Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili

Secretary-General, UNWTO

Ms. Catalina Cladera i Crespí

President of the Consell Mallorca

Ms. Zoritsa Urosevic

Executive Director, UNWTO

Zoritsa Urosevic joined UNWTO in 2006 as Executive Secretary of the Business Council. Since 2010, she has led work on positioning tourism in the development cooperation and trade agendas, while strengthening UNWTO’s institutional framework, leading the inclusion of UNWTO in the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list, as recipient organization for Official Development Assistance (ODA). The UN Rio+20 outcome document “The Future We Want” acknowledged for the first time the importance of tourism, and the explicit inclusion of tourism in the Universal 2030 Agenda.

Professor Massimo Marchiori

Professor at the University of Padua (Italy) and Technical Director of the European Institute for Science, Media and Democracy (Belgium).

Working at MIT (USA) he led the development of several world standards for privacy, structured information and web reasoning. Among others, he created Hypersearch (Google’s forerunner), Volunia (the next-generation social search engine), Negapedia (the negative version of Wikipedia).
He works in many multidisciplinary fields, also in cooperation with several companies, focusing on new technologies that can impact our society.
He won a variety of awards, including the IBM research award, the Lifetime Membership Award of the Oxford Society, the Microsoft Data Science Award, the MIT Technology Review TR35 award given to the world best innovators.

Ms. Petra Stušek

Ljubljana Tourism and President of the Board at City Destinations Alliance (CityDNA), Slovenia

M.Sc. Petra Stušek is Managing Director of Ljubljana Tourism and re-elected President of the Board at City Destinations Alliance, a non-profit organization improving the competitiveness and performance of city tourism destinations in Europe.

In recent years, her team has won several prestigious titles, such as the WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow award, WTM Responsible Tourism Award, the Emerging Europe Tourism Campaign of the Year 2018 Award and ITB Best of Cities 2019 Award. Ljubljana also won in two categories of the European Capital of Smart Tourism – Sustainable Tourism in 2019 and Digitalization in 2020. Ljubljana won the European Best Destination 2022 competition.

Ms Stušek holds a degree from the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana and has obtained a Master’s degree in Tourism and in Sales from the School of Economics & Business, University of Ljubljana. Privately, she is an avid runner, cyclist, climber and skier and, of course, a passionate traveler.

Mr. Ronald Anthony Sultana

Director for Tourism and Economic Development within the Ministry for Gozo

Mr. Sultana is also a member of the Gozo’s Sports Board, supporting the broad development of sports disciplines and pertinent athletes in Gozo, while seeking to promote sports tourism to the island. He has assumed previous roles in project management and administration in the Ministry for Culture and Local Governance of Malta. Since taking his role as Director, Mr. Sultana has given particular attention to increase the potential of adventurous tourism in Gozo and supporting cultural and traditional activities to stretch the concept of sustainable tourism in defining and shaping an offered product that goes beyond the Mediterranean island of sun and sea.

Ms. Yaiza Castilla Herrera

Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce, Government of the Canary Islands, Spain

2002-2007 Graduate in Law from the University of La Laguna.
2007-2009 Completed PhD in Natural Resources, Land and Soil management, University of La Laguna.
20 October 2009 received the Diploma of Advanced Studies (DEA) in this doctoral programme.
2008-2010 Postgraduate Degree, Master’s in Urban Planning Law, University of La Laguna.
2010-2012 Executive Master’s in Business Law, Centro de Estudio Garrigues in collaboration with Harvard University.
October 2018 Master’s Degree in Management of Human Resources in Business, National University of Distance Education (UNED).

WORK EXPERIENCE
September 2007 to May 2010 practised as a freelance lawyer and provided legal advice and assistance in administrative, civil and criminal matters.
April to May 2010 internship at the Urban Planning Department of the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife as part of the training programme for the master’s degree in Urban Planning Law. In this department, her work focused on the area of urban planning: licencing and administrative sanctioning procedures.
June 2010 to July 2015 worked in the department of Employment Law at J&A Garrigues, S.L.P., providing legal advice and assistance in the fields of employment law and arbitration. Reported directly to the management of J&A Garrigues, the employment law department and the HR department. Provided consultancy in both employment law and legal advice before the Canary Islands employment tribunals, SEMAC, and in negotiations and litigation.
August to October 2015 employed as a civil servant and lawyer at the Municipal Urban Planning Department with the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council.
Between October and November 2015, advisor to the Mixed Parliamentary Group (IX legislature) of the Agrupación Socialista Gomera (ASG) in the Canary Islands Parliament.

PUBLIC OFFICES
December 2015 to July 2019 (XI-XIII legislatures) senator for La Gomera representing the Agrupación Socialista Gomera (ASG).
July 2019 appointed Minister of Tourism, Industry and Trade of the Canary Islands Government.

Ms. Ellen Walker-Matthews

Chief Executive Officer, Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA), Canada

Ellen Walker-Matthews, TOTA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), has held several roles with the organization over the past 14 years before taking on the lead role in 2021. Prior to joining TOTA in 2009, Ellen had a long career in the tourism industry, specifically in the accommodation sector, since initially joining CP Hotels (Fairmont) in 1979, eventually working with Delta Hotels and Resorts and later as the Vice President for Tepic/Rim Hospitality Management.

The Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) has been a leader in sustainability and responsible tourism since embarking on a 10-year regional tourism strategy initially launched in 2012. Today the TOTA team works closely with stakeholders and communities in their destination to bring awareness, education, support and guidance as the industry implements programs and practices that drive responsible, sustainable and, ultimately, a regenerative approach to tourism.

Since 2017, Thompson Okanagan has been a Biosphere Gold Certified Destination through the Responsible Tourism Institute. Together with four other regional partners in British Columbia, collectively known as the BC Regional Tourism Secretariat (BCRTS), who have now also received Biosphere certification, the collective is broadening the reach of their work to tourism partners, stakeholders and communities around the province of British Columbia.

“The time to consider making change is behind us; our industry must work together to adopt practices and policies now that will protect and preserve the very experiences our resident’s value and that we invite visitors to enjoy,” notes Walker-Matthews, “the responsibility is ours, individually, collectively and urgently.”

Sr. Gines Martinez

CEO, Jumbo Tours Group

Ginés Martínez is the CEO at the Jumbo Tours Group. He is the head of administration and management for more than 10 companies and over 35 offices in Europe, North Africa, Latin America and the USA. He leads the company management team and defines strategy as well as expansion activity. Ginés came to the Jumbo Tours Group more than 15 years ago. He has worked in different commercial and economic operational areas within the business both in Latin America and at the headquarters in Palma de Mallorca. His solid experience spanning more than 20 years in the tourism industry has brought him extensive recognition within the sector. As a result of this, he is a member of the Alpitour World Committee, CEO at #Contigo, an inbound services provider at Grupo Viajes El Corte Inglés and Alpitour World, he has driven the launch of the Green & Human consortium, which aims to energise the sustainable transformation of the Tourism sector, and he is a member of the partners board at Exceltur.

Education: 

• Hotel Management studies at La Cónsula
• Masters in Tourism Consultancy at the Ibero-American University Foundation and the University of Leon
• Digital Marketing at the ESIC Business & Marketing School
• M&A at Columbia University in NYC

Ms. Inge Huijbrechts

Global SVP Sustainability, Security and Corporate Communications, Radisson Hotels

Inge Huijbrechts is Global Senior Vice President Sustainability, Security and Corporate Communications for Radisson Hotel Group (RHG)– developing the Sustainability and Safety & Security programs in the group’s 1,100+ hotels in operations & development in 110 countries around the world.

Together with her team, she lays out the strategy for Responsible Business from build to operations and keeps employees around the world engaged in everyday Responsible Business actions. Additionally, she leads the global expert Safety & Security team to ensure all is done to welcome guests in safe and secure hotels: In May 2020, RHG launched the Radisson Hotels Safety Protocol, a program of in-depth cleanliness, disinfection, and prevention procedures developed in partnership with SGS. She developed unique value propositions such as Radisson Meetings worldwide being 100% carbon neutral and put the company on a trajectory to be Net Zero by 2050.

In 2022, Inge was named one of the 100 Most powerful people in Global Hospitality and in the global Top 100 Women in Sustainability.

Ms. JoAnna Abrams

Founder and CEO of MindClick

JoAnna is the Founder and CEO of MindClick, a big data analytics company dedicated to advancing ESG (environmental, social and governance) in the hospitality sector. MindClick’s Design for Health™, the Digital Studio for Healthy Interiors, provides FF&E and Architectural Building Products ratings to empower design that supports the health of people and the planet.

MindClick’s Project Impact Reporting™ delivers actionable analytics used by designers, brands, property management companies and owners to measure, manage and promote environmental and social responsibility throughout their portfolio.

JoAnna is a frequent speaker on the topics of ESG, sustainability and consumer trends, and the power of ratings to accelerate change. She has been named a hospitality industry innovator by Lodging Magazine, recognized by Wharton’s Initiative for Global Environmental Leadership, Cornell’s Hospitality Research Summit, and the Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council.

Combining over 10 years of sustainability expertise in interiors, with 20 years in brand management, technology, data analytics, and finance, JoAnna leads her team in delivering innovative, results driven solutions to our environmental and social responsibility challenges in the built environment. She holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School and a B.S. in finance from the University of Illinois.

Ms. SARA DIGIESI

Chief Executive Officer at BWH Hotel Group Italia

Sara represents BWH at global level, as a member of GBTA Sustainability Leadership Council and Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, serving at Planet Committee.
Since 12 years she leads the company ESG approach, developing a comprehensive Corporate Social Responsibility path and driving the implantation of Stay for The Planet, with prestigious recognition.
Starting from Marketing, Sara growth her responsibility at BWH Hotel Group leading Digital, Sales & Distribution, Innovation, Customer Experience and Sustainability.
Before joining BWH, she has been Country Marketing Manager for Italy and Malta at IHG Hotel Group, and she covered various operational roles in different Resorts in Kenya, Dominican Republic and Tunisia.
Sara Digiesi graduated in Economics & Tourism Management in Naples. Then she attended a Master in Tourism Economy in Milan, at Bocconi University. In 2022 Sara accomplished an additional Master’s Degree in Sustainability and Green Economy.

sra. Catalina Alemany

Gerente- Responsabilidad Social Corporativa, Riu Hotels, España

Trabaja en el sector de la hostelería desde 1989, en el ámbito de la gestión de RRHH hasta 2002; en Baleares, Canarias, Andalucía, Portugal y Túnez.

Ha sido profesora ayudante en la UIB, (Máster en Dirección de Turismo y Máster en Dirección de RRHH; Ha colaborado con la Escola Superior d’Hostaleria de Catalunya (Postgrado en Dirección de Empresas Hoteleras), y formadora de varias consultoras.

Fue miembro del Comité Asesor del Máster “La calidad del producto turístico” de la Escuela Oficial de Turismo de Madrid.

Ha participado en diversos programas de desarrollo directivo organizados por Les Heures y el Forum International de l’Innovation Sociale y ha sido gestora de varias entidades sociales y culturales (2003-2007).

Fue directora gerente de la oficina europea de las Islas Baleares (Centre Balears Europa) de 2007 a 2011.

Actualmente es directora de Responsabilidad Social y Formación Corporativa en RIU HOTELS & RESORTS.

Mr. José Guillermo Díaz Montañés

CEO, ARTIEM Hotels

Born in Madrid in 1962, he graduated in Industrial Engineering and is the Executive President of Artiem. He has participated in various tourism and business associations (regionally and nationally) and as a speaker and lecturer on topics related to the Spanish tourism sector. Among other achievements, he has been awarded the Medalla de Oro al Mérito Turístico a la Innovación (Gold Medal and Plaque for Achievement in Tourism Innovation),

Ms. GLORIA FLUXÀ THIENEMANN

Vice-Chairman & Chief Sustainability Officer, Iberostar

Gloria Fluxà assumed the role of Vice-Chair when she joined Iberostar Group in 2006. Throughout these past years she has become deeply interested in generating sustainable changes across the industry and creating a hotel company that stands for responsible tourism grounded on good scientific, ethical, and corporate management. Technology plays a key role at Iberostar, especially in how the company uses it to achieve its sustainable vision and how they work with it to bring forward the hotel of the future. A hotel that reflects our sustainable vision from the moment of its inception and architecture, implementing the latest innovations in its construction.

Ms. Alexa Firmenich

Private investor, consultant and facilitator

Alexa Firmenich is a private investor, consultant and facilitator focused on the climate and biodiversity crisis. She is the co-director of SEED Biocomplexity, a new center of the Crowther Lab at ETH Zurich. SEED is developing the world’s first standardised biodiversity assessment that reflects the real complexity of ecosystem dynamics, to be used by financial and political decision-makers to crystallise the value of nature into the global economy.

Alexa is the founder of Ground Effect, an animist investment vehicle that supports early stage nature-based solutions, scientific research and new economic models.

Parallel to this work she is trained as a group facilitator in leadership development and ecological pedagogy, designing multi-day learning journeys through her role at Leaders’ Quest and as a wilderness guide.

Mr. Jesús Alquézar Sabadie

Socio-Economic Analyst in the General Directorate for the Environment of the European Commission

Jesús Alquézar Sabadie has a 5-years degree in Political Science and Sociology (Universidad del País Vasco, Spain) and another one in Economics (Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, UNED, Spain), with postgraduate degrees in European Politics (Université Libre de Bruxelles) and in Applied Social Research (Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas, CIS, Spain).

He currently works as a Socio-Economic Analyst in the General Directorate for the Environment of the European Commission, where he deals mainly with issues related to energy, climate change and their connections with the environment and its policies, such as the circular economy, pollution or biodiversity.

Jesús Alquézar Sabadie has long experience as a socio-economic analyst in areas like research and innovation policies (at the European Commission and at the European Research Council); education and training (European Commission, European Training Foundation, Eurydice); or in quantitative social research (Eurobarometers, CIS).

He has also worked in other areas, such as labour market analysis, migration or international trade. He is also author or co-author of different books and articles in those fields.

Ms. Cecilia Hertz

Co-founder I.S.A.A.C. International Space Asset Acceleration Company, Founder and Managing Director, Umbilical Design, Stockholm Sweden

Cecilia Hertz started her career in the space sector already as an Industrial design student at Lund Institute of Technology in Sweden. An initial STAR design project at NASA, Houston, Johnson Space Center was followed by her Diploma work at NASA, Houston, developing the interior of the Crew Return Vehicle (CRV), which was planned as a rescue vehicle for the International Space Station (ISS).
Umbilical Design was founded in 2001 by industrial designer Cecilia Hertz, and since its inception has worked with NASA and ESA on design for the space industry. Umbilical Design is an innovation consultancy company with over 15 years of experience in space technology transfer representing Sweden as part of ESA Space Solutions Network.
Cecilia Hertz has been successful in showing how design, technology and material from the space industry can be transferred to sustainable solutions. What Cecilia Hertz call the “Astronaut lifestyle” inspires to increased sustainability both through technology and behaviour changes. It also inspires to a new mindset. Technology developed for space can serve as a driving force in developing and transferring sustainable solutions to terrestrial challenges. Space technology transfer is a potential growth engine and an innovative force for industry.

Umbilical Design has worked with a wide range of large companies over the years such as Volvo Cars, Electrolux, Scania and Björn Borg, and active in industries such as forestry industry, steel industry, truck and car industry, and the construction industry.

In year 2022 Hertz founded I.S.A.A.C. International Space Asset Acceleration Company, with serial entrepreneur Mattias Hansson and Swedish Astronaut Christer Fuglesang as co-owner. First project in I.S.A.A.C. is Space for Agenda 2030, with the purpose to accelerate sustainable development by using insights and technologies from space sector. I.S.A.A.C. proudly works with NREP, Koenigsegg, Stilride, Jernkontoret, STUA and Stena Fastigheter.

Cecilia Hertz is a frequently booked speaker and panellist at seminars, and has recently launched a book called “SPACE – and everything we can learn from it”.
Cecilia Hertz gives speaks within space technology transfer, design for outer space and extreme environments, design strategy, innovation, creativity, sustainable city development and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Sergio Guerreiro

Senior Director Knowledge Management and Innovation, Turismo de Portugal

More than 25 years of experience in the tourism sector in the areas of strategy, market intelligence and innovation. Senior Director for Knowledge Management at Turismo de Portugal and Chairman of OECD Tourism Committee and European Travel Commission’s Market Intelligence Group. Expert in several workgroups from UNWTO, OECD, ETC and WEF.
Invited Professor at Nova SBE, Nova IMS and UE Canarias and Executive Director of NovaSBE’s Westmont Institute of Tourism and Hospitality.

Mr. Juan José Álvarez Brunel

Guanajuato State’s Secretary of Tourism

He has a bachelor’s degree in Biochemical Engineering in Marine Science from Monterrey Tech-Guaymas, and holds a master’s degree in Applied Public Management from Monterrey Tech. He also obtained a Certification in Marketing from Monterrey Tech-León. He is fluent in English and has an advanced level of French.

He has a longstanding and successful career path in the private sector, where he has held important leading positions in companies and business organizations that received important acknowledgments and awards during his tenure. He was the chair of the Business Coordinating Council of San Miguel de Allende, which he helped found.

He has also played important roles in mixed public-private commissions and councils, which propelled his political career as a member of the Guanajuato State Legislature for the 2015-2018 term, where he presided the governing body.

His political acumen, leadership, and vision paved the way for his current career in the public sector, where he served as Undersecretary of Employment and Labor Training, of the Secretary of Sustainable Economic Development, from October of 2018 until May of 2020, when he was appointed Secretary of Tourism.

He has promoted the subject of sustainability in tourism in the state of Guanajuato through the implementation of good practices and the development of the Guanajuato Sustainable Tourism Distinction, for Tourist Events, with the aim of transforming conventional events into high-quality responsible events, generating environmental, social and economic benefits. He has promoted too the signing of collaboration between the Association of Secretaries of Tourism of Mexico A.C. (ASETUR) and the National Association of State Environmental Authorities (ANAEE) for this reason, in 2023 he received the appointment as Head of the ASETUR Sustainability Commission in Mexico.

Ms. Gracen Chungath

Destination Development at Destination Canada and leads the organization’s pan-Canadian

Gracen Chungath is the Senior Vice President, Destination Development at Destination Canada and leads the organization’s pan-Canadian strategy for Destination Development focusing on strategic partnerships, stewardship of supply development and investment.

As Destination Canada supports the thoughtful evolution of the tourism sector, Gracen plays an important, convening role in the country’s transition to a thriving, community-centered, regenerative visitor economy that contributes to the socio-cultural, environmental, and economic wealth and wellbeing for peoples of Canada.

Prior to Destination Canada, she was at the City of Vancouver for 8 years. As the Director, Strategic Operations, Planning & Program Management Gracen led three divisions and stewarded a multi-billion-dollar real estate portfolio which included arts, cultural, social, childcare and affordable housing facilities. She has also worked for MDA, a Canadian based international space missions and robotics company.

Gracen holds an MSc in Public Policy from the School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS) at the University of London and an MBA from Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska, USA. She is highly committed to her community, having given her time to many non-profit boards including the Vancouver based Writer’s Exchange, Immigrant Employment Council of BC, Granville Island Council etc.

Mr. Mathias Schattleitner

General manager

Since 2013 Mathias Schattleitner is the general manager of the destination management company of tourismu region of Schladming-Dachstein, which is actually the third biggest tourism destination of Austria. He is also the oficiating President of the BÖTM Austrian Destination-Network, which covers over 100 major tourism destinations & regions of Austria. From 2004 to 2013 he worked as Operations Manager and deputy of the managing director for the largest cable car alliance in Austria – Ski amadé.

Mr. José Juan Lorenzo Rodríguez

Executive Director, Turismo de Islas Canarias

Born in Lanzarote, José Juan Lorenzo loves the sea and is passionate about the Canary Islands. He is an industrial engineer specialising in Industrial Organisation at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, and has also undertaken specific training in Smart Tourism and Data Science and Digital Transformation.

His technical training has enabled him to lead on highly relevant projects in different sectors, such as within industry, technology, waste management and, particularly, in tourism, both in the private and public sphere. Throughout his professional career spanning more than 25 years, he has led on the development of initiatives on artificial intelligence, smart cities, digital transformation, platform and ecosystem business models, climate change and energy efficiency, land stewardship, organisational development and implementation of quality systems, among others.

Currently, as managing director for Tourism in the Canary Islands, he is tackling this organisation’s strategic change towards a more competitive and resilient tourism, promoting a transformative reassessment that enables the smart and efficient exploitation of new opportunities that are emerging within the tourism industry.

Additionally, his professional experience has been recognised by Sergestur Turismo on two consecutive occasions (2021 and 2022) with his inclusion on the list of the 150 most influential professionals within the Spanish tourism sector due to his leadership in destination management.

Mr. Jorge Laguna-Celis

Head, One Planet Network, UN Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP), UN Environment Programme

Jorge Laguna-Celis is the Head of the One Planet Network, hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Based in Paris, The One Planet Network is a global community of practitioners, policymakers and experts working to accelerate the implementation of SDG 12: ensuring sustainable patterns of consumption and production.
Jorge has previously worked for the United Nations in multiple capacities and possesses 20 years of experience in intergovernmental and multi-stakeholder processes, global sustainable development policies and sustainable development governance.
Jorge holds an MA degree in International Trade from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences- Po) Paris, alongside being an author of several publications and books on issues related to international affairs and sustainable development. His latest book entitled “From Rio+20 to a New Development Agenda: Building a Bridge to a Sustainable Future”, was published in 2014 by Routledge.

Ms. Samantha Kenny

Senior Program Officer, Global Food Loss & Waste, World Wildlife Fund

Samantha Kenny is a Senior Program Officer working on Global Food Loss & Waste at World Wildlife Fund. She manages partnerships and pre-competitive workstreams engaging the global foodservice and tourism sectors to address food waste in operations and value chains. She also coordinates the global WWF Network on food loss and waste strategy, including activations in two dozen countries, via the WWF Our Circular Food Future Global Initiative on Food Loss and Waste.
Samantha holds a BA in Environmental Studies from the American University College of Arts & Sciences, an MS in Sustainability Management from the American University Kogod School of Business, and a Professional Certificate in Sustainable Tourism Destination Management from the George Washington International Institute of Tourism Studies.

Mr.Tono Franco

Associate Director General at globaldit

Co-founder of globaldit in Spain (1992) and of its subsidiary in Mexico idt (2000). Tono Franco is an economist specialising in planning and growth at the University of Valencia. He is an expert in the design and implementation of public policy in tourism around the sphere of strategic planning of country and regional destinations, such as the design of tourism products.
During recent years, he has led tourism transformation projects, both in mature and emerging destinations, under the principles of sustainability, social innovation and digitalisation. He is an expert in the creation of ecosystems for public-private participation and has devised and put into practice awareness and awareness-raising tools for different actors within the tourism ecosystem.
Tono combines his activities at globaldit & idt with running seminars and delivering conferences. He has been an associate professor at the IE and is an Observer on the Technical Committee on Standardisation 178 for “Smart Cities”/Subcommittee 5: “Touristic Destinations”.

Mr. Kees Jan

Head Travel Sustainable Program, Booking.com

Kees Jan, with Booking.com since September 2018, joined the sustainability team in January 2022 and oversees the Booking.com Travel Sustainable Program. The Program aims to make more sustainable travel choices easier for bookers. Before joining the sustainability team, Kees Jan led Booking.com’s public affairs efforts in Asia-Pacific from the Singapore HQ. Prior to joining the company, Kees Jan worked with FTI Consulting, executing engagement strategies for clients managing regulatory and reputational challenges and before that Kees Jan worked in Brussels advising multinational corporations from various sectors on EU engagements.

Mr. Wassim Daoud

Head of Sustainability and CSR, PONANT

Dr. Wassim DAOUD is the head of CSR and Sustainability at PONANT cruise company. In his role,
Wassim leads a global team that oversees the PONANT Sustainable Impact strategy and
programs that focus on making positive, lasting impact on the planet, people, and the
communities that company serves. Wassim brings more than 20 years of experience in a variety of sustainability roles. Under his leadership PONANT has been classified as the most sustainable cruise company by the NGO NABU in 2020.

Ms. Sabina Fluxá Thienemann

Vice-Chairman & CEO Iberostar Group

Sabina Fluxá has extensive experience in the tourism industry, as well as in innovative business and environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. She is Vice-President of the Institute of Family Businesses, of the Regional Advisory Board of BBVA, and of the Governing Board of APD. As CEO of the Iberostar Group, Sabina Fluxá is leading the company’s transformation with talent, digitalisation and innovation as catalysts. Together with her father Miguel Fluxá, Chairman and founder of Iberostar, and her sister Gloria Fluxà, Vice-Chairman and CSO, she has positioned Iberostar as one of the world’s leading companies in responsible tourism, focused on caring for people and the environment. The company works with a long-term vision based on circularity and is developing an ambitious 2030 Agenda to be waste free by 2025; carbon neutral by 2030, and 100% responsible in its seafood supply chain by 2025, as well as improving the hotels’ surrounding eco-systems, among other objectives. The Wave of Change movement reflects the company’s commitment and determination to share this with society.

Ms. Carmen Riu Güell

CEO RIU Hotels & Resorts

Born in Palma de Mallorca on 15 October 1955, Carmen Riu first joined the RIU company in 1977 as manager of the Hotel Riu Bali in Playa de Palma. She is a member of the third generation of the Riu family and became CEO in 1998. She shares this position with her brother Luis Riu, complementing each other and contributing their best qualities to the company. Carmen Riu is the director of Finance, Administration, the Legal Department, Information Systems and Corporate Social Responsibility. In February 2005 she became a member of the Supervisory Board of TUI AG and in May of that year became a member of the Chairmanship of the Supervisory Board, a position that has been held by her son Joan Trian Riu since 2019. She is married with three children and five grandchildren. Her interests are literature, music and sailing.

Sr. Mark Tanzer

CEO, ABTA, UK

Mark Tanzer has been Chief Executive of ABTA since 2005. ABTA is the UK’s leading travel association with more than 900 corporate members, numbering between them 4,300 consumer brands. ABTA offers a broad range of services including financial bonding, health and safety guidance, customer support and alternative dispute resolution activities. ABTA works closely with international tourism destinations and with ABTA Members to support their sustainability strategies.
Before joining ABTA, Mark held senior strategy and corporate finance positions in a number of industry sectors. Immediately prior to ABTA, Mark was Group Strategy Director of Centrica plc.

Ms. María Frontera Hjorngaard

President of the Mallorca Hotel Business Federation since 2018

In December 2021 she reaffirmed her leadership by starting her 2nd term in office at the helm of the board representing 840 hotel establishments and 200,000 hotel beds in Mallorca.

She has studied in Spain, Ireland, England and the USA. This includes studying Tourism at the University of the Balearic Islands, International Business at Southern New Hampshire University and an Advanced General Management Programme at the IE Business School.

• Vice-President and member of the CEHAT Executive Committee
• Board member of the ITH governing board with representation at the CEOE
• President of the CAEB Tourism Commission and member of its Executive Committee
• President of the Tourism Commission of the Mallorcan Chamber of Commerce and member of its Executive Committee

Mr. Miguel Sanz

Director-General, Turespaña, Spain

He has been Director of Marketing and Promotion for the Community of Madrid’s state-owned company Turismo Madrid; Tourism Sector Coordinator at the municipal company Promoción Madrid and, since 2016, he has been Director of Tourism at the municipal company Madrid Destino (Destination Madrid). Since 2018, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of European Cities Marketing, an association consisting of management and promotion entities from over 120 urban destinations in Europe. In July 2020 he was appointed as Director General of TURESPAÑA.

Sr. Andreu Serra

Conseller de Turismo, Consell Insular Mallorca, Spain

He was born in Palma on 3 May, 1976. Graduated in Educational Psychopedagogy.

He began his professional career in Calvià City Council as a youth facilitator (1998 to 2000). From 2000 to 2002 he was a technician in the education department and counsellor and director of the network of CREC centres of the Calvià Town Hall from 2002 to 2005.
In the private sphere, from 2005 to 2007, he was Technical Coordinator of the ASPAS centre (for people with hearing disabilities and their families), and in this same entity Educational Psychologist and Head of Services from 2011 to 2015. As a teacher at the Balearic School of Public Administrations, he has provided basic training for local police and courses on Driver Education and Police Tutor (2005 to 2007).
Between 2007 – 2011 he was Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Education and Culture (2007-2009) and Chief of Staff of the Ministry of the Presidency (2009-2011). From 2011 to 2015 he was a Counsellor for the Municipal Socialist Group of Calvià. From 2015 to 2019, he was deputy mayor in the Calvià City Council, municipal spokesperson, president of the municipal service company Calvià 2000 and communication secretary of the Calvià Socialist Group.
From July 2019 to present day, he is Executive Minister for Transition, Tourism and Sports of Consell in Mallorca and President of the Mallorca Tourism Foundation.

Ms. Isabel Oliver Sagreras

Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Sustainability, UNWTO

Isabel Oliver holds a degree in Biology from the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) and is a civil servant in the Senior Corps of the Administration of the Community. Since 2011 she has been a member of the Parliament, where she was president of the Tourism Commission and deputy spokesperson for her party. During those years she was rapporteur in the processing of the current tourism laws of the Balearic Islands.

In 2007 she assumed the Conselleria de Economía y Turismo of the Consell Insular de Mallorca. During her tenure as island councilor she created the Mallorca Tourism Foundation. She was a member of the Congress of Deputies during the VIII legislature (2004-2008) being a member, among others, of the Commission of Industry, Tourism and Trade. Between 2018 and 2020 she was Secretary of State for Tourism of the Government of Spain. She currently works in the Office of the Secretary General of the World Tourism Organization, a United Nations agency responsible for the promotion of responsible, sustainable and accessible tourism.

Ms. Catalina Cladera i Crespí

President of the Consell Mallorca