Manisha’s extensive experience in leading and scaling international teams (including Uber) brings invaluable strategic insight to our panel. Her commitment to diversity and high-performance makes her a great judge of innovation.

In his role as Director of Market Research and Intelligence, Dr. Wouter Geerts leads Mews’ team responsible for market research, competitive intelligence, and thought leadership. Wouter is a regular speaker and moderator at conferences and industry events, speaking about travel and hospitality trends. Wouter completed a PhD on sustainability in the hospitality industry at the University of London. He further holds a Bachelor in International Hospitality Management and has worked in different roles in and with the hotel industry. He previously headed up the research team at travel media company Skift and worked as a hospitality consultant at Euromonitor International. Wouter sits on the industry advisory board for Stenden Hotel School Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.

For the past three years, Victoria has been part of the Penta Hotels Management team. Since January 2025, she has taken on the role of Commercial Director, leading the commercial team across Sales, Revenue Management, Marketing, E-Commerce, Reservations, Distribution as well as BI, Digital & Systems. Victoria’s passion for the commercial side of hospitality sparked during her dual-study program in Business Administration with a focus on Hotel Management. She honed her expertise in Revenue Management through various roles at Kempinski, Swissôtel, and H-Hotels before joining Penta Hotels, where she also gained invaluable experience in Business Intelligence and Systems. Now, Victoria and her team are spearheading one of the most ambitious digital transformation projects in Penta Hotels history. With cutting-edge solutions and new strategic partnerships, they are set to elevate both business performance and the digital guest experience to new heights.

Valerie Parkes is an accomplished technology executive with extensive experience in the hospitality industry. Currently, she's the Senior Director of Business Relationship Management at Choice Hotels International, where she drives strategic initiatives and fosters collaboration between business units and IT, enhancing the company's technology capabilities and customer engagement. Before Choice Hotels, Valerie was the CTO at Value Place, which owned the WoodSpring brand, the fastest-growing economy extended stay brand. Valerie oversaw both corporate and technical operations for nearly 200 owned properties. During her tenure, she successfully led the launch of a new website, resulting in a nearly 100% increase in conversion rates within six months, developed a property management roadmap delivering extended stay focused capabilities, and implemented a franchisee data analytics platform giving owners visibility to performance data for their properties in real time. Choice acquired Woodspring in 2018. Valerie led the migration of Woodspring properties to Choice’s ecosystem. She was also responsible for developing and executing a technical roadmap to improve Choice’s extended stay capabilities. Additionally, Valerie was instrumental in the integration of the Radisson brand after Choice’s acquisition in 2022, overseeing the migration to Choice's central reservation system, digital platforms, and loyalty systems, and identifying functionality gaps to support Radisson's continued success. In her personal time, Valerie focuses on giving back by working with at risk children, helping them discover potential careers as well as serving on the board of the Saving Amy organization, contributing her expertise to support their mission of ending the cycle of homelessness.

Naomi joined Mews in 2023 and oversees recruitment, onboarding, benefits, development and growth, and workplace management. She's passionate about people, and has a large role in steering Mews’ culture, making her a great judge of character and meaningful change.

As VP of Product and Engineering, Platform Enablement at Mews, Ryan is passionate about building the secure, scalable cloud infrastructure that powers great customer experiences. By driving world-class security practices and resilient platform foundations, they enable product teams to move faster, build with confidence, and deliver more value to Mews customers around the world.

A seasoned brand leader, Sarah oversees the Design Hotels brand, including creative, marketing, communications, PR, partnerships, and community management – paving the way for new innovations within the business. Sarah discovered her love of hospitality working for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, as Global Brand Director for W Hotels Worldwide, opening many of the brand’s most iconic locations and leading collaborations with the likes of Will.i.am, Billboard Music and the Council of Fashion Designers of America. In addition, Sarah has also held senior leadership roles at MSC Cruises Explora Journeys, BACARDÍ. Sarah began her career with Momentum Worldwide in New York City, where she led marketing and sponsorships on behalf of American Express across fashion, music and film.

Richard is an entrepreneur, ex-hotelier and hospitality enthusiast. He founded Mews to bring modern, seamless hospitality to hoteliers and guests alike, pushing hoteliers to think differently, from operations and payments to optimizing every square inch of their properties.

Paul leads Hospitality Ancillaries at Plusgrade, bringing 30 years of expertise in hospitality management, revenue growth, and market expansion. Previously CCO at Birchstreet Systems and EVP at Amadeus Hospitality, he now drives innovation in ancillary revenue for global hospitality brands.

Lighthouse, has over 5 years of experience helping independent hotels to generate more revenue and save time by automating their pricing and distribution strategies.

Lighthouse helps hotel groups and chains boost their revenue and make smarter decisions by unlocking data-driven rate and market insights.

Nicole Torbiörnsson is a seasoned hospitality professional currently serving as the Director of Sales and Reservations at Ett Hem, a distinguished boutique hotel in Stockholm, Sweden. SE.LINKEDIN.COM In her role, Nicole has been instrumental in integrating innovative technologies to enhance guest experiences and streamline hotel operations. Notably, she has collaborated with industry leaders such as Mews and Atomize to implement advanced property management and revenue optimization systems. Nicole's commitment to excellence and her ability to adapt to evolving industry trends have significantly contributed to Ett Hem's reputation for personalized and efficient service. Her leadership continues to drive the hotel's success in a competitive market, ensuring that Ett Hem remains a preferred destination for discerning travelers seeking a unique and memorable stay.

Monica Galetti is a renowned Chef and television personality known for her role as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals and Amazing Hotels: Life Behind the Lobby. In other words, someone who understands the value and importance of incredible hospitality experiences.

After years in the trenches of hospitality, Matt co-founded Mews in 2012. Since then, he's been our fearless CEO, leading the company and the industry forward.

Luca Bovone, born in Genoa, Italy, is the founder and CEO of Habyt, a leading global co-living company established in 2017. He earned a Bachelor's degree from Università Bocconi and a Master's from IE Business School. Prior to founding Habyt, Bovone contributed to Dropbox's European expansion from 2014 to 2017. Under his leadership, Habyt has expanded to over 30,000 units across more than 50 cities worldwide, offering flexible, tech-enabled living solutions.

Josef’s origin story is an inspiring one: he joined Mews as a humble backend developer while studying software engineering at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University in Prague. Through hard work and prodigious talent, Josef worked his way up to lead our product and tech teams. Today, Josef is Chief Product and Technology Officer at Mews, leading a team of 400 people. Outside of his day-to-day, Josef mentors at Femme Palette, Plato and The Mentoring Club and enjoys passing on his insights and experience to others.

Bio coming soon...

Bio coming soon...

Craig Bonafont is Senior Director of Commercial Strategy & Execution at Mews, the industry-leading hospitality cloud. He joined Mews in its early start-up phase and played a key role in transforming the commercial function during a period of rapid global expansion. With a background spanning hotel operations, business development, and commercial leadership, Craig brings a unique blend of frontline experience and strategic thinking to his work. Over the years, he has built and led high-performing teams across multiple regions, helping drive Mews’ growth to 1,300+ employees and 12,500+ customers worldwide.

Conor is a lifelong builder who loves turning complex problems into simple, elegant products. At Mews, he leads the Back of House division, creating smart tools for operations, finance, and revenue teams. With a focus on AI, automation, and deep integration, he brings a maker’s mindset to shaping the systems that power hospitality behind the scenes.

Bashar Wali: Architect of Hospitality, Champion of Belonging Bashar Wali has spent over 30 years shaping the hospitality industry, blending operational expertise with a belief that hotels should foster human connection, not just provide a place to sleep. From his early days working the front desk to leading Provenance Hotels’ transformation into a nationally recognized brand, he has seen every side of the business. Now, as the founder of This Assembly and Practice Hospitality, Bashar challenges industry norms, prioritizing people over process and authenticity over trends. A TEDx speaker, former Chair of the YPO Hospitality Network, and sought-after industry voice, he pushes for hospitality that is personal, thoughtful, and memorable. A relentless traveler, Bashar has stayed in over 250 Manhattan hotels—never in the same place twice—because every new check-in is a lesson. Whether on stage, in the boardroom, or behind the scenes, his mission remains the same: to make hospitality feel like hospitality again.

Aziz Temimi, heir to a long line of hoteliers, embodies a rich family history passed down through generations. In 1972, his grandfather founded TK Investissements with the acquisition of the family’s first hotel, Le Belmont, in Paris’ Golden Triangle, followed by Hôtel Océan in 1995, now renamed Hôtel Maison Mère. Growing up in this environment, Aziz explored various fields before joining the hotel industry: Preparatory classes in Mathematics and Physics (Math Sup, Math Spé). Engineering degree in Computer Science from Telecom Paris Tech. Master of Science in Financial Mathematics from New York University. MBA from INSEAD. Professionally, Aziz started as a strategy consultant at Stratégie&, working between France and the Middle East. He later founded an e-commerce startup, Gula, before selling it. In 2018, he joined TK Investissements and co-owned Hôtel Maison Mère with his brother, Walid Temimi. With over 10 years of experience, Aziz founded Moon Hospitality alongside Marion Grelier and Julien Martin-Boussard. Passionate about hospitality, customer experience, and service, his mission is to redefine the industry, transforming it into an emotional and memorable experience, turning accommodation into entertainment.

Ally began her career in hospitality with Royal Caribbean before trading cruise ships for dive boats in Australia, leading scuba trips on the Great Barrier Reef. She moved into tech recruitment, working with scale-ups and becoming a Scrum Master—where her passion for facilitation and problem-solving began. During her three years at Mews, she has played a key role in its growth as R&D Talent Acquisition Manager and is now Director of Strategy & Execution, driving strategic people initiatives across the company.

Alessandro is the Director of Data Strategy & Analytics at Lark, leading technology strategy and ensuring teams have access to high-quality data to drive decision-making. He serves as the bridge between technology and strategic initiatives across the organization. Before joining Lark through the Life House joint venture, Alessandro was Director of Strategic Projects at Life House, where he worked closely with senior leadership to execute key initiatives. Alessandro is passionate about leveraging technology to improve operations, enabling teams to focus on creating meaningful guest experiences. He began his career as a Management Consultant at KPMG, specializing in strategy and transformation projects.