Keynote Speakers

Thursday, 15th July 2021 (online)
Academic
Dr Andrea Caputo
University of Trento, Italy
Expertise: Entrepreneurship and Negotiations
For more info please visit: http://www.soi.unitn.it/staff/andrea-caputo/
Dr Nikolaos Pappas
University of Sunderland, UK
Expertise: Crisis Management Communications in Travel and Tourism
For more info please visit: https://www.sunderland.ac.uk/about/staff/tourism-hospitality-and-events/nikolaospappas
Professor Alexandros Paraskevas
University of West London UK
Expertise: Hospitality Crisis Management.
For more info please visit: https://www.uwl.ac.uk/users/alexandros-paraskevas
Andrea Caputo is Associate professor at the University of Trento in Italy, and Reader in Strategy & Entrepreneurship at the Lincoln International Business School of the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. He has formerly served as Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Princess Sumaya University for Technology, in Jordan from 2013 to 2015. Dr. Caputo received his PhD in Management in 2013 from the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, School of Economics, in Italy, and he is an Alumni of the INSEAD Advanced Valuation Programme. He has also been Visiting Faculty Member at several universities around the world He has authored a number of international publications and his work has been presented at international conferences. In 2014, he has been awarded with the Emerald Highly Commended Paper by the International Journal of Conflict Management.
Dr Nikolaos Pappas
Nikolaos Pappas is Associate Professor in Tourism Hospitality and Events, and the Director of the Centre for Research in Tourism Excellence (CERTE) at the University of Sunderland, United Kingdom. He holds a doctorate (PhD) in tourism planning and development and a post-doctorate (PDoc) in risk and crisis management. He has worked more than 20 years in the tourism and hospitality industry, and since 1998 he has been involved and led several nationally and internationally funded research projects. Since 2001 he is an academic (teaching and research) in a variety of higher education institutions in the U.K. and Greece. He has more than sixty publications is esteemed scientific journals and conferences, whilst he acts as a reviewer in several academic journals, such as Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, and Tourism Management. His research interests include crisis management communications, tourism and hospitality management, destination marketing, and tourism planning and development.
Alexandros Paraskevas is Professor in Strategic Risk Management and Chair in Hospitality Management at the London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of West London. His hospitality industry background includes internal auditing and operations management positions for over a decade with Marriott and Starwood. His academic background includes 15 years of service at the Oxford School of Hospitality Management (Oxford Brookes University). He has led numerous hotel industry projects in the areas of risk, crisis, disaster management and business continuity. He is one of the authors of Planning Research in Hospitality and Tourism (2008, Butterworth-Heinemann). As proponent of Complexity Theory, he has been a member of the Complexity Research Group at the London School of Economics and a Director of the Complexity Society (UK). A visiting scholar in Austria, Finland, Hong Kong, Mexico, Spain and Taiwan, Alexandros has worked with governments and tourism professional. He has served as advisor of the International Hotel and Restaurant Association’s (IH&RA) Global Council on Security, Safety and Crisis Management and is a member of ASIS (the American Society for Industrial Security professionals) and HEAT (ASIS’ Council for Hospitality and Tourism).
Industry
Mrs Maria Gatsou
Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), Greece
Position: General Manager
For more info please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-gatsou-1403413/?originalSubdomain=gr
Dr Auliana Poon
Leve-Global / Tourism Intelligence International, Trinidad and Tobago
Position: Managing Director
For more info please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/auliana-poon/?originalSubdomain=de
Mrs. Kimarli Fernando
Sri Lanka
Position: Chairperson – Sri Lanka Tourism
For more info please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimarli-fernando-aa93b547/?originalSubdomain=lk
Maria Gatsou is the General Manager of SETE (Greek Tourism Confederation). She is a Senior Executive with 20 years of working experience in highly demanding environments. Maria has lead a series of corporate communications and public affairs projects, targeting various stakeholders. She demonstrated ability in issue and crisis management. Maria has accumulated experience in tourism, aviation, shipping, real estate and retail industries.
Dr Auliana Poon heads Leve-Global. She is a courageous and passionate businesswoman. Auliana Poon established Caribbean Futures Limited that became Tourism Intelligence International in 1990; Villa Being, Tobago, in 2000; Being Sustainable in 2010; the Tourism Intelligence Academy in 2015; Lévé -the Event in 2016 and Leve-Global, that aims to cooperatively elevate Tourism, Trade and Lives, in 2018. Auliana consulted more than fifty countries worldwide including Abu Dhabi, Australia, Barbados, the Bahamas, Iceland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Mauritius, Mozambique, Singapore, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland and Switzerland. Poon was the senior economist at the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) where she visited and provided technical support to the organisation’s 30 member states. She was the USAID advisor to the Belize Tourism private sector.
Kimarli is the Chairperson of Sri Lanka Tourism, heading the Government’s four main Tourism entities; Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, and Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management. This is the first time that one Chairperson was appointed to all four Boards; she is also the first woman in the role. Kimarli is a very focused, determined and result-oriented corporate leader with over 30 years of experience and a proven track record in corporate governance & ethical practices in the banking industry and private sector, including in local and foreign banks, together with work experience in Frankfurt in the area of Corporate Finance. Kimarli has an LLB (Hons) from London School of Economics and Political Science and is a Barrister-at-Law at Lincoln’s Inn, UK and an Attorney-at-law in Sri Lanka. She is a life member of the Sri Lanka Bar Association and Law Society of Sri Lanka. Kimarli authored “Company Law of Sri Lanka” 2nd edition, a definitive reference book for students and practitioners of Company Law in Sri Lanka. In recognition of her achievements, she was awarded Professional Woman of the Year 2007 and Woman of Achievement for Banking in 2009
Academic
Dr Andrea Caputo
University of Trento, Italy
Expertise: Entrepreneurship and Negotiations
For more info please visit: http://www.soi.unitn.it/staff/andrea-caputo/
Read More>>
Andrea Caputo is Associate professor at the University of Trento in Italy, and Reader in Strategy & Entrepreneurship at the Lincoln International Business School of the University of Lincoln in the United Kingdom. He has formerly served as Assistant Professor of Business Administration at Princess Sumaya University for Technology, in Jordan from 2013 to 2015. Dr. Caputo received his PhD in Management in 2013 from the University of Rome ‘Tor Vergata’, School of Economics, in Italy, and he is an Alumni of the INSEAD Advanced Valuation Programme. He has also been Visiting Faculty Member at several universities around the world He has authored a number of international publications and his work has been presented at international conferences. In 2014, he has been awarded with the Emerald Highly Commended Paper by the International Journal of Conflict Management.
Dr Nikolaos Pappas
Dr Nikolaos Pappas
University of Sunderland, UK
Expertise: Crisis Management Communications in Travel and Tourism
For more info please visit: https://www.sunderland.ac.uk/about/staff/tourism-hospitality-and-events/nikolaospappas
Read More>>
Nikolaos Pappas is Associate Professor in Tourism Hospitality and Events, and the Director of the Centre for Research in Tourism Excellence (CERTE) at the University of Sunderland, United Kingdom. He holds a doctorate (PhD) in tourism planning and development and a post-doctorate (PDoc) in risk and crisis management. He has worked more than 20 years in the tourism and hospitality industry, and since 1998 he has been involved and led several nationally and internationally funded research projects. Since 2001 he is an academic (teaching and research) in a variety of higher education institutions in the U.K. and Greece. He has more than sixty publications is esteemed scientific journals and conferences, whilst he acts as a reviewer in several academic journals, such as Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Journal of Sustainable Tourism, and Tourism Management. His research interests include crisis management communications, tourism and hospitality management, destination marketing, and tourism planning and development.
Professor Alexandros Paraskevas
University of West London UK
Expertise: Hospitality Crisis Management.
For more info please visit: https://www.uwl.ac.uk/users/alexandros-paraskevas
Read More>>
Alexandros Paraskevas is Professor in Strategic Risk Management and Chair in Hospitality Management at the London Geller College of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of West London. His hospitality industry background includes internal auditing and operations management positions for over a decade with Marriott and Starwood. His academic background includes 15 years of service at the Oxford School of Hospitality Management (Oxford Brookes University). He has led numerous hotel industry projects in the areas of risk, crisis, disaster management and business continuity. He is one of the authors of Planning Research in Hospitality and Tourism (2008, Butterworth-Heinemann). As proponent of Complexity Theory, he has been a member of the Complexity Research Group at the London School of Economics and a Director of the Complexity Society (UK). A visiting scholar in Austria, Finland, Hong Kong, Mexico, Spain and Taiwan, Alexandros has worked with governments and tourism professional. He has served as advisor of the International Hotel and Restaurant Association’s (IH&RA) Global Council on Security, Safety and Crisis Management and is a member of ASIS (the American Society for Industrial Security professionals) and HEAT (ASIS’ Council for Hospitality and Tourism).
Industry
Mrs Maria Gatsou
Greek Tourism Confederation (SETE), Greece
Position: General Manager
For more info please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-gatsou-1403413/?originalSubdomain=gr
Read More>>
Maria Gatsou is the General Manager of SETE (Greek Tourism Confederation). She is a Senior Executive with 20 years of working experience in highly demanding environments. Maria has lead a series of corporate communications and public affairs projects, targeting various stakeholders. She demonstrated ability in issue and crisis management. Maria has accumulated experience in tourism, aviation, shipping, real estate and retail industries.
Dr Auliana Poon
Leve-Global / Tourism Intelligence International, Trinidad and Tobago
Position: Managing Director
For more info please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/auliana-poon/?originalSubdomain=de
Read More>>
Dr Auliana Poon heads Leve-Global. She is a courageous and passionate businesswoman. Auliana Poon established Caribbean Futures Limited that became Tourism Intelligence International in 1990; Villa Being, Tobago, in 2000; Being Sustainable in 2010; the Tourism Intelligence Academy in 2015; Lévé -the Event in 2016 and Leve-Global, that aims to cooperatively elevate Tourism, Trade and Lives, in 2018. Auliana consulted more than fifty countries worldwide including Abu Dhabi, Australia, Barbados, the Bahamas, Iceland, Indonesia, Jamaica, Mauritius, Mozambique, Singapore, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland and Switzerland. Poon was the senior economist at the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) where she visited and provided technical support to the organisation’s 30 member states. She was the USAID advisor to the Belize Tourism private sector.
Mrs. Kimarli Fernando
Sri Lanka
Position: Chairperson – Sri Lanka Tourism
For more info please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimarli-fernando-aa93b547/?originalSubdomain=lk
Read More>>
Kimarli is the Chairperson of Sri Lanka Tourism, heading the Government’s four main Tourism entities; Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, and Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management. This is the first time that one Chairperson was appointed to all four Boards; she is also the first woman in the role. Kimarli is a very focused, determined and result-oriented corporate leader with over 30 years of experience and a proven track record in corporate governance & ethical practices in the banking industry and private sector, including in local and foreign banks, together with work experience in Frankfurt in the area of Corporate Finance. Kimarli has an LLB (Hons) from London School of Economics and Political Science and is a Barrister-at-Law at Lincoln’s Inn, UK and an Attorney-at-law in Sri Lanka. She is a life member of the Sri Lanka Bar Association and Law Society of Sri Lanka. Kimarli authored “Company Law of Sri Lanka” 2nd edition, a definitive reference book for students and practitioners of Company Law in Sri Lanka. In recognition of her achievements, she was awarded Professional Woman of the Year 2007 and Woman of Achievement for Banking in 2009