Judges
Vivienne Tang
Founder of wellness and travel publication Destination Deluxe, which handpicks the best resorts, retreats, spas and beauty brands for the global nomad, Vivienne Tang has been in wellness and lifestyle publishing for the last 22 years. She was previously Editor-in-Chief of AsiaSpa and held positions at Prestige Hong Kong and South China Morning Post. She also works as a consultant for wellness brands, creating retreat programs and offering marketing and custom media support. She is a frequent speaker at events and conventions, having held talks and panel discussions at the Global Wellness Summit, World Spa & Wellness Asia, Thailand Spa and Well-Being Summit, PATA Adventure Travel and Responsible Tourism Conference and Mart, and Female Entrepreneurs Worldwide.
Mark Smith
One of the few male spa writers in the world, Mark Smith is The Spa Man and has been writing about men’s grooming and beauty for over 20 years. Contributing Editor at European Spa magazine, he has written for Vogue, Tatler, The Daily Telegraph, AsiaSpa, Men’s Fitness and Destination Deluxe. Reviewing spas since 2007, he visits around 30 spas a year and regularly speaks about the male spa market. Based in London, he also works as a media consultant for beauty brands, offering PR, marketing and social media support.
Belgin Aksoy
Belgin Aksoy received her degree from Institute Hotelier Cesar Ritz in Switzerland and has been in the tourism and hotel industry for 25 years. With 16 years in the wellness industry, her mission is to create a physically, mentally and spiritually better world for years to come. Aksoy is the founder of Global Wellness Day. With the slogan “One day, can change your whole life!” GWD is celebrated across the globe in thousands of locations with complimentary activities on the second Saturday of June every year. In 2016, the Global Wellness Summit honored her with the “Leading Woman in Wellness” award. In 2019, Belgin Aksoy was selected as the first non-French person to receive the “Personality of the Year” award by La Fédération des Professionnels du Bien–être.
Nigel Franklyn
Known as The Spa Whisperer, Nigel Franklyn is a unique visionary and veteran of the global luxury spa industry, renowned for his innovative approach to both concept development and wellness design. Franklyn is also the co-founder of MOSS Wellness Consultancy and MOSS of the Isles and has spent 20 years working extensively around the world with some of the most iconic luxury properties in the industry, including Four Seasons, George V, Paris, The Siam, Bangkok and Aman Resorts. Recently, he headed the re-development of the Medical Wellness and Medical Aesthetics Centres at Clinique La Prairie, Switzerland. His most recent project is as the lead development consultant for King’s Mansion: A luxury Ayurvedic retreat in India where he and his team have created an innovative collaboration of heritage, modern architecture and interior design, Ayurvedic traditions, state-of-the-art medical aesthetics and holistic wellbeing.
Sue Harmsworth
An inspirational and visionary leader, Sue Harmsworth has shaped the spa industry over 45 years. She founded the global brand ESPA in 1993 and sold it in 2017. Harmsworth has been responsible for the design of over 500 award-winning spas in 65 countries and creating products, treatments and wellbeing programs globally. Sue has an MBE from the Queen for services to the spa and beauty industry, is a recipient of the ISPA Visionary Award, American Spa Industry Icon, Cosmetic Executive Women’s achiever award and sits on the Advisory Board for Global Wellness Summit, Global Wellness Institute, AMAALA and Forbes.
Juliet Kinsman
Juliet Kinsman has spent two and half decades talking about the world’s most special places in which to spend time. She is the first ever Sustainability Editor of Condé Nast Traveller, is founding editor of Mr & Mrs Smith (where she was editor-in-chief for 13 years), she’s co-authored Louis Vuitton City Guides for London and New York, and her book The Green Edit: Travel is out in September, published by Ebury. Meeting philanthropic hoteliers inspired her to create a platform specifically to share enlightening stories of design hotels doing good, Bouteco.co and she works as a sustainability consultant to help travel businesses stand for something and stand out for it to help them be a stronger force for good through their communications.
Susie Ellis
Susie Ellis is the co-founder, chair and CEO of the Global Wellness Summit, the foremost gathering of international business, academic and government leaders in the $4.5 trillion global wellness economy, now in its 14th year. She is also chair and CEO of the non-profit Global Wellness Institute, considered the industry’s leading global research and educational resource. She is the former president of Spafinder, where she established the first wellness trends reports, and sits on numerous academic and industry boards. Ellis holds an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Barry White
Barry White has over 25 years of global leadership experience in world-class luxury and lifestyle brands, including Conrad Hotels, The Landmark Group, Langham Hospitality Group, Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, Niccolo Hotels & Resorts, and Galaxy Entertainment Group. His broad industry experience, in-depth hospitality spa and wellness expertise has been combined to amplify the success of the businesses he has led. He is probably best known for creating the globally award-winning Chuan Spa, the proprietary spa and wellness brand for Langham Hospitality Group. Now the founder and managing director of WHITE, TIME and Co-founder of RIZE Intel. Barry is also Global Wellness Day Ambassador for Hong Kong, and Board Member of non-profit APSWC (Asia Pacific Spa Wellness Coalition). He also regularly appears as a speaker and panelist at leading conferences, including Global Wellness Summit, ITB – Asia, IWC – India and WSWC Asia and London.
Tracey Woodward
Having worked within the Beauty Industry for over 30 years, Tracey Woodward has a wealth of spa, retail and beauty experience. She is a highly respected, experienced leader with a demonstrated history of working in the cosmetics and wellbeing industries; skilled in leadership, marketing management, retail, sales, spa and product development – an inspiring and motivational leader. She launched Donna Karan’s beauty division, and worked for reputable companies, such as Aveda, Urban Retreat, and eventually headed up Aromatherapy Associates and Refinery as CEO. Today, she sits on several boards as an advisory director, including the Executive Board of CEW (UK) – leading the conversation in beauty, addressing topics that are shaping the future of the industry and providing leadership and development resources to help move members forward in their careers.
Andrea Oschetti
As the founder of travel company Blueflower, Andrea Oschetti offers life-enriching journeys to the most exciting destinations on Earth. In 2006 he left a successful corporate career to follow his passion and founded Cuore Private Kitchen, consistently reviewed as providing one of the ultimate dining experiences in Hong Kong. He got a second postgraduate degree in Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and he became a senior travel journalist and award-winning photographer working with the likes of CNN, South China Morning Post, etc. He is now pursuing his dream of leading a travel company (Blueflower) that redefines holidays by innovating customer travel experiences through knowledge, imagination and care.
Erina Pindar
Raised traveling the globe, Erina Pindar approaches travel design with an enthusiasm for discovering the best new places before you’ve even heard of them. Her role as the Managing Director of SmartFlyer is rooted in a decade of experience encompassing branding, marketing and an innate understanding of luxury. Pindar’s vision for the holistic client experience drives not only her hands-on approach overseeing custom itinerary design for the agency’s top-level clients, but also the growth of SmartFlyer through strategic partnerships.
Kathryn Moore
An industry expert with more than 15 years of extensive knowledge of spa business, Kathryn Moore is extremely successful at negotiating complex commercial arrangements and conception and implementation of operating frameworks, standards and training programs. During her time with MSpa, Moore identified gaps in the industry and later formed Spa Connectors to address these, offering exclusive training programs, recruitment and business solutions. Moore is also the executive director of GCC’s leading B2B platform, Professional Beauty GCC.
Gerry Bodeker
A Harvard-trained public health academic, Gerry Bodeker researches and advises on integrative medicine and wellness. He has researched and taught in medical sciences at Oxford University for two decades, is adjunct professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, and works with the private sector, governments and the UN advising on culturally-themed wellness strategies. He has specialized in Asian traditions of medicine and healthy lifestyles, including the study of Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda. He has published widely, including the following books: The World Health Organization Global Atlas of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Public Health and Policy Perspectives on Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine; Understanding the Global Spa Industry; and Mental Wellness: Pathways, Evidence and Horizons. Gerry currently serves as chair of the Mental Wellness Initiative of the Global Wellness Institute and chairman of the Oxford-based Global Initiative For Traditional Systems of Health (GIFTS of Health).
Catharine Nicol
A journalist specializing in travel and wellness, Catharine Nicol has spent the last 22 years exploring retreats, resorts, hotels, spas and yoga studios in Asia and the world from her base in Hong Kong. She freelances for a regular stable of print and online publications, curates her wellbeing experiences on Spas + Beyond, occasionally speaks at wellness conferences and teaches yoga on the side.
Johnny Chang
Founder and CEO of Spa Solutions Shanghai, Johnny Chang is a popular strategist and has more than 25 years of experience in international hotel spas and imported spa product brands, successful branding and development experience in China. He acts as a bridge of East and West, offering all-round spa and product brand strategic business plans, development success consultancy and most in-need training services to turn his clients’ passion into reality.
Lucy Jackson Walsh
COO of international tour operator Lightfoot Travel, which organizes tailor-made holidays, Lucy Jackson Walsh established Lightfoot Travel a decade ago, having worked in London in both business development and organizing private customized trips for high-net-worth individuals. Jackson is a veritable travel professional with 15 years of experience in the industry and is frequently asked for industry insights, sits on panels, and speaks at various global events.
Parineeta Sethi
Having started AsiaSpa India 16 years ago, Parineeta Sethi created a wellness revolution in India when the concept of spa and wellness was at a nascent stage. After 15 years, she launched her own magazine Global Spa in 2019, which in less than one year has become the no. 1 wellness lifestyle magazine in the country. Her company Pinnacle Connect, which also publishes luxury magazine PEAKLIFE and MillionaireAsia India, has grown into one of India’s major luxury magazine companies. Furthermore, she recently launched WellnessMatters, a go-to site and e-commerce platform for all things wellness, be it wellness holidays across the world, spa and beauty products, wellness attire or food.
