Mr. Gary Kwok is the CEO and Managing Partner of Axe Management Partners Limited (“Axe Management”), a Pan-Asia alternative investment company focusing on real estate across asset classes.

Gary was previously a senior investment banker at Credit Suisse and Bank of America Merrill Lynch specializing in corporate finance, debt and equity issuance, strategic advisory and M&A across industry sectors, completing transactions of over US$50bn. Most recently he was at Bank of America Merrill Lynch heading its Asia real estate hospitality and gaming businesses, during which he has led the effort to many landmark transactions with prominent corporates, achieving multiple industry awards.

In addition to his investment banking experience, Gary also previously held the position of Representative Director and CEO of a Tokyo-listed real estate and hospitality company. The Company businesses include planning and construction of greenfield projects, asset acquisitions, and operations of hospitality assets with over 1,000 employees. Under his leadership, the Company has successfully completed transformational initiatives to refine strategic vision and corporate values, and maximize operational efficiencies, bringing the Company towards global standard.

In his leisure, Gary regularly contributes to the society by managing charity organizations and is currently a Director of Japan-Hong Kong Society sponsored by the HKTDC aiming to strengthen business and cultural connections. He is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), a global leadership organization.

Gary graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with a MSc. and BSc. in Accounting and Finance.

Kaneko is the Managing Director and Head of Research & Consultancy at Savills Japan, where he oversees research publications in Japan and consulting services across a diverse range of asset classes. He has a wealth of experience and has guided domestic and international investors through Japan's dynamic markets.

Kaneko joined Savills Japan in August 2015, following his tenure as a real estate investment banker at Morgan Stanley. He began his real estate investment banking career at Salomon Smith Barney and spent three years at the World Bank Group as an investment officer, giving him a profound grasp of international macroeconomics.

Kaneko has been immersed in the Japanese real estate and capital markets for over two decades. Fluent in Japanese and English, he holds an MBA from London Business School and an undergraduate degree in Economics from Keio University.

After completing a master's degree at Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, I joined Nomura Research Institute, Ltd, where I was involved in the supporting urban development projects. Then worked at NLI Research Institute, where I was engaged in data analysis and forecasting of the real estate investment and rental markets. Since 2018, I have been in charge of research and analysis of the real estate markets, including the hotel market, at Daiwa Real Estate Appraisal Co., Ltd.

Major publications (Japanese): "Cost Management Documents & Simulation for Commercial Buildings" (co-authored, 2012, Sogo-Unicom Co., Ltd.), "Real Estate Business is Getting More Interesting: Finding the Seeds of Growth in a Mature Market" (co-authored, 2013, Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.), "Improving Your Real Estate Skills - Learn to Become a "Formidable Customer" with Q&A" (co-author, 2014, Nikkei Business Publications, Inc.), "The Future Is Visible! Regional Revitalization" (co-authored, 2016, President, Inc.).

Commencing his career in the real estate sector with a focus on corporate strategy and finance, he then joined Secured Capital Japan (now PAG Investment Management). There, he adeptly managed investments across diverse asset classes, including real estate, mezzanine bonds, and private equity, and played a pivotal role in structuring publicly listed REITs. In 2017, he brought his expertise to Kasumigaseki Capital, ascending to the position of Director in 2018. Presently, he leads the strategic planning, development, and financial structuring of operational assets on a global scale within the Hospitality and Culture Division.

to be updated

Benjamin, as the Global Vice President Strategic Accounts, supports the strategic direction and growth of customer portfolios, placing a strong emphasis on nurturing growth opportunities within Global and Regional Strategic Partnerships. His approach focuses on seamlessly integrating client needs with FutureLog’s innovative solutions, aiming to achieve impactful results and build lasting relationships.

Having established FutureLog’s Sydney-based entity in 2021, FutureLog Oceania has already experienced rapid expansion under his stewardship. Oceania’s expansion is in keeping with the organisation’s global growth trajectory, doubling its global headcount within the last 18 months.

Passionate about the efficiencies that technology can bring to the hospitality industry, Benjamin’s background has afforded him the opportunity to view e-procurement from multiple perspectives. A seasoned hospitality executive, Benjamin has over 20 years of experience in Asia Pacific.

Prior to joining FutureLog, he held senior roles dual roles as Cluster General Manager for two Bangkok downtown hotels and Area General Manager for Accor Thailand, a portfolio of 12 hotels.

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ABOUT FUTURELOG: Founded in 1999, FutureLog designs and develops digital procure-to-pay solutions for the hospitality industry, handling all aspects of purchasing, inventory management and invoice processing. Headquartered in Switzerland, FutureLog has offices in Bangkok, Singapore, Böblingen, Paris, Sydney and Dubai, with 20+ years of experience in supporting procurement, finance, F&B, operational & corporate teams with secure, seamless connectivity between all procure-to-pay stakeholders.

FutureLog Website   www.FutureLog.com | LinkedIn Profile linkedin.com/in/benjaminkrieg

Midori Kataoka is the Regional Director of Preferred Hotels & Resorts Japan. She is responsible for the overall management of various aspects of development and sales, driving the continued growth and strategic expansion of Preferred Hotels & Resorts and its member properties.

Midori began her career in the hospitality industry as a Sales and Marketing Assistant at the Pacific Island Club in Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands) and later worked for the same hotel in Guam. She expands here career at PMT Guam (Now T.P. Micronesia, Inc.) as land operator gaining further experience in the industry. Upon returning to Japan in 2005, Midori joined Grand Hyatt Tokyo as Convention Services Manager and later as Sales Manager. In 2012, she joined Preferred Hotels & Resorts Japan as Director of Global Sales, where she worked for three years in sales for member hotels, focusing on outbound sales. In 2016, she joined Andaz Tokyo as Director of Sales and later as Director of Sales and Marketing.

Midori holds a Bachelor of Arts in Policy Management from Keio University. She resides in Fujisawa, Japan.

Shiori Sakurai is the Business Development Manager for STR for Japan. Based in Tokyo, Shiori has approximately 20 years experience in real estate and with luxury global hotel chains. Her experience covers serviced apartment management strategies and operations, project management of new property developments and global hotel sales. Shiori holds a Certificate in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA).

With a passion for the hospitality industry she works to increase the engagement in hospitality data intelligence and clarify the decision making for hospitality, research and investment companies across Japan. Shiori frequently presents the latest trends and updates at industry events across the country. STR track supply and demand data for the hotel industry and provide valuable market share analysis for global hotel and investment companies and agencies across the globe.

Shingo Hattori founded Hattori Law where he has added legal insights to real estate investment projects from Japan to North America and joint venture projects of Japanese company with multi-national one. Prior to founding Hattori Law, he was a public officer at Economic Affairs Bureau of the City Government of Yokohama, a law firm lawyer in Tokyo, and an in-house counsel of Fujita Corporation.

At Fujita Corporation, he was in charge of almost all phases of the real estate investment projects in foreign countries such as Singapore, Mexico, Philippines, United States, and so forth, as an in-house counsel. He dealt with incorporation of subsidiaries, negotiation of joint venture contracts and hotel management contracts, and other legal works for the projects. He experienced negotiation with government affiliated financial institutions as well.

At Hattori Law, he supports foreign companies which are expanding their business in Japan. His clients include real estate investor, general contractor, high tech manufacturing company, multi-national family business, and traditional major Japanese company.

He was born and raised in Tokyo and received BA in Law at Hosei University, which provided him a full scholarship to study Journalism at Michigan State University for one year. He received J.D. at Niigata University, Diploma at the Legal Training and Research Institute of the Supreme Court of Japan, and LL.M with a specialization in Business Law at UCLA School of Law.

Wovn Technologies, Inc. provides "WOVN.io", a website localization solution. WOVN.io helps you by localizing your company’s existing websites into up to 43 languages and automating website operations. We guide you through all the steps to successfully localize your online contents. Our mission is "Localize the Internet".

Rokt is the global leader in ecommerce, enabling companies to unlock value by making each transaction relevant at the moment that matters most, when customers are buying. Rokt’s AI-powered relevance platform, built over the last 11 years, and scaled network powers billions of transactions annually for the world’s leading companies, including Live Nation, AMC Theatres, PayPal, Uber, Hulu, Staples, Albertsons, HelloFresh and more. Headquartered in New York City, the company operates in 15 countries across North America, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. To learn more, visit Rokt.com.

IDeaS Revenue Solutions, headquartered in US, is the leading provider of revenue management software and services. IDeaS creates sophisticated yet simple ways to empower hotel executives with precise, automated revenue decisions they can trust.

With over 30 years’ experience, IDeaS transform data into clear and actionable insights that save time, increase certainty, supercharge profitability, and drive long-term commercial growth.

Discover greater profitability at ideas.com or email apac@ideas.com for more info.

Founded in 1999, FutureLog designs and develops digital procure-to-pay solutions for the hospitality and gastronomy industries, handling all aspects of purchasing, inventory management, invoice processing and more. Headquartered in Switzerland, we have offices in Böblingen (Stuttgart), Paris, Bangkok, Singapore, Sydney and Dubai, with 20+ years of experience in supporting customers to digitise and automate their P2P processes while ensuring cloud-based accessibility and secure, seamless connectivity. Our procurement and hospitality backgrounds have helped us to truly understand the needs and challenges of our customers. With easy integrations to POS and ERP platforms, our unique, market-leading functionality is available via our desktop and mobile applications, making it easier than ever for our customers to work while on-the-go. Actionable insights and customisable real-time reporting are delivered by our Business Intelligence tool, and our flexible, intuitive solutions bring control, transparency and accuracy to the P2P journey.

Adyen（AMS: ADYEN）は、大手企業に最適な決済プラットフォームです。エンドツーエンドの決済機能、データに基づく洞察、金融商品を単一のグローバルソリューションとして提供することで、企業がより迅速に目標を達成できるよう支援します。世界中にオフィスをもつAdyenは、LVMH、Meta、On Japan 、SHEIN、Uber、L'Oréal、シンガポール航空などのお客さまにサービスを提供しています。

For more than 25 years, ScentAir has been helping businesses across the globe create powerful customer experiences to enhance brand loyalty, boost sales and build emotion connections, via the power of scent. Our passion for helping brands tell their story combined with our know-how in designing quality fragrance delivery systems, has made us the global leader of scent marketing. With offices on 3 continents, we have spread the power of scent across 119 countries!

As the only scent marketing company with membership of the International Fragrance Association (IFRA), we take pride in prioritizing fragrance safety over other business objectives. By strictly following safety and regulatory protocols that go beyond industry standards, we stay ahead of the curve to ensure our fragrances are safe, effective, and sustainable.

Our expertise allows us to work with some of the world’s leading brands like Westin, Crown Casino, The Executive Center, Melbourne Airport, Air New Zealand, Tag Heuer, Under Armour etc.

BWH Hotels is a leading, global hospitality network comprised of three hotel companies, including WorldHotelsTM, Best Western® Hotels & Resorts and SureStay® Hotels. Built on the foundation of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, an iconic hotel brand that boasts over 75 years of legacy and experience, BWH Hotels was formed following Best Western Hotels & Resorts’ acquisition of another renowned hotel brand, WorldHotels. WorldHotels boasts a stunning collection of hotels and resorts in premier destinations around the world in the upper-upscale and luxury segments. With SureStay Hotels already experiencing tremendous success in the economy segment under the guidance of Best Western Hotels & Resorts, the WorldHotels acquisition brought together three standout companies and created a portfolio of hotel options in every market segment – from economy to luxury.

Veridian is the end-to-end finance operating system for hospitality groups that features AI-enabled automation in accounts receivables (AR) reconciliation, accounts payable (AP), capex approvals, and cashflow management.

We started a business in 2015 as a company to operate “Kokotel” properties. Since then, we have now grown to operate over 20 properties in Thailand. Among the properties, there are many properties under the hotel brands that are not Kokotel.

While “Kokotel” is the important hotel brand of ours, the company has become more than a hotel brand.

PR Newswire, a Cision Ltd. company, is a leading global provider of news distribution and earned media software and services. Inconjunction with Cision’s cloud-based communications product suite, PR Newswire's services enable marketers, corporate communicators, and investor relations officers to identify key influencers, engage target audiences, craft and distribute strategic con- tent, and measure meaningful impact. Combining the world's larg- est multi-channel, multi-cultural content dissemination network with comprehensive workflow tools and platforms, PR Newswire powers the stories of organizations around the world. PR Newswire serves tens of thousands of clients from offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia-Pacific regions.

2006年に設立され、アジア、ヨーロッパ、アメリカ、中東、中国、インドでアクティブな購読者ベースと貢献者を抱えています。TDの読者は、旅行代理店、ホスピタリティ、航空、クルーズ、MICE、テクノロジーを中心に、旅行業界のプロフェッショナルで構成されています。TDは、旅行業界とホスピタリティ業界向けのグローバルなB2Bエンゲージメント・プラットフォームです。TDチームは、ウェブサイト、オンライン・ニュースレター、デジタル・ガイド、特集記事を執筆、編集、共有しています。

TTG Asia has been delivering incisive editorials and intelligence analysis on pertinent travel trade developments in the Asia-Pa- cific since 1974. Renowned for its award-winning journalism, this leading industry business resource is widely acclaimed by travel trade professionals as their preferred read. The TTG Asia portfo- lio of integrated print and online products includes: the staple print newspaper and its digital complement, the TTG Asia e-Daily email bulletin, the online news portal www.ttgasia.com, and the TTG Asia app available in both iTunes and Google play stores.

Travel And Tour World stands as a premier B2B digital magazine and trade network, uniting over 500 thousands industry leaders across 195 countries in travel, tourism, airlines, cruise, and hospitality. Boasting a decade-long history of media partnerships with 1200+ prestigious travel shows since 2009, we are a trusted source for industry insights. Our diverse readership, spanning tour operators to MICE planners, positions us uniquely to deliver exclusive coverage and insights tailored to their specific needs. Through fostering meaningful connections, we contribute to the growth and success of the global travel landscape, making us an invaluable resource in the industry.

A trusted hospitality company, Ascott’s presence extends across Asia Pacific, Central Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the USA. Its diversified accommodation offerings span serviced residences, coliving properties, hotels and independent senior living apartments. Ascott’s award-winning brands include Ascott, Citadines, lyf, Oakwood, Quest, Somerset, The Crest Collection, The Unlimited Collection, Preference, Fox, Harris, POP!, Vertu and Yello. Through Ascott Star Rewards (ASR), Ascott’s loyalty programme, members enjoy exclusive privileges and offers at participating properties. This year, Ascott marks 40 years in hospitality service. From taking the first bold steps to form The Ascott Group to conquering new frontiers and pioneering new paths. Growing from strength to strength, powering up through new alliances and transforming challenges into triumphs, Ascott is trailblazing tomorrow and charting a new future of growth. Hear from Ascott’s past and present leaders as they share about their experiences in this tribute video, having witnessed Ascott’s growth to become truly Unlimited.

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について 1984年にアスコットシンガポールを開業し、アジアパシフィック初のインターナショナルクラスのサービスレジデンスを開拓して以来、アスコットは世界各地に約950のホテルを展開する、信頼されるホスピタリティ企業に成長しました。シンガポールに本社を置くアスコットは、アジア太平洋、中央アジア、ヨーロッパ、中東、アフリカ、アメリカの40カ国以上、220以上の都市に展開しています。 アスコットが提供する多様な宿泊施設は、サービス付きレジデンス、コリビング施設、ホテル、独立したシニア向けアパートメント、学生向け宿泊施設、賃貸住宅など多岐にわたっています。受賞歴のあるホスピタリティ・ブランドには、アスコット、シタディーン、ライフ、オークウッド、クエスト、サマーセット、クレストコレクション、アンリミテッドコレクション、プレファレンス、フォックス、ハリス、POP！、ヴァーチュ、イエロがあります。アスコットのロイヤリティ・プログラムであるアスコット・スター・リワード（ASR）を通じて、会員は参加施設での限定特典やオファーを楽しむことができます。 キャピタランド・インベストメント・リミテッドの完全所有事業部門であるアスコットは、垂直統合型の大手宿泊オペレーターです。第三者オーナーとの広範なネットワークと市場における専門知識を活用し、アスコットはホスピタリティ・マネジメントと投資管理能力を通じて手数料関連の収益を伸ばしています。アスコットはまた、スポンサーであるキャピタランド・アスコット・トラストや私募ファンドを成長させることで、運用資金を拡大しています。

Since its start-up in 1998, AQA Inc. has been a leader in consultancy business for building construction in Japan, introducing leading-edge technical expertise in the market by highly skilled professionals. We provide our global customers with comprehensive technical services from early stage of project initiation through project closing and operational cycle by organizing strong project team to explore optimum value proposition.

Our broad and extensive knowledge, skill and experience in local business practice have been well recognized among our global customers who were initially unfamiliar with distinctive culture and standard practice in construction business in Japan. Our capability to interpret the different business culture between Japan and other countries will substantially eliminate the fundamental barriers which newcomers may encounter.

In addition to our capability to interpret local business practice to our global customers, our extensive experience in hospitality projects especially for luxury international brands have been highly recognized among the project owners, operators, design firms and other stakeholders.

We originate value and contribute to society through our business as project management, construction management and QS consultant.

We, ActiValues, Inc, offer a comprehensive solution for accommodation facilities, municipalities, tourism associations, DMOs, and tourism businesses.

We have achieved improving both the efficiency of facility operation and user experience with our AI-based customer experience platform, “talkappi”, “VERY”, the on-travel app that can easily be used by scanning a QR code, and the on-travel marketplace “VERY Travel”, allowing for centralized management of information.

Offering service in 109 languages, the system is used in over 1,000 of Japan’s leading hotels and ryokans.

website：

https://talkappi.com

https://very.travel

AVITA, Inc. envisions “Evolving Human with Avatars” and provides services utilizing avatar and generative AI technology. The CEO, Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, is one of the most renowned robotics researchers in the world. We have collaborated with many world leading companies in various industries. One of our services is the avatar customer service “AVACOM,” which utilizes avatars and generative AI to enhance service efficiency and address the social issue of labor shortages. It includes features that offer high hospitality, such as expressive avatars and real-time translation capabilities in approximately 100 languages. Another service is the AI role-playing support service “AVATRE,” which allows users to conduct customer service role-playing with various types of AI trainers repeatedly at any time. This enables users to gain extensive customer service experience in a short period. It is also utilized in reception training at major luxury hotels, contributing to early onboarding by automating front desk and telephone response training.

【日本語】

近距離移動のプラットフォームをつくる会社。世界で20か国以上の国と地域で製品・サービスを展開。

1. 近距離モビリティ製品の開発、生産、販売、関連サービスの提供

2. 近距離モビリティ製品を使用した移動サービスの提供

【英語】

WHILL Inc. is a company that creates platforms for short-distance mobility. They operate products and services in over 20 countries and regions worldwide, focusing on:

Developing, manufacturing, and selling short-distance mobility products.

Providing mobility services using their short-distance mobility products.

Pixie Dust Technologies, Inc. (NasdaqCM: PXDT) is a Japanese technology company focused on commercializing innovative products and materials utilizing proprietary wave technology. The Company is currently focusing on two areas of product development: (1) “Personal Care & Diversity”, where wave control technology is applied to mechanobiology and intervention/assistance in vision, hearing, and touch, and (2) “Workspace & Digital Transformation,” where metamaterials (technology that creates properties through structure rather than material) and solutions to commercial design problems, such as in offices or construction sites, are applied.

Cynaps Inc. developed the IoT solution “BA CLOUD,” which automatically controls the ventilation for hotels. It used our unique patented technology, installation can be done without stopping operations, allowing an average hotel with about 200 rooms to expect annual savings of several million yen in electricity (or gas and other HVAC costs) per property. We aim to enhance the profitability of hotel management while contributing to the transformation of a sustainable and environmentally friendly society

The global hotel industry has been changed significantly over the past half-century. With the widespread adoption of hotel management contracts worldwide, the roles of ownership, management, and operations have become increasingly segmented. In the field of operations, the globalization of brands has progressed, while in ownership, new investment schemes and financing methods have been developed. The range of stakeholder in the hotel investment and finance market has also diversified, with funds and REITs becoming more active alongside traditional hotel and real estate companies. As a result of these changes in the economic environment, hotel investment management has become more complex, and the demand for professionals in hotel asset management has increased among investors and lenders. This led to the birth of hotel asset management, and in 1991, during the U.S. real estate recession, the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA) was established in America.

In Japan, the role of hotel asset management began to be recognized in recent years due to the increase in hotel transactions and the entry of foreign investment funds since 2000. However, the global real estate recession triggered by the Lehman Brothers shock in 2008 dealt a severe blow to hotel investment, prompting questions about the role of hotel asset management.

Furthermore, with the growing global concern for environmental issues, there is now a greater demand for responsible actions in hotel and resort development from asset management. Amidst the stagnation of new hotel investments in developed countries, hotel operators have quickly shifted their global strategy focus from developed to emerging countries, accelerating competition for brand expansion. Hotel asset management, which requires extensive and advanced knowledge in the three areas of hotel operations, real estate, and finance, is a new and unique profession.

Its role will become increasingly important to ensure the progress and stability of the complex hotel industry. However, in our country, the collaboration among hotel asset managers remains limited, and their experience and knowledge are still individualized. For hotel asset management to be properly recognized and to establish its value, it is necessary to share and systematize the experiences and knowledge of individual, hotel asset managers, for the common goal of industry development. Additionally, it is essential to strengthen collaboration with the hotel operator, real estate, and financial industries, and to disseminate information to these industries. Moreover, in order to create an environment where new types of international contracts, such as hotel management agreements, can be stably executed, policy proposals that transcend corporate boundaries while maintaining political neutrality are also needed.

Based on this recognition, we establish the Japan Hospitality Asset Managers Association with the aim of contributing to the progress and stability of the hotel asset management industry and the hotel industry from a position of individual freedom and responsibility, while promoting mutual enlightenment and fellowship among members. Furthermore, to promote international collaboration in the hotel asset management industry, we will join HAMA in the United States as the Japan Chapter.