PATA confirms Kishore Mahbubani as speaker at PATA-GBTA APAC Travel Summit 2022

Wednesday, December 7, 2022

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is proud to announce that Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Diplomat; Founding Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS; Former President of UN Security Council has been confirmed to speak at the upcoming PATA-GBTA APAC Travel Summit 2022. The event, organized in partnership with the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), will be taking place at the new, state-of-the-art Queen Sirikit National Convention Center (QSNCC) in Bangkok, Thailand from December 8-9, 2022.

“The Asia-Pacific travel landscape has never been more dynamic – facing headwinds and tailwinds as the travel and tourism industry navigates through a step-wise recovery. The flight path through this recovery is taking a new route with new opportunities unfolding. With this in mind, we are honoured to have Prof. Kishore Mahbubani as our keynote speaker at our inaugural PATA-GBTA APAC Travel Summit,” said PATA CEO Liz Ortiguera. “On the heels of Asia’s 12 days, hosting a triumvirate of summits (ASEAN, G20, and APEC), delegates will hear his key takeaways and consider how the current geopolitical events will influence the travel recovery opportunities in the short to mid term here in the region.”

“The road to recovery differs by region, so it a privilege to have such an esteemed keynote speaker who is both knowledgeable and recognised in Asia. We believe travel is a force for good — and as such, there are many emerging opportunities for our industry to create a more sustainable way forward in the future of travel. Prof. Kishore Mahbubani will join other noteworthy leaders and industry experts over the duration of the conference to help delegates navigate the dynamic recovery of the Asia-Pacific region,” said Suzanne Neufang, CEO, GBTA.

Kishore has enjoyed three distinguished careers: in diplomacy, academia, and writing and speaking. In diplomacy, he served in the Singapore Foreign Service for 33 years (serving also as permanent secretary (CEO) of the foreign ministry and two stints as Singapore’s Ambassador to the UN). He also served as President of the UN Security Council from January 2001 and May 2002. In academia, he was the Founding Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS which is deemed to be the premier school in Asia in its field. He is also the author of eight books including Can Asians Think? and Has China Won?.

Kishore Mahbubani is widely considered to be one of Asia’s leading global public intellectuals, having appeared several times in Foreign Policy Magazine’s list of top 100 global thinkers. In 2014, he was also listed by The Financial Times as one of the 50 individuals who would shape the debate on the future of capitalism. Perhaps the best summary of Kishore’s contributions was made in the citation for the US Foreign Policy Association Medal he received in June 2004: “a gifted diplomat, a student of history and philosophy, a provocative writer and an intuitive thinker.”

The PATA-GBTA APAC Travel Summit 2022 will address key themes spanning corporate, leisure, and MICE and identify emerging opportunities and trends in the ever-changing, dynamic recovery of the Asia-Pacific region.  The four main stage sessions, comprised of keynote presentations and panel discussions, will cover topics including:

Rising Opportunities: Business Travel, Tourism and MICE

Protecting Travellers: Duty of Care

Recovery with Sustainability

The Future of Travel

Other confirmed speakers include:

Jeffrey Goh, CEO, Star Alliance;

Rizki Handayani, Deputy Minister for Tourism and Product (Events), Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Indonesia;

Chiruit Isarangkun Na Ayuthaya, President, Thailand Convention and Exhibition Bureau (TCEB);

Darrell Wade, Co-founder & Chairman, Intrepid Travel;

Siew Kim Beh, CFSO, Lodging, CapitaLand Investment/ MD, The Ascott Limited;

Melissa Gan, CCO, WorldHotels AG;

Sanghamitra Bose, VP/GM- Singapore, HKSAR & Thailand, AmexGBT;

Dr. Carl Jones, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, SAP Concur, and

John Timson, Vice President, Sustainability and Safety, SE Asia, Japan and Korea, Accor.

In addition to the main stage sessions, the event also comprised of tradeshow components and several educational breakout sessions covering topics including human capital development, corporate travel trends, and technology.

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