PLENARY

JOANNE BRUCE
CEO, Biossentials

After migrating to Australia from the US and changing career direction, Joanne developed an interest in natural medicine which led to her study of Naturopathy and Herbal Medicine. She was also actively involved in Buddhist meditation and spiritual practice during this time. After completing her Naturopathic Diploma, she held a position with a leading vitamin company and was then offered the Dean of Naturopathy position. She also holds a Diploma in Botanical Medicine.

One year later, opportunities brought her to Kuala Lumpur where she became involved in Natural Harmony, the first natural therapy centre in Kuala Lumpur – practising there for many years as a Naturopath. This is where Biossentials was born. Founded in 1999 with Dr Lynn Lim, N.D., Biossentials balances eastern and western philosophies built on a foundation of health and wellness. From humble beginnings importing and supplying essential oils for their health food store at Natural Harmony the business has evolved and grown into a leading regional spa brand. As CEO, Joanne has passionately developed the company’s products and services always keeping the core philosophy at heart – ‘Nature as friend and inspiration’. Currently, Joanne is also a Board Member of AMSPA and on the committee overseeing the EURO grant programme.

www.biossentials.com

IMTIAZ MUQBIL
Executive Editor, Travel Impact Newswire

Imtiaz Muqbil began his career in the Middle East with local English-language newspapers more than 30 years ago. He was also a stringer for Newsweek, McGraw-Hill World News, and PetroMoney Report before moving to Bangkok in 1978 from where he has been covering the Asia-Pacific travel & tourism industry since 1981.

A seasoned travel industry journalist, he has major conferences and trade shows including PATA, International Hotels and Restaurants Association, Universal Federation of Travel Agents Associations, ASEAN Tourism Forum, ITB Berlin, WTM London, Australian Tourism Exchange, Arabian Travel Market Dubai, World Travel and Tourism Council, Mekong Tourism Forum, and more. He was awarded the PATA Award for Outstanding Reporting on the Asia-Pacific travel and tourism industry, 1997 and the Travel Journalism Award from PATA in 2005.

Imtiaz reports on travel and tourism issues from a broader social, cultural, environmental and political perspective than any other industry journalist. He believes that the future of travel & tourism is shaped not in industry forums but in "alternative" events like the World Social Forum and other organizations like the UN system, the financial institutions, environmental and educational bodies, which are increasingly working to put a check-and-balance mechanism into the development process.

www.travel-impact-newswire.com

DR DAVID WONG
Co-Founder & Medical Director, Health Integration Center, USA

Dr David Wong is the co-founder and medical director of Health Integration Center, an integrative medical centre in California, USA. The centre offers a wide range of wellness programmes that include preventative healthcare, nutrition, acupuncture, osteopathy, energy healing, various structural therapies, bio-identical hormone replacement and longevity programmes.

David was the programme director and consultant to the Foxhollow Clinic & Spa in Kentucky from 1997 to Spring 2006. He runs workshops on lifestyle, wellness, and longevity for health professionals and the general public. He has lectured internationally on wellness and the design of holistic medical spa programmes. He is fortunate to have travelled extensively to spas in several countries in North America, Europe and Asia. David enjoys sharing his ideas and concept of integrated wellness.

WEE WEI LING
Director, Hotel Plaza Ltd/Executive Director, Parkroyal Hotels & Resorts Pte Ltd/Chief Operating Officer, St Gregory Spa Pte Ltd/Executive Director, Dou Hua Restaurants Pte Ltd

Wee Wei Ling has been in the hotel industry for two decades, working her way up the ranks to a Director in the main-board listed Hotel Plaza Limited. Her responsibilities as Executive Director of Parkroyal group include building the Parkroyal hotel brand identity and expanding its presence regionally. With an uncompromising commitment for excellence, she has also created the well-regarded Si Chuan Dou Hua Restaurant chain and St. Gregory spas. In 2007, she received the Leading CEO Award by the Singapore Human Resources Institute. Presently, she is focused on taking the Parkroyal hotel brand to greater heights, building a unique brand identity that encapsulates an integrated lifestyle hospitality experience.

Wee Wei Ling founded St. Gregory in 1997 with the mission to manage an integrated healthy lifestyle incorporating the unique four pillars of therapy, fitness, aesthetics and active ageing. In Singapore, St. Gregory is a pioneer and market leader in the spa industry, and continues to set the trend for excellent spa expertise and service. St. Gregory at Marina Mandarin also earned its qualification as a Leading Spa - Certification in Singapore by The Leading Hotels of the World Ltd, and is the only spa in Singapore to receive this award. St. Gregory spas today can be found in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan.

www.stgregoryspa.com

FARIDAH BINTI AHMAD FADZIL
Co-Founder, Tanamera

Faridah Binti Ahmad Fadzil is the co-founder of Tanamera, a made-in-Malaysia natural range of spa and lifestyle products modelled after Malaysian beauty treatments. Faridah, an Honors graduate of Business Management from Northern Illinois University is a second generation herbalist specializing on tropical herbs. She has been a guest Speaker on herbal products and its industry at numerous occasions. She is also the main formulator for Tanamera and advisor on Malay treatments for various multinational companies. Apart from expanding the Tanamera product range, Faridah also created the Tanamera spa concept, which specializes in providing Malay spa treatments to locals and tourist alike.

www.tanamera.com.my

BARRY WHITE
Director of Spa Operations

Barry was most recently Chuan Spa Director at Langham Place, Mongkok, Hong Kong which was nominated for several awards including Best Hong Kong Spa in the South China Morning Post Style Awards and Travel Weekly Asia Awards and winning Best Male Spa Treatments in 2006 at the Asia Spa Baccarat Awards.

He will also be part of the team that leads the spa development of forthcoming properties, including Langham Place Beijing Capital Airport which will help revolutionise the airport hotel experience when it opens in 2009. His first projects have included the launch of Chuan Body + Soul at The Langham, Boston, the rebranding of the spa in Langham Place Eco Resort + Spa, Koh Lanta and the introduction of Chuan Spa to the New Zealand market. Prior to his work at Langham Place, Mongkok, Hong Kong,  Barry’s career included  positions in Central London and Australia.

We will update the list of speakers periodically. For the latest list of speakers, please continue to visit our website regularly in the next few weeks. Please bear with us as we work on making your Summit experience the best yet!

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