The Rt Hon. Lord Deben

The Rt. Hon John Gummer, Lord Deben, set up and now runs Sancroft, a Corporate Responsibility consultancy working with blue-chip companies around the world on environmental, social and ethical issues.  Lord Deben is Chairman of the Committee on Climate Change, Valpak Limited, and the Personal Investment Management & Financial Advisers Association. He was the longest serving Secretary of State for the Environment the UK has ever had (1993-97).  His sixteen years of top-level ministerial experience also include Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries & Food, Minister for London, Employment Minister and Paymaster General in HM Treasury.  He has consistently championed an identity between environmental concerns and business sense.

Al-karim Nathoo, Founder, Owner and Managing Director, 4C Hotels 

Al-karim is the Managing Director of the 4C Hotel Group, a family owned business formed in 2010, building on the foundations of the family’s property business which stretched back to the 1990s.

He is responsible for oversight of the group’s International Hotel portfolio and development projects in the UK, Middle-East Africa and Canada. The group has recently opened two hotels in the City of London; the first Canopy by Hilton in the UK, and the first Westin hotel in the UK, as well as developing the first Element By Westin hotel in Tanzania.

Al-karim is also an active volunteer for the Ismaili Community in the UK. He currently serves as Chairman of the Aga Khan’s Youth and Sports Board, whose mandate is to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of the Community’s youth across the UK and Europe.

Ufi Ibrahim, CEO, Energy and Environment Alliance (EEA)

EEA is the not-for-profit coalition of investors, developers and asset managers, transitioning Hotels and Apart Hotels to Net Zero Carbon and Environmental, Social and Governance stewardship in a scientifically robust and commercially sustainable way.  Previously, as CEO of the British Hospitality Association (BHA) 2010 to 2018, Ufi reshaped and reformed the organisation from the ground up, leading the BHA merger with the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers, creating UK Hospitality to wield powerful commercial and political influence. At the World Travel & Tourism Council, where Ufi was COO between 2000 and 2010, she supervised the formulation of the International Competitiveness Monitor for Travel and Tourism –  a benchmark for policy makers – now operated by the World Economic Forum. Under the auspices of the WTTC and UNFCCC in 2009 Ufi led the industry’s first global commitment to cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2035. Ufi is also a Commissioner of the Food Farming and Countryside Commission, overseeing executive and legislative issues affecting the future of food, farming and the countryside.

Robert Godwin, Lamington Group

Robert is a trained economist and entrepreneur with a background of sporting excellence, and a passion for design and experience. Robert heads up Lamington Group, an established group of companies investing and developing real estate in the residential and commercial sectors. He is also the founder and MD of award-winning room2 Hometels, an innovative and creative hospitality brand and operating business which bridges the gap between Airbnb and hotels. room2 currently has 3 open sites with 5 in the pipeline, as part of an ambitious roll out plan of 5000 keys by 2030. Lamington has launched its detailed roadmap to net zero by 2030, opened the world’s first whole life net zero hotel in Chiswick in Dec 2021, and committed to only build to this specification going forwards.

John Vickers, Chief Executive Officer, Blue Abyss

After spending eight years in the British Army, John left to join a City-based Management Consultancy. There he worked on leadership and management development programmes for some of the world’s Fortune 100 companies including: American Express; Oracle; and British American Tobacco. A subsequent move to IBM, saw him heading up the department he only joined some 18 months earlier. John was subsequently head hunted to GE Capital where he looked after a FTSE 100 client followed by rapid promotion through regional sales management to General Manager-level heading up the eBusiness initiative within the company. John has experience of two previous start-ups including a consultancy business, which influenced IBM to subsequently transform their own approach to eBusiness selling, and heading up a company which had developed an incredibly thin insulation material. John is a qualified Six Sigma Black Belt practitioner and believes passionately about connecting our marine evolutionary heritage and future space exploration.

Xander Bueno de Mesquita, Founder Treating Life Well ©

Initiator and (concept) developer of https://www.qo-amsterdam.com/about/, Xander Bueno de Mesquita is the founding father of Treating Life Well©, a concept built on the sweet spot between three primary ideas: Circularity, Place-Making and Hospitality. All three concepts redefine how human beings interact with the world, and how that interaction can produce positivity and energy, instead of waste and isolation. Xander is not just a visionary, but also a man of action. He initiated and developed the QO hotel. It’s Europe’s most sustainable hotel, and its first LEED Platinum-certified Living Building. By aiming to close the loops of water, energy, CO2 and waste, Xander proves that respect for humans and respect for planet can go hand in hand. By creating a flexible, elegant and innovative space, Xander illustrates that consciousness does not need to come at the expense of comfort or community.

Paul Howarth PGc BSc (HONS) MRICS, NBM

Paul Howarth is a Chartered Surveyor with over 25 years’ experience in the Construction Industry. Over the last 15 years Paul has developed a specialisation in hotel projects having been involved in their development throughout the United Kingdom. He is an integral part of the project team on both new build hotel projects and refurbishment / extensions of existing hotels with his roles extending from cost consultancy to include Employer’s Agent, Project Manager and Client Representative. Having worked on a wide range of hotel projects, Paul can deliver expert advice to Clients from inception to completion and beyond. Paul has gained a wealth of knowledge in the procurement of both branded and bespoke hotels, assisting clients to deliver projects with the optimum balance of cost, quality and time.

Leo Carrington, ACA, Head of European Travel & Leisure Research Credit Suisse

Leo leads Credit Suisse’s European Travel and Leisure research, namely the Hotel, Catering and Concessions subsectors having previously also covered the Capital Goods at Credit Suisse. Leo is a Chartered Accountant (ACA), and has a BSc from Imperial College London and MSc from the University of Oxford.

Paul George, Commercial Manager (Drax)

10+ years’ experience in supporting large industrial & commercial energy users across Europe to achieve their Energy & Sustainability objectives.

Currently focused on supporting UK businesses develop & execute ‘EV charging infrastructure/Fleet Electrification’ deployment strategies.

Frazer Durris, CEO, Businesswise Solutions

Frazer has been in the energy industry for over 10 years, as founder and Chief Executive Officer of Businesswise Solutions, an award-winning disruptor in the energy management consultancy space. Businesswise Solutions mission is to help corporate businesses eliminate energy waste, achieve NetZero and make energy management simple. Businesswise use cloud-based tech solutions developed in-house and are leading the way in becoming the first fully managed, digital energy management service provider, to serve the needs of modern energy clients globally. This approach recently led to Businesswise being placed amongst the UK’s top 100 tech disruptors in two national awards in 2020. In 2018 Businesswise launched the sectors first ‘Energy Centre’. The inspiring modern office building educates clients and others alike by taking them on a visual and interactive journey of energy through the ages to the modern-day. It demystifies the complex nature of energy, demonstrates the latest technology, live energy trading floor and client energy control center, from where they manage their proprietary ‘Energy-Management-As-A-Service’ (EMaaS™) solution.

Chris Stevens, Project Design Manager, Quintex Systems

Chris has a keen eye for energy saving innovation in the commercial kitchen space and champions making the commercial kitchen a more sustainable environment utilising smart, intelligent technologies.

Chris has paneled before talking about implementing energy efficiency into hotel kitchen design so that one day every future project can contribute to being a Net Zero Carbon operation.

Armando Raish Joint founder and CTO

Armando is a trained architect originally from Australia, moved to the UK in 2006. With over 20 years background and experience in landscape design and construction Armando Raish launched Treebox limited in 2009 a company geared to creating and installing sustainable living walls around the UK.

At the time it was one of the first companies to introduce this new and novel method of implementing much needed greening into confined city spaces. He is now actively involved in the running of the City Air Technology a company focused on producing plant-based air purification systems, Armando’s key role is product innovation and technical development.

James Fisher, Strategic Relationship Lead, Real Estate Bre Group

An experienced ESG and Real Estate Sector Professional with a strong background in built asset sustainability, certification, and consultancy, James possesses a balance of both technical and commercial skills ensuring that client relationships are at the heart of everything he does. James’s focus areas, in particular, are low carbon and net zero strategies for existing portfolios, benchmarking and performance KPIs for real assets. In parallel, he has a broad and deep understanding of the full range of ESG matters impacting on the built environment.

Munira Boghani Nathoo, Director, The Beverley Group

Munira qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte before spending almost a decade in Private Equity where she worked at 3i and BC Partners.

Munira is responsible for oversight of The Beverley Group, a family business founded by her father in the 1990s. The Beverley Group owns and operates hotels and properties in the UK and has recently diversified into dental practices in London.

Munira serves as a member of the Aga Khan Foundation’s UK National Committee.

Alice Strevens, Chief Purpose Officer, Shiva Hotels

Highly versatile business and human rights professional with 10 years’ experience within e-commerce and retail organisations. Proven track record in delivering ambitious and transparent programmes, which have been commended by Government, NGO, trade union, press and business commentators. Skilled at managing complex stakeholder groups, influencing senior leaders and building, launching and implementing strategy. Outstanding leader of diverse direct and third party teams across multiple global locations.

Tiffany Kelly, Beyond Bamboo

Tiffany is Co-Founder and CEO Beyond Bamboo Global, an online marketplace and business wholesale where conscious consumers can reduce what they buy or purchase all things beyond sustainable and ethical. Her first book ‘Shine’ was published in 2020 and she is an inspirational speaker leading women’s empowerment workshops, leadership summits and innovation think tanks towards social change. Tiffany has worked with the First Lady of Japan to create empowerment for women in Tokyo, has created and run summits at the House of Commons in London and delivered Ted Talks in Delhi and Tokyo. Tiffany was also the moderator and speaker for BOLDtalks Woman in Dubai and joined the panel of speakers at Accenture’s International Women’s Day in Abu Dhabi. Tiffany has spoken at female empowerment events to raise awareness of and prevent human trafficking and facilitated partnership collaborations for the Unilever and DFiD global Transform initiative, aiming to provide clean water and sanitation to 100million people by 2025.

She is also Founding Partner of RoundTable Global, an international award-winning leadership development organisation, where she is focusing full time on her desire to create empowerment and balance in the world. She is passionate about creating corporations and communities that are creative and compassionate as well as commercial and believes that by empowering leaders to authentically tap into both their masculine and feminine energies we can redefine social and business norms, unlock potential and ultimately create fearless cultures where effortless change will happen in the world around us. Tiffany has spent the last 20 years working and living around the world connecting business and communities through award winning people and organisational development initiatives. She is Patron of the En Committee and Global Change Ambassadors where she works with senior leaders, influencers and policy makers to support sustainable world change.

Tony Matharu, Blue Orchid Hotels

Tony has founded many successful start-up organizations and businesses and combines his passion for hospitality with philanthropy, sport and community engagement. He is the founder and Chairman of Integrity International Group.

A former winner of “Best Small Hotel Company” (Business Travel Awards) and former “Hotelier of the Year”, Tony has recently founded London’s latest independent hotel chain: Blue Orchid Hotels under his Integrity International Group.

Tony received a Special Recognition Award for his ‘Contribution to London’s Success’ and a ‘Technology and Innovation Award’. A recipient of an Honorary Doctorate of Letters and a Fellow of ESCP Europe Business School, Tony is a regular adviser and commentator on entrepreneurship, hospitality and philanthropy. He is a Board Member of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, BEE Midtown (Business Improvement District), the Lord’s Taverners and is Chairman of the Asian Business Association.

Tony graduated in Law and Economics and holds a number of Board and other positions in the arts, charitable sector and sport, and he continues to play at representative and international levels.

Maximillian Kufer, Head of ESG, Invesco Private Markets

Maximilian Kufer is the Head of ESG for Invesco Private Markets. Based in London, Max is responsible for driving ESG efforts across global real asset strategies as well as the wider private alternative strategies. Max leads the Invesco Real Estate Global ESG+R Committee. He is also an active member of industry working groups and sits on the ULI Sustainability Council as well as the GRI ESG & Impact Investment committee.

Prior to joining Invesco in August 2021, Maximilian was Global Sustainability Manager at AXA Investment Managers – Alts, leading the development and integration of responsible investment for real estate, infrastructure and private debt since 2016.

Maximilian holds a double BSc degree in Finance and Environmental Science from the American University of Paris and a MSc degree in Finance from L’Institut des Hautes Etudes Economiques et Commerciales.

Elizabeth Davies, Head of Real Estate Finance – Hotels at HSBC UK Bank plc

Elizabeth Davies leads the Hotel Real Estate Finance business at HSBC UK Bank Plc.  She has 18 years’ experience in the UK Real Estate Finance Market and, having originally trained as a Chartered Surveyor, she is passionate about supporting the build environment to evolve.

Rekha Toora, Senior Vice President – EMEA Capital Markets at JLL’s Hotels and Hospitality Group

Rekha advises investors and asset owners in the hospitality segment across EMEA. In her career to date, Rekha has worked across the capital stack on both the debt and equity side. Rekha is passionate about sustainability in the built environment and actively engages in strategic discussions and knowledge-share industry-wide.

Prior to joining JLL, Rekha was CIO of Qbic hotels, a sustainable hotel chain owned by Cerberus Capital, where she was responsible for sourcing and executing development conversions across Europe. Prior to Qbic, Rekha worked at Aprirose, where she was responsible for structuring and executing transactions across the real estate spectrum including hotels, offices, residential and retail. Rekha’s career began in debt finance at Investec Bank  in 2003 where she covered commercial real estate  transactions in the UK and EMEA. Rekha has lived in a number of countries including Singapore, France, Greece and Spain.

Hadrian Beltrametti-Walker, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Kempinski Hotels

As Executive Vice President & General Counsel / Interim Company Secretary, Hadrian is responsible for the Legal Department of the Kempinski corporate group globally. He advises executives, senior management and the Management Board on a wide range of legal and compliance matters, and acts as the key lawyer/legal advisor on all significant business transactions. Hadrian also oversees and carries out company secretariat, including advice to the Supervisory Board / Board of Directors, directorships, and organisation of board and committee meetings. In addition, he contributes to Kempinski’s company’s reputation, compliance, and corporate governance efforts.

Prior to joining Kempinski Hotels, Hadrian worked in the in-house Legal Department of Hilton Worldwide. With a true passion for luxury, hospitality and sustainability, Hadrian also chairs the Kempinski group’s Sustainability Committee. Additionally, Hadrian is on the Advisory Board of the Luxury Law Alliance and is a member of the Energy and Environment Alliance’s General Counsel Committee.

Victoria Kachel, General Counsel, YOTEL Group

Victoria is General Counsel of the YOTEL Group, responsible for overseeing the legal, compliance and risk management activities of the business and managing all legal and reputational risk across the full breadth of the business to ensure adherence to the highest standards of compliance to build and protect the group’s reputation. Prior to joining YOTEL, Victoria spent time with IHG in both Dubai and the UK offices.

Imran Bhatia, General Counsel, Norlake Hospitality Group

Having worked in private practice specialising in M&A at Herbert Smith Freehills and venture capital at JAG Shaw Baker (now Withers Tech), Imran became the first legal counsel for the Hoxton hotels and Gleneagles, acting as General Counsel for both Ennismore (the operator) and Norlake Hospitality (the owner). After steering Ennismore to a merger with Accor in 2021, Imran now acts as General Counsel to Unbound (a firm in investing in disruptive tech companies) whilst continuing his role with Norlake Hospitality. In January 2022 he was named in The Lawyer’s ‘Hot 100’.

Kelli Turner, General Counsel, Village Hotels

Kelli has been a solicitor for over 20 years and has worked in-house for 18 years in transport, retail and now in hospitality.   Her current role that she has held since 2016 is General Counsel for Village Hotels, a UK hospitality portfolio with 33 Hotels in the UK, owned by private equity partners KSL Capital Partners LLP.

Village Hotels have been on an acquisition trail for the past 5 years, opening a new hotel every year since 2016.  As General Counsel for a UK hotel chain Kelli’s role covers the acquisition and development of Village Hotels and more recently the conversion of a hotel in Bracknell.  As well as covering the real estate aspect of the business Kelli ensures the correct governance is in place to ensure accountability and transparency in all business processes.   Kelli is passionate about making Village a sustainable hospitality business against the ever-developing backdrop of environmental change.

Nadia Milligan, Chair, EEA General Counsels Committee

Nadia chairs the EEA’s legal committee and has had the honour of being a member of the EEA’s Advisory Board since its formation. Having started her legal hospitality career at Clifford Chance over fifteen years ago, she has since held senior in-house legal positions at Hilton Worldwide, IHG and more recently Sonder. Nadia is passionate about helping the hospitality sector make ESG an inextricable part of its operations, in a proactive, commercially robust and viable way.