissance Hotels brand.

• Marriott Hotels Brand Reinvention (Red Domino) – developed concepts, platforms and live in-market prototypes to inspire new thinking for the Marriott brand and company. This project developed broader thinking around space design, customers’ experiences, F&B strategy and profitable business models.

Chris’s broad career experiences, exposure to varied cultures and culinary experiences, and his innovation training and thinking are of tremendous benefit to our continent and team. He has relocated to Dubai along with his wife Jini and son Harnule.

Dean Concannon

Design Director, Harrison

Dean is the Design Director of Harrison for 30 years creating various branding both in the UK and internationally. 21 years designing Nando’s over 350 restaurants to date.

Michael Ellis

Chief Culinary Officer, Jumeirah Hotels and Resorts

Michael Ellis is Jumeirah’s Chief Culinary Officer. Michael joined Jumeirah from Michelin Restaurant and Hotel Guides where he was Global Director for Europe, Asia and the Americas. An advocate for the restaurant industry and an American native with a global workplace, Ellis has an unmatched understanding of destination restaurants. Ellis role is to focus on developing new restaurant concepts, attracting and upskilling culinary talent, and enhancing existing restaurants to industry-leading levels.

With the introduction of the role of Chief Culinary Officer, Jumeirah is preparing for a step-change in its F&B strategy and with the support and drive of Ellis is looking to shake the norms, drive creativity and reinvigorate its gastronomic experiences, reinforcing Jumeirah as a national champion.

Amit Nayak

Vice President and Executive Board Member, HAMA

Amit is an asset manager with an 18+ yr’s of experience in asset management, private equity & operations.

He is an alumnus from the prestigious Cornell NY where he specialized in asset & revenue management as well as from IHMCTAN, Mumbai School of hotel management with a post-grad in business admin from NMIMS, Mumbai .He also holds a CHA license awarded by the American Hotel & Lodging association.

He is the Managing Director of High Point providing Asset management services & Investment within the hospitality, private equity & real estate & space. Their core focus is to manage hospitality assets, investments, development projects & real estate along with land banks within UAE, KSA & Europe as well as Private Equity placements in the same geographies. The forte’ is in building shareholder value by developing & proactively asset managing high-quality assets for their owners & partners.

Prior to joining High Point Hospitality he worked as the Director of SAN Consultants, Dubai: the outfit was a boutique consultancy firm that specializes in advisory services in the field of corporate asset management, brand development and strategy for hotels, mixed-use real estate assets & luxury brands working with Owners, Operators and Investment Funds.

Earlier to this as Executive Manager, Operations and Business Development for a Private Office (SWF) in Bahrain, where he managed as owner’s representative real estate assets globally with international operators including Four Seasons, Marriott’s and Starwood’s. He was also responsible for establishing and developing the Hotel division for the Group, and subsequently overlooked it to manage both the hospitality and real estate functions along with supporting the development pipe-line of assets for the group.

He is a Mentor at iN5 Dubai and on the executive board of the Cornell University Alumni association for GCC as well Vice President and executive board member of HAMA (Hotel asset managers association) MENA & Turkey.

Georgina Woollams

Founder & Managing Director, Katch International

Georgie Woollams is the Managing Director of Katch International and Co-Founder of IAManagement, with more than 16 years of invaluable international experience. Georgie coordinates a wide range of digital and traditional communications services, spanning public relations, social media, creative design and branding, digital marketing, conceptual development, sponsorship management, and celebrity bookings.

The PR, marketing and communications specialist has extensive experience in the Saudi Arabian market, with a diverse portfolio of brands across a variety of industries. She has overseen numerous successful projects in the region and played a key role in aligning Live Nation with the General Entertainment Authority to bring Iluminate to Jeddah for Saudi Arabia’s first-ever non-traditional live entertainment show. Additionally, Katch recently handled the PR, social media and integrated communications for BTS’ historic live show at King Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, as the global pop sensations became the first foreign musical act to perform in Saudi Arabia. Georgie has also led communications for Middle East Film & Comic Con, Insomnia Gaming Festival, and many more campaigns in the Kingdom.

Milestones in Georgie’s career include handling the global PR, project management and integrated communications for Lewis Hamilton’s recently launched Neat Burger, the world’s first plant-based sustainable burger chain. She was responsible for naming contemporary Middle Eastern restaurant Clé Dubai, launching Cavalli Caffè in Beirut and aligning Tom Wolfe with the brand. Other significant highlights include launching Cirque Le Soir in Dubai and Shanghai, as well as playing an integral role in supporting the establishment of Barclays Wealth in Moscow at Moscow Fashion Week and being involved in all aspects of the Hema Kaul fashion label, from conception of the brand through to helping showcase her collection at London Fashion Week.

Always on the lookout for the next big thing, Georgie spearheaded the launch of Katch Disruption, an extension of the digital arm of the agency that offers advanced marketing technology. Geotargeting, advertising geofencing, creative interactive ads and intent-based marketing are areas that are focused on to increase traffic on clients’ social media channels – successfully disrupting each target market in the process. Disruption, to Georgie, is all about breaking the mould and innovating, while generating personalised content, tingling the senses aesthetically and cashing in on real-time opportunities.

With her extensive know-how and insights when it comes to the GCC, MENA and international markets, Georgie continuously endeavours to evolve the scope of Katch International’s operations to ensure the agency stays at the forefront of market servicing by localising its offering for each market it enters.

Babette Marzheuser-Wood

Global Head of Franchise Group, Dentons

Babette is rated as a top 10 global franchise lawyer. She heads up the European Franchise team at Dentons. She specialises in international franchise and concession agreements and IP-driven joint ventures.

Babette has transactional experience in over 100 countries. Recent deals include work in all major emerging markets (Russia, India, China, Brazil and South Africa) as well as in the Middle East and Africa. She also advises clients on franchise agreements and other innovative structures for international expansion in the global marketplace.

Babette has particular expertise in the restaurant, hotel, leisure, retail and sectors. She is dual qualified in Germany and the UK. She is recognised as one of Europe’s leading experts in hotel and leisure franchising with a particular emphasis on German speaking Europe. Babette is recognised as a leading expert in international franchising by Chambers Global which says she is “highly regarded for her experience in the hotel and leisure industry”. She is also recommended by The International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers, Chambers UK and Legal 500 for her franchise expertise. She is listed as a recommended country expert for Germany in Chambers Global.

Babette’s research on the role of franchising in the European hospitality industry has attracted widespread media attention. Babette is the author of “International Protection of a Franchisor’s System”, Vancouver 2004. She has written the European section of Butterworth’s Franchise Laws.

She lectures regularly around the world on franchise law and was part of a team of lawyers that advised the Russian Government on the use of franchising to kick-start small businesses. She is an associated editor of the Franchise Law Review.

Babette is a member of the ABA Forum on Franchising, the IBA Franchise Committee and the IFA.

She is dual qualified in both Germany and the UK.

David Singleton

Partner, Socius Group

David has worked in the hospitality and retail industry in the USA, EMEA and South Asia as a brand builder, creator, operator, franchisee, franchisor for some of the world’s best known and respected brands including Hard Rock Cafe, Armani Caffe, Almaz by Momo, Caffè Nero, Magnolia Bakery, Serendipity 3, Bloomingdales, Mercedes Benz (Russia).

In addition to his role as partner with Global business development company he is also a Director with the British Business Group Dubai and the Northern Emirates, Associate Partner with Harrison Design, a global brand design and advisory studio, Partner with the Henka Institute experts in transformational coaching and a proud co-founder of MERA the Middle East Restaurant Association and an equally proud member of GRIF’s Advisory Board .

David also moderates, speaks, writes, advises and mentors across the hospitality and services sectors, globally from Dubai.

Duncan Fraser-Smith

Founder & Managing Partner, The Cutting Edge Agency

Having spent the past 6 years in the Middle East region in key food and beverage roles within the hotel industry, Duncan has a wealth of experience in this region.

Duncan spent 3 years in Doha, Qatar, developing the hospitality operations for Qatar Sports City and the Cultural Village. Most recently his role as Group Director of Design, Food and Beverage for Middle East, Africa and Asia, involved creating and developing over 150 different food and beverage concepts for InterContinental Hotels Group, one of the largest hotel companies in the world, so Duncan is well recognized and respected in the hotel and restaurant industry within the Middle East/GCC region and internationally.

Duncan’s 20 years in the hospitality industry, spanning Asia, Australia and the Middle East, have seen him developing both edgy brand defining concepts and establishing, both stand alone and hotel based outlets from deconstructed bars, cafes and lifestyle outlets through to contemporary steakhouses and high street fine dining .

Duncan has a unique approach to developing hotel food and beverage operations by identifying the mix of offerings falling under the three categories of , Core, Impulse and Destination and to make strategic, long
term decisions on the correct use of each individual space.

Samer Hamadeh

Creator, Akiba Dori

Samer S. Hamadeh grew up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia & moved to his native Beirut, Lebanon in 1994. He left Beirut a few days after graduating from the American University of Beirut & moved to Dubai in 2004.

Samer spent a short 9 months at Impact/BBDO Dubai in 2004, then left the agency & founded Chillout|Corporate in 2005; a joint venture with Chillout Productions, one of the the UAE's most awarded live events agency. Samer is credited with founding the Dubai Comedy Convention & producing the Dubai Film Festival for 4 years. Samer also brought disruptive LED wristband tech Xylobands to the Middle East, tying up with artists such as Jay Z, Rihanna, Pharrell, Coldplay & others.

In 2011, Samer shifted focus from live events to hospitality, taking with him 7 years of entertainment experience and a large social network. He is most known for creating the highly disruptive nightlife brands Republique (2011) & Stereo Arcade (2015). Both were incredibly popular in their own right & earned him a reputation as being a disruptive concept creator. Samer created & launched his latest concept, Akiba Dori in Dubai Design District in 2018 and is taking the brand to Saudi Arabia with Akiba Dori Jeddah opening in Q4 of 2020 & Riyadh opening in mid 2021, in addition to expansion into Abu Dhabi.

Known for his outspoken attitude towards the hospitality industry, Samer is regularly in the press discussing business candidly & has been featured on the Caterer Middle Easter Power 50 list & The Arabian Business DXB100 list of people helping shape the future of Dubai.

Briar Jacques

Counselling Psychologist, Mindfulness & ACT Trainer

Briar Jacques is an Australian psychologist who specialises in Mindfulness Based Training. She founded The Free Spirit Project and works with many individuals, offering one on one trainings, group courses & community service initiatives, online & in person. FSP frequently works with organisations, helping them attend to their corporate culture by focusing on operationalising values and building psychological safety. Briar also acts as a consultant to a prominent Dubai design firm – bringing behavioural science principles more powerfully into the design process.

Martin Kubler

Creator & Chief Muncher, JLT Dining

Samantha Wood

Publisher, Editor & Consultant, FooDiva

Samantha Wood is a British-Greek-Cypriot resident of Dubai who wears a number of hats – a food writer, event organiser and marketing consultant with 25+ years of experience in the United Kingdom and the Middle East. Having left the hospitality PR world, she set up her own business a decade ago – an impartial restaurant review website, FooDiva (www.foodiva.net) that has collected 12 awards. Samantha also curates #ThreeChefsDinner and #DineAroundDubai experiences. She has featured prolifically in local and international media including guest segments on CNN and a regular spot on Dubai Eye radio. She is the UAE contributor for the global Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery restaurant guide. Samantha is a member of the global Guild of Food Writers, holds a WSET Level 2 wine qualification, and is a speaker, moderator and industry awards judge on her favourite subjects – food, restaurants and social media. In light of the COVID-19 crisis, she launched a pro bono social media campaign, #UAERestaurantsUnite to support the F&B industry, which has since morphed into a long term strategy championing the country’s homegrown dining scene.