Our Speakers
TASKFORCE TEAM
Julie Clody Medina
President Asia Pacific
Van Cleef & Arpels
Ariel Gentzbourger
Regional Managing Director
ASPAC
Christian Dior Parfums
David Smaniotto
Managing Director
Hong Kong & Macau
Hermès
Johan Ye
Vice President Merchandising, Watches & Jewelry
DFS Group
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Divia Harilela
Founder and Principal
The D'Vine Ltd
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Divia Harilela has worked in the lifestyle and fashion media for over 23 years. Most recently she served as the fashion editor for Hong Kong's leading English language newspaper, The South China Morning Post, where she remains a contributing editor. A leading authority on fashion in Asia, she writes for a range of high-profile publications and has been quoted in The Times of London and The International Herald Tribune, and has appeared on CNN International.
In 2011 Divia founded her own consultancy, The D’Vine Ltd, offering services such as content creation and strategy for clients ranging from global luxury hospitality groups, international luxury brands and designers, to educational and governmental organisations. She is also a sought-after moderator and public speaker.
SPEAKERS
Philippe Adler
Senior Vice President,
Private Clients Asia
Lombard Odier
Philippe Adler is Senior Vice President, Private Clients Asia, at Lombard Odier. As a senior relationship manager based in Hong Kong, he provides comprehensive advice and holistic wealth management services to both local and international clients based in the market.
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Philippe has over 30 years of experience in the banking and finance industry, and has worked across various cities including Geneva, London and Hong Kong.
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Before joining Lombard Odier, Philippe was an Executive Director in UBS in Hong Kong. Previously, he was a senior client advisor with UBS AG Private Banking, London.
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Philippe holds a Master degree in Business Administration and Economics from the University of Geneva.
Alexis Bonhomme is a global executive and entrepreneur in the field of luxury, strategy and technology, based in Shanghai. After working at Tencent, Alexis co-founded in 2013 CuriosityChina. Following the strategic acquisition of Curiosity by Farfetch in 2018, he became the Vice President of Farfetch in Greater China & Asia Pacific and then Global Vice President of Industry Partnerships.
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Going back to an entrepreneurial journey, Alexis founded in 2024 Trinity Asia where is acting as Founder and CEO. Trinity Asia is empowering brands to engage with the Asian luxury consumers of today and tomorrow. With extensive experience in Tech Platforms, Brands and Digital Agencies, Trinity teams are operating across Greater China, Japan, Korea, helping luxury brands to thrive in Asia’s dynamic markets with innovative solutions. Trinity clients goes from Fashion (Stone Island), Accessories (Christian Louboutin), Watches & Jewelry (Audemars Piguet), Retail (Value Retail and Harrods) or Hospitality (Capella Hotels).
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Alexis holds a Master in Private Law from the Paris Law School University and an Executive MBA from INSEAD and Tsinghua University. He is also a YPO member and a guest Lecturer at the IFM (Institut Francais de la Mode) in Paris.
Benjamin Cabouat
​Consul for Culture, Education and Science
Benjamin Cabouat is the Consul for Culture, Education & Science at the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau since 2021.
Prior to his current position, he held the position of Assistant Deputy Director at the Human Resources department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Paris, as well as Political Counsellor at the French Embassy in India and at the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations in New York.
He serves on the boards of French May Arts Festival, Alliance Française Hong Kong and French International School.
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Catherine Cheung
Associate Dean and Associate Professor
School of Hotel & Tourism Management
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Prof. Catherine Cheung is Associate Dean and Associate Professor at School of Hotel and Tourism Management of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a specialist in the study of Hotel Management.
Catherine oversees academic affairs within the school. She is the program leader for the tripartite program MSc in Global Hospitality Business. Instructor for Luxury Management course on MOOCs and MSc in Luxury Experience Management. Instructor for a course on Hospitality Business Strategies in Asia for the MSc in Global Hospitality Business.
Her research interests are in the areas of Luxury Hospitality Management, Hospitality Human Resources Management, Cultural intelligence and Emotional intelligence, Organizational Behavior, Hospitality Branding and Service Quality. She has authored and co-authored over 100 research papers and supervised over 12 Doctoral students to completion.
She has been involved in consultancy projects for hotels, airlines, private clubs, retail and hospital in the areas of service quality and human resources management in Asia. She has numerous years of working experience in hotels as well as opening new hotels in Hong Kong, Australia and Taipei.
Emmanuel Hemmerlé
Co-Founder and Managing Partner
EH
Emmanuel Hemmerlé has been living and working in China since 2000. In 2014, he co-founded EH, and over the past decade has focused on building the firm into a leading retained leadership consulting firm in Asia, specializing in senior executive roles in China, Korea, Japan, and regional Asia scope.
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Over his career, Emmanuel has led more than 500 executive searches and conducted nearly 5,000 interviews with top executives.
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Before founding EH, Emmanuel was a Senior Partner and Head of the Consumer Market Practice at Korn Ferry in China. Prior to that, he was a Partner at Heidrick & Struggles, specializing in the Consumer and Industrial Practices.
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Earlier in his career, Emmanuel held leadership positions in the corporate sector, most notably with the Zuellig Group in China and Michelin, where he worked in Europe and South America, progressing from sales to marketing and eventually into general management.
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Emmanuel holds a master’s in economics and finance from Sciences-Po Paris (1991), an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (2000), and a diploma in Chinese language and civilization from Peking University (2002). He is fluent in Mandarin, English, and French, in addition to his native Spanish.
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A French national, Emmanuel enjoys hiking, swimming, and French cuisine. He is a dedicated student of Chinese and European history and an avid reader of 19th-century French literature. He lives in China with his wife, Zhao Hui, and their two teenagers, Elías and Esther.
Dr. Jinju Heo
Professor and Research fellow Glion Institute of Higher Education
Dr. Jinju Heo is a globally recognized expert in luxury brand management, innovation, and sustainability. She serves as a professor and research fellow at Glion Institute of Higher Education, Switzerland, and a professor at Solbridge International School of Business, South Korea, and the International University of Monaco. She is also a Senior Research Fellow at Ecole des Ponts ParisTech's Circular Economy Research Center, her doctoral alma mater.
 
Dr. Heo possesses extensive practical experience collaborating with prominent luxury companies and high-profile clients in Europe, Middle east and China, including her notable role as an Innovation Advisor at CHANEL for several years. Her research includes publications on luxury innovation, circular business models, and luxury brands' engagement with the technology.
 
She combines academic rigor with practical expertise, driving sustainable innovation in luxury branding and consumer behavior, making her a distinguished leader in her field.
Bruno Lannes
Senior Partner,
Greater China
Bain & Company
Bruno Lannes is a senior partner in the Shanghai office, where he is based since 2006. Prior to joining the Shanghai office, Mr. Lannes worked in the London and Paris offices. In over 30 years of strategy consulting experience, he has led major consulting assignments in the consumer goods and retailing sectors, as well as in Private Equity.
Today, Mr. Lannes is a senior member of the Consumer Goods and Retail practice for Greater China, focusing on the Retail, Consumer goods and luxury sectors in China.
Mr. Lannes published multiple articles on China consumer products, luxury and retail sectors in Chinese and English business magazines. He is the main author of the China Shopper Reports, published twice a year since 2012, which describe China FMCG trends, as well as the China luxury report, published once a year since 2008.
Mr. Lannes is a recipient of Shanghai Magnolia Silver Award which is the highest honor bestowed by the city on expatriates who have significantly contributed to Shanghai's economic performance, international relations, business environment, management standards and social development.
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Mr. Lannes earned an MBA with Distinction from the Wharton School, and
is a graduate of Ecole Sup•rieure de Commerce de Paris (France).
Matthew Lazarus-Hall
Executive Vice President – Content & Entertainment, Australia and Asia
ASM Global ​
Chief Commercial Director
Kai Tak Sport Park
Matthew Lazarus-Hall is a dynamic entertainment executive with over 30 years in live entertainment.
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He, currently has two roles , Executive Vice President – Content & Entertainment, Australia and Asia for ASM Global and Chief Commercial Director for Kai Tak Sports Park.The ASM role sees him driving content and assisting promoters in delivering more shows and tours into the ASM network for Asia Pacific. His role at Kai Tak involves overseeing all event procurement, ticketing, Corporate Programs and Hospitality and financial systems and strategy.
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Previooulsy Matthew was the Senior Vice President Asia for global entertainment company AEG overseeing all concerts, Festivals and sporting events across the Asia Pacific region.
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He was the CEO of Chugg Entertainment for 14 years, one of Australia’s preeminent entertainment touring companies. Under Matthew’s leadership, Chugg was the sixth biggest promoter in the world in 2010. A well-respected individual, Matthew has promoted hundreds of concerts and Festivals and sold as a promoter multiple millions of tickets. Matthew has helped develop two of Australia’s biggest festivals from the ground up, now both more than 15 years old.
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Matthew also founded his own consulting business Square Circles Creative Solutions, an Australian-based company focused on providing quality advice in event strategy across touring, festivals, exhibitions and sport.
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Before Chugg, Matthew held highly successful leadership roles at Ticketek, Australia’s largest ticketing agency, where he was the Operations Director, overseeing major marquee events such as the Sydney Olympic Games, Rugby World Cup, and many other events and theatrical concerts.
Xavier Romatet
Dean
Institut Français de la Mode
Graduated from Sciences Po, holding a Master's degree in Business Law and an MBA from HEC, Xavier Romatet began his career in marketing and communication as co-founder of the agency Directing, then General Manager and co-President of DDB France. In 2006, he became President and CEO of Condé Nast France (publisher of Vogue, Glamour, GQ, AD, and Vanity Fair), a position he held for over 12 years. From 2016, he was appointed Vice President of Condé Nast International and member of the Executive Committee. Xavier Romatet chaired the HEC Alumni Association from 2008 to 2011. Since August 26, 2019, Xavier Romatet has been leading the Institut Français de la Mode.
Felicia Teh
Human Resources Director, Northeast Asia
Richemont
Felicia is an experienced Human Resources leader with more than 20 years of business consulting and HR experience. She has held HR senior leadership roles in several multinational companies across diverse industries, balancing strategy and operational excellence to optimize business results. In her current role as Human Resources Director, Northeast Asia in Richemont, Felicia leads the people and talent agenda in the Northeast Asia region. Felicia is passionate about developing high performing teams to deliver business impact through a shared vision and strong collaboration and engagement. She enjoys working with multi-cultural teams and nurturing young talent to pursue innovation and growth.
For any enquiries, feel free to contact: