Wellness in Hospitality Spotlight: From Trendy to Timeless
Meet The Speakers
Sonal Uberoi
Founder, Spa Balance;
Author, The Wellness Asset
Sonal Uberoi, founder of Spa Balance and author of The Wellness Asset, is a globally renowned wellness expert. She has 20+ years of experience on 40+ projects across four continents. Sonal hosts the Wellness in Hospitality series and has engaged with over 100 hospitality leaders. Notable clients include Six Senses Resorts & Spas, Accor, Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine and Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, among others.
Chalana Perera
Founder, RETRACE™ Hospitality
Chalana, founder of RETRACETM Hospitality, specializes in regenerative tourism and hospitality asset management in Sri Lanka. With a background in European hotel development for brands like citizenM, he is a graduate of Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne and a certified Climate Reality Leader. As the first Sri Lankan to sign Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency, Chalana is a recognized contributor to sustainability in hospitality and has spoken at numerous international forums.
Fiona Richmond
Head of Regional Food, Scotland Food & Drink
Fiona Richmond has promoted quality food and drink for over 18 years, working with Scotland Food & Drink since 2009. Named one of the UK's top 20 industry icons by Speciality & Fine Food magazine in 2019, she also worked with the Slow Food movement. Currently Guest President of Les Dames D'Escoffier London, Fiona was named one of the Top 100 Women in Tourism and The Scottish Women’s Awards Best Professional in Business 2022.
Valentina Cereda
Health & Wellbeing Architect; Founder, Energy & Space
Valentina Cereda is a renowned Health & Wellbeing Architect specialising in sustainable and biophilic design. With a focus on integrating Building Biology principles, she creates environments that enhance physical and mental wellbeing. Valentina’s innovative approach has transformed numerous hospitality and residential projects, prioritising eco-friendly materials and holistic design. She collaborates with experts across disciplines to ensure her spaces promote health, sustainability, and harmony with the natural environment.
Constantina Tsoutsikou
Founder, Studio LOST
Constantina Tsoutsikou's Studio LOST designs luxury hotels and spas, emphasizing discovery and local culture. Known for award-winning projects like NUMO in Crete, they have upcoming works in Switzerland, KSA, Italy, Greece, and Cyprus. Constantina's extensive experience and passion for travel inspire their innovative designs, creating unique and memorable destinations worldwide. Her work consistently integrates nature and local narratives, providing guests with a sense of wonder and wellbeing.
Valentina Clergue
Assistant Professor. EHL Hospitality Business School
Valentina Clergue, Assistant Professor of Marketing at EHL Hospitality Business School, holds degrees from Constructors University Bremen, Stockholm University, and HEC Lausanne. With over five years of experience in the advertising industry, she specializes in sustainability, wellbeing, and communication. Since 2021, she has been leading patient satisfaction workshops with CHUV Lausanne and conducting research projects focusing on increasing guest well-being through mindfulness and improving the overall wellbeing of hospitality offers.
Yasemin Oruc
Senior Lecturer, Hotelschool The Hague
Yasemin Oruc (MSc. MBA) is a research fellow and senior lecturer at Hotelschool The Hague. Founder of Anicha Consultancy, she promotes authentic, meaningful hospitality experiences. With a background in strategic marketing and branding, she has worked with top international hotels like Mandarin Oriental New York and Four Seasons Istanbul. She holds an MBA from Amsterdam Business School. Her research focuses on city tourism, well-being, and inclusive destination communities.
Emily Goldfischer
Founder, Editor in Chief, hertelier
Emily Goldfischer, founder of hertelier, curates content to support women in hospitality, promoting gender equality and career advancement. Her newsletter, Round-Up, is a must-read with a 65% open rate. A Cornell and LSE graduate, her career includes VP of PR at Loews Hotels. Named among the Most Influential Women in Travel 2023, she resides in London, exploring Europe with her family and driving change in the hospitality industry.
Alexander L. Schmidt
Professor, Hotelschool The Hague
Dr. Alexander Lennart Schmidt, specialises in disruptive business models and technological innovations in hospitality. His research on digital technologies like AI, robotics, and immersive technologies is highly practical, offering essential management tools for industry challenges. A passionate advocate for cross-industry collaboration, he inspires innovation through personalised education and training formats, profoundly influencing students, founders, and seasoned managers alike.
David Arraya
Founder, Conscious Hospitality
David Arraya, founder of Conscious Hospitality Unlimited, has over 20 years of global hospitality leadership. He champions conscious leadership and social responsibility, having held key roles at renowned hotels such as The Pierre, Fontainebleau, and Six Senses. A keynote speaker, author, and podcast host, David inspires others to lead with purpose and impact, fostering trust and empowerment within teams and communities, while integrating conscience into business practices.
Rocco Bova
Founder, My Humble House
Rocco, with 25+ years in luxury hotel management across 11 countries, has worked with top brands like Jumeirah, Four Seasons, and Hilton. Educated in Italy, the UK, and at Cornell Singapore, he keeps up with global tourism trends. Now in Mexico with Horwath HTL, he consults for boutique hotels and master-planned communities. Rocco is also a hospitality influencer, conference speaker, visiting lecturer, and active in organizations like Hoteliers Guild and World Wellness Weekend.
Lúcia Cunha
Hotel GM, Hotel Hotel Portugal
Lúcia Cunha, a seasoned luxury hotelier, has over 20 years of global experience with prestigious brands such as Four Seasons, Six Senses, and Ritz Carlton. Specializing in spa management, she has overseen numerous hotel pre-openings across Asia and has lectured on spa and guest complaint management in Portugal and Austria. Certified in health coaching and luxury brand management, Lúcia now manages Hotel Hotel, a boutique Design Hotel located in the heart of Lisbon.
Chris Nader
Co-Founder, ENVI Lodges
Chris, Co-Founder & CEO of ENVI Lodges, leads the first luxury ecolodge brand from the Middle East, focusing on regenerative tourism. ENVI has projects across Africa, the Middle East, and South America. With extensive hospitality experience, Chris has been recognized among the top 50 influential hoteliers in the Middle East for three consecutive years and frequently speaks at industry conferences.
Eva & Nicolai Tram
Owners, Knystaforsen
In 2017, Nicolai and Eva Tram sold everything and moved to Sweden, where Nicolai's passion for cooking with fire ignited. This led to three bestseller books. In 2021, they opened Knystaforsen, focusing on fire-centric gastronomy. The restaurant became Sweden's best-rated in its first year and won the travel destination of the year. In 2022, Knystaforsen earned a MICHELIN star and a MICHELIN Green star.
Heleri Rande
Partner, THINK Hospitality
Heleri, from Estonia, has lived in seven countries and holds a Bachelor's in Economics and Business from NYU and an executive MBA from EHL. She advises on F&B strategy for brands like Accor and Hilton, edits Supper Magazine, directs global hospitality events, co-founded Ideas-Flavours-Experiences and the New Baltic Hospitality Forum, and serves on the GRIF board and EHL Alumni Network.