Our 2023 speakers

Dr. George C. Gaitanos

Chief Operating & Scientific Officer 
Chenot (HC International S.A.) 

Dr Gaitanos is the Chief Operating and Scientific Officer of Chenot Group. He joined the company in 2013. His role is strategically important in the development of the brand within the health wellness sector. This includes continued operational success of all the Chenot facilities, the innovation of new diagnostics, treatments, programmes, guests’ experiences, and their implementation within the dedicated facilities. In addition, the development of skincare products and food supplements leading a dedicated R&D team of experts.  

Dr Gaitanos is an expert in energy metabolism and his research work has been published in numerous medical journals. He had 14 years of experience (1992-2006) in the field of sports performance on elite international competitive level and over 30 years in health promotion and disease prevention with an integrated and personalised lifestyle medicine approach. He has collaborated with multi-disciplinary and multinational teams of healthcare practitioners and managers attaining both operational and leadership positions in medical and wellness institutions.  

Simon Lee Saunders

VP of Strategic Health & Wellness advisory at RLA GLOBAL

His multi-decade experience has been finely crafted through both professional and personal wellbeing experiences that distinguish his ability to connect with the most diverse projects. Simon led the development and opening of a chain of several health clubs and spas for Europe’s largest operator of thermal spas and resort with Danubius Hotels Group. Furthermore, he integrated the sports activities, adventure & fitness into the wider hotel operations and the re-launch of the group spa offering. He has worked in the capacity of sales and marketing for the pre-opening of multiple stand-alone and hotel-based health clubs for the LivingWell brand (then part of Hilton Hotels) including exclusive clubs with celebrity, media and political membership bases in St. Johns Wood, The Langham Hilton Hotel and No.1 Millbank – Westminster in the UK.Simon has worked with the iconic Gold’s Gym brand in Iberia and Russia providing senior management, operational training and support for general managers & franchisees across the expanded territory.  His health club experience also includes site selection, lease negotiations, tender, planning and fit-out processes for wellness clubs around the world. On a personal level Simon went through his own personal wellbeing journey in 2011, a year after running the world’s toughest footrace the Marathon de Sables in the Sahara, he overcame the greater challenge of cancer. Learning to thrive mentally and physically has become his personal focus. Simon was educated at the University of West London in Leisure & Finance and is a qualified personal trainer and athletics coach.

Cornelia Kausch

Founder, Senior Leadership Coach & Consultant CK Hospitality Advisors GmbH

When it comes to leadership, Cornelia has walked the talk. After serving as a Managing Director/CEO of various international hotels for over two decades, she started her coaching and consulting business in 2005, empowering leaders & their teams (in the hospitality world and beyond) to face turbulent times head-on. Throughout her career, Cornelia has always embodied a “people first” approach and is a firm believer in the value of a service mindset in any area of business.  

www.ckhospitality.de
www.ck-collective.co 

Andrew Gibson

International Wellness and Hospitality Specialist 
Resides in Sweden – Recent Executive Level – Sensei 

Mr Gibson has been part of the senior management teams that have created iconic spa and wellness brands such as Six Senses, Mandarin Oriental, Raffles, Fairmont, Pullman, Sofitel, MGallery and Sensei (A 90,000 acre wellness retreat located in Lanai, Hawaii and owned by Oracle founder, Larry Ellison).  Over the last 30+ years he has created global brands, operated in over 70 countries and managed multiple brands for large corporations while retaining the ability to guide startup companies or provide advice equally to world leaders or university students. As a truly global citizen he has lived in the USA, Middle East, Asia and Europe and has been a prominent figure through voluntary work in associations on every continent and in advisory positions at Universities. He is currently one of the remaining founding members and advisory board directors of Global Wellness Summit/Institute, the Chairman of the Wellness Tourism Association and a long-time serving judge of the World Spa and Wellness Awards. He maintains a global network and a comprehensive knowledge of how to provide wellness services in hotels, real estate and lifestyle choices. 

Mr Gibson is a globally recognized expert in the area of wellness and has been actively involved in area of innovation and opening world class destination spa and wellness operations.   Often sought after as an authoritative speaker on the topic of sustainable wellness trends.    

Robert D. Henry

Architects (RDHA) – Founder

Robert Henry is a renowned “wellness design” Architect, who prioritizes wellbeing for its users, promoting personal health and longevity thru design.

He is called the “sensuous architect for serenity”.

Hospitality Design awarded him the Platinum Circle, a lifetime achievement award for innovative wellness design.

He integrates the (5) senses in his work and strives for an architecture that not only looks good, but feels, sounds, and even smells good.

Ramy Elnagar

Cofounder, Production Partner at White Mirror

White Mirror is an award-winning Wellness Innovation Consultancy. We leverage sensory sciences and transformative technologies to create impactful solutions that improve our wellbeing.

Alongside our research lab, our mission is to augment the human experience – that spans from mitigating anxiety and stress to improving sleep, recovery, productivity and flow.

Wellbeing is evolving, so should we.
We believe science and validation play a fundamental role in achieving this.  This is why, bring together academics, designers, technologists, artists and innovators to push the boundary of what we know about wellbeing innovation. 

Tom Middleton

Cofounder, Production Partner at White Mirror

White Mirror is an award-winning Wellness Innovation Consultancy. We leverage sensory sciences and transformative technologies to create impactful solutions that improve our wellbeing.

Alongside our research lab, our mission is to augment the human experience – that spans from mitigating anxiety and stress to improving sleep, recovery, productivity and flow.

Wellbeing is evolving, so should we.
We believe science and validation play a fundamental role in achieving this.  This is why, bring together academics, designers, technologists, artists and innovators to push the boundary of what we know about wellbeing innovation. 

Tristan Lagarde

Deputy General Manager PHYTOMER

As Deputy General Manager and a 3rd generation-member of the family brand, Tristan Lagarde is deeply involved in ensuring PHYTOMER remains at the forefront of 21st century professional skin care: premium, results-driven and sustainable.

Tristan is particularly focused on delivering impactful business support tools to the spas working with the brand, to ensure that PHYTOMER partners are the best-equipped to tackle the ever-changing competitive environment. In particular, he oversees the roll out the group’s digital strategy, which include modern on and offline solutions to drive business towards the brand’s network of over 10,000 partnering spas in 80 countries.

Furthermore, Tristan has responsibility to deliver on the company’s powerful commitments to sustainable skin care. PHYTOMER continues to invest heavily in clean production, recyclable packaging and sustainable sourcing, maintaining its ranking as one of the top 5% of companies worldwide for their sustainable practices.

Prior to joining the family company, Tristan worked in finance in London, Paris and Sydney, having graduated with a Master in Management (Finance) from HEC Paris.

Jean-Guy de Gabriac

CEO TIP TOUCH International since 2004

Jean-Guy de Gabriac is an award-winning advisor & educator in Guest experience, elevating the skills & engagement of associates in Spa, Wellness, and Hospitality. 

Isabelle Charrier

Editor & Managing Editor Sense of WELLNESS Magazine

After graduating from business school, Isabelle began her career working as a project manager for major groups. Along the way, she met publisher Bernard Chevry who passed on his enthusiasm for the world of publishing and sharpened both her creative and business sense. In 2004, with the surging development of the French spa sector and her desire to pursue her career independently, she created the first professional French Spa magazine, of which she was editor for 2 successive publishers, until October 2016.
Thanks to her triple expertise, editorial – business – marketing, Isabelle launched Sense of WELLNESS Magazine and www.senseofwellness-mag.com in January 2017, delivering a 360° vision of the wellness industry connected by the common thread of people and innovation. Its immediate success confirmed Isabelle’s legitimacy as the Go-To expert in the French spa and wellness industry.

Isabelle has also developed SoWCOM, a dedicated agency offering a comprehensive service that ranges from designing wellness concepts and repositioning offerings to the creation of brochures, treatment menus, promotional documents, etc. for thalassotherapy and balneotherapy centers, hotel and day spas.

Isabelle also works alongside prestigious trade fairs, providing conference programs that she designs and coordinates. Her versatile array of skills, extensive network and unique expertise in the Wellness market sets her apart as an unanimously recognized and appreciated professional in the industry.

Sarah Camilleri

Sarah Camilleri is the editorial director and owner of European Spa magazine and its affiliated daily news website europeanspamagazine.com both of which are trusted business resources for spa and wellness hospitality leaders worldwide.

European Spa’s international success is built on its reputation for in-depth expert content derived from comprehensive ‘in-the-field’ research and journalistic integrity. 

Sarah also serves as an Advisory board member for the British Beauty Council.