ModeratorandPanelistProfiles

AndrewStaples,GlobalEditorialDirectoroftheEconomistCorporateNetwork,TheEconomistIntelligenceUnitStaples is the global editorial director of The Economist Corporate Network (ECN), theEconomist IntelligenceUnit’s briefing and advisory service for senior business leaders. Heleads and supports a teamofNetworkDirectors (NDs) across Africa, theMiddle East andAsia, and ensures that editorial consistency and quality are maintained to the highestlevel.Aseditorialdirector,Staplesensures that thevaluesandstandardsofTheEconomistbrand are upheld across all the networks and drives ECN editorial strategy through theinnovationofnewservicesandproducts.Staples joined theEconomistGroup in2013andpriortohiscurrentrole,ranECNinTokyo(laterNorthAsia)andSouth-eastAsia.Heprovidesmemberswith insightandanalysisona rangeof topics related toASEANandthebroaderEast Asian economy. He regularly chairs andmoderatesmajor Economist events, deliverscustom briefings to senior executives (including Fortune 500 C-suite) and public figures(including heads of states) in his areas of expertise in the internationalmedia (BBC, CNN,CNBC,ChannelNewsAsia,AlJazeera).

RobinYap,ChairmanEmeritusofTheTravelCorporationAsiaYapbeganhiscareerwithTheTravelCorporationassalesexecutiveofInsightVacationsofitsGeneralSalesAgent’sofficein1985.WhenthecompanyopeneditsAsiaofficesin1987,RobinbecamemanagingdirectorforInsightVacations(Asia).Hehassinceheldavarietyofleadership positions within The Travel Corporation, ensuring its continued growth in theregion, including presidentAsia from2011 to 2018. Someof its 25 award-winningbrandsinclude Insight Vacations, Trafalgar Tours, Contiki Holidays, Uniworld Cruises, ThompsonGatewayAfrica,andRedCarnationHotels.YapwasconferredthePingatBaktiMasyarakatpublic service medal by the president of Singapore in 2010 and 2017, as well as theCommunityLongServiceAwardbythemayorofSingaporein2015.RobinalsoreceivedtheprestigiousGoldMedalforTourism(Médailled’orduTourisme)fromAtoutFrance.DeanSchreiber,CEOandmanagingdirector,AsiaPacific,OakwoodDeanSchreiberhasservedastheManagingDirectorofOakwoodAsiaPacificsince2014andassumed the roleof interimChief ExecutiveOfficer ofOakwoodWorldwide in June2019.With30yearsofexperienceinthehospitalityindustry,SchreiberisthedrivingforcebehindtherapidgrowthandsuccessfuloperationsofOakwoodpropertiesglobally.

ParinMehta,ManagingDirector,AirbnbTrips,AsiaPacificParin leads the Airbnb Trips business in APAC which covers Experiences, Concerts andRestaurants.AirbnbExperiencesareactivitiesdesignedand ledby inspiring locals.HeandhisteamarefocusedonacquiringhostsandhelpingthembecomesuccessfulontheAirbnbplatform. Parin has grown both small startups and large global sales organisations acrossAPAC, EMEA and the US. He previously worked for Google in Singapore, California andLondontohelpsuperscaleproductssuchasChrome,Android,GmailandGoogle+.Priortojoining Google, Parin was a management consultant and a teacher in rural Japan. Parinadvisesandcoachesseveral start-upsandentrepreneursaround theworld.HeholdsaBAfromTheUniversityofCambridgeandanMBAfromINSEAD.DanPenner,SeniorRegionalManager,AsiaPacificDan has been at TripAdvisor Experiences for 4 years,moving from aMarketManager toSeniorRegionalManager;lookingafterourSupplierAccountsfromTourOperators,ActivityProviders toAttractions inSouthEastAsia,NorthAsia,NewZealandandtheSouthPacificIslands.HavingrecentlymovedtoSingapore to focusonoursupply inAsia.Dan is lookingforward toensuringour supplyand sales continue togrowatahighpaceand finding thebest products for our customers. Dan has previous experienceworking in Adventure andSportstourismandamajorRetailTravelnetwork.WhilsthappytocallSingaporehome,hehasalsolivedinSydneyandstartedhisworklifeintheUK.

XinyiLiang-Pholsena,Editor,TTGAsia,TTGAsiaMediaLiang-PholsenaspearheadsandmanagestheeditorialcontentforTTGAsiaMedia’smarket-leadingtravelbusinesstitles,includingtheflagshipTTGAsiaprintmagazineandwebsiteaswellasTTGshowdailies.BasedinBangkok,sheisaveteranbusinessjournalistwithmorethanadecade’sexperiencecoveringtheAsiatravelindustry.Sheholdsabachelor’sdegreeinGeographyfromtheNationalUniversityofSingapore.

Soon-HwaWong,ViceChairman,PATAandChairman,PATASingaporeChapterSoon Hwa has some 40 years of extensive experience in the Asia Pacific tourism andhospitality industry.Aftera longandsuccessfulcorporatecareer,hefoundedAsiaTourismConsulting to provide advisory and consulting services to commercial and not-for-profitenterprises. Currently, he is consulting for a major development project in Yunnan toenhancetwo-waytourismbetweenYunnanandASEANintheOneBelt,OneRoadinitiative.As part of paying forward, he is providing pro-bono services in mentoring startups anduniversity students in his alma mater besides serving in several social committees. HestartedtheHertzAsiaPacificofficeinSingaporein1993.AsVicePresident–Asia,hebuiltacomprehensive regional network, reinforcingHertz ‘s position as globalmarket leader.Hespent3yearsinShanghaifrom2007to2010andopenedthefirst100%foreignownedcarrentalcompanyinChina.AfterHertz,asRegionalDirector–AsiaPacific,hehelpedBlacklaneGmbHestablishedtheSingaporeregionalofficeandbuiltaservicenetworkcoveringsome80cities.Blacklaneisanewtechprofessionalchauffeurdriveserviceproviderofferingridesin some 300 cities and 60 countries globally. Prior to Hertz, he was RegionalManager –SouthEastAsiaforAirNewZealand,GMMarketingofMansfieldTravelandDeputyGMAvisSingapore. A Bachelor of Business Administration graduate of the National University ofSingapore,heisalsoaFellowoftheCharteredInstituteofMarketingUKandattendedtheStanfordExecutiveProgram.SoonHwa’slongassociationwithPATAdatedbackto1996andhadservedinvariouscapacitiesovertheyears.PresentlyservingasViceChairmanofPATAas well as Chairman of the PATA Singapore Chapter. Recipient of the PATA LifeMemberAward in 2018 and PATA Award of Meritin 2008. Recognised as one of TTG Asia’s 45Trendsetters for successfully organising the inaugural SG Tourism Leaders Forum. TheForum,withspeakersfromSTBandNTUC,broughttogether,fortheveryfirsttime,8otherindustryassociationleadersandmemberstopromotecrosssectorcollaborationunderthethemeof“PowerofOne”.

LinkedInProfile:https://www.linkedin.com/in/soonhwawong/