Liz Ortiguera
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
Liz Ortiguera is a senior executive with over 25 years of global experience and expertise in general management, marketing, business development, and partner network management. Liz is passionate about innovation, business transformation, and community building. Her career spans several industries – travel/lifestyle, technology, financial services, and pharmaceuticals. She has experience in working at both multinational corporations including American Express and Merck and start-up environments in software as a service (SaaS), e-commerce, and ed-tech. For 10 years she was the General Manager for Amex’s Travel Partner Network in Asia-Pacific, managing partnerships with top travel management companies, MICE, and leisure agencies in the region. She is able to adeptly work across cultures and business environments to catalyse opportunities and drive growth.
In her personal life, she has been a continual advocate for poverty eradication programmes and education initiatives across the region. Liz is an alumna of the Stanford University Graduate Business School, Columbia University Business School, New York University, and The Cooper Union in New York.
In her personal life, she has been a continual advocate for poverty eradication programmes and education initiatives across the region. Liz is an alumna of the Stanford University Graduate Business School, Columbia University Business School, New York University, and The Cooper Union in New York.
Chris hails from the Kingdom of Tonga and is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), a position he has occupied since 2016.
Having previously worked for a number of regional organizations including The Pacific Community (SPC), Pacific Cooperation Foundation (PCF), Pacific Trade & Invest (PT&I) and World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) – Pacific, Chris has extensive experience in tourism and strengthening trade and investment opportunities in the Pacific.
As a proud Pacific Islander, Chris is a passionate advocate of sustainable tourism development in the region.
Having previously worked for a number of regional organizations including The Pacific Community (SPC), Pacific Cooperation Foundation (PCF), Pacific Trade & Invest (PT&I) and World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) – Pacific, Chris has extensive experience in tourism and strengthening trade and investment opportunities in the Pacific.
As a proud Pacific Islander, Chris is a passionate advocate of sustainable tourism development in the region.
Christopher Cocker
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO)
Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO)
Brent Hill
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Tourism Fiji
Tourism Fiji
Brent Hill is the CEO of Tourism Fiji, a role he took on in mid-2021. Prior to this, Brent had an extensive career leading large global marketing teams across the telecommunications, retail, and finance industries, before working with the South Australian Tourism Commission for 6 years as the Executive Director of Marketing. Brent is an award-winning marketer, featuring 3 times in the CMO50 top 50 marketers in Australia. In July 2021, Brent moved to Fiji and has helped steer Fiji through the challenges of the COVID pandemic to once again reopen their borders to tourists in late 2021, in the process developing the globally recognised CareFiji Commitment, and the successful Open for Happiness marketing campaign.
A marketing, digital and eCommerce professional with over 10 years of delivering sustainable and scalable growth across a broad range of sales, marketing and digital functions for different companies and brands including high-tempo brands – Fiji Airways, the Fiji Government, and the University of the South Pacific.
Akuila is part of the Executive Leadership team at Fiji Airways reporting to the Managing Director & CEO. He is currently the Executive Manager Digital Channels & Tourism Partnerships, a position he has held since July 2020. His role includes the management of Fiji Airways Holidays. From January 2020 to June 2020, Akuila was the General Manager Fiji Airways Holidays.
Akuila has extensive experience in tourism including a 3-year stint with Global BedBank the leading hotel room inventory and hotel technology company in the Pacific.
Akuila is part of the Executive Leadership team at Fiji Airways reporting to the Managing Director & CEO. He is currently the Executive Manager Digital Channels & Tourism Partnerships, a position he has held since July 2020. His role includes the management of Fiji Airways Holidays. From January 2020 to June 2020, Akuila was the General Manager Fiji Airways Holidays.
Akuila has extensive experience in tourism including a 3-year stint with Global BedBank the leading hotel room inventory and hotel technology company in the Pacific.
Akuila Batiweti
EXECUTIVE MANAGER DIGITAL CHANNERS & TOURISM PARTNERSHIPS
Fiji Airways
Fiji Airways
Sharron Beck
BOARD SECRETARY
South Pacific Sailing Network (SPSN)
South Pacific Sailing Network (SPSN)
Sharron Beck, a yacht marina manager from New Zealand, and member of the South Pacific Sailing Network “SPSN”. Sharron works day to day with international arrival bookings and general on water yacht and crew management. When she isn’t working with sailing, she is racing small boats or before Covid 19 travelling to sailing destinations crewing and promoting the South Pacific sailing region.
Rizvi is a Digital Services Specialist with over 20 years of progressive Telecom’s experience in the Asia Pacific and South Pacific region. He was Head of Digital Care for one of Asia’s largest Quad Telco players – Dialog Axiata under the Axiata Group Berhad, and in 2016 headed Vodafone Fiji’s Digital Services up until 2021. During his tenure, he led the company to many awards and recognitions, the most prestigious being the top award for ‘Best Mobile Solution’ for the Dialog Selfcare Application Suite at the GSMA Awards in Barcelona 2014.
Rizvi was the mastermind behind VitiKart – The Amazon of Fiji and South Pacific.
He is the founder of Bee Digital which has gone into a partnership with Travizory Switzerland to provide the world’s first biometric API/PNR system for Health Travel Authorization and Border Security.
Rizvi was the mastermind behind VitiKart – The Amazon of Fiji and South Pacific.
He is the founder of Bee Digital which has gone into a partnership with Travizory Switzerland to provide the world’s first biometric API/PNR system for Health Travel Authorization and Border Security.
Rizvi Amith
FOUNDER/ CEO
Bee Digital in Partnership with Travisory Switzerland
Bee Digital in Partnership with Travisory Switzerland
Sara Currie
Tourism Specialist
Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI)
Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI)
Sara Currie is the Tourism Specialist for the Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI), an ADB technical assistance facility undertaken in partnership with the governments of Australia and New Zealand. She designed the PSDI tourism work program, which is focused on supporting tourism data and evidence-based planning, improving access to finance, enabling inclusive private sector-led tourism, and building crisis planning and resilience. Sara recently published tourism snapshots of ADBs 14 Pacific member countries and a regional tourism assessment: Looking Forward: Evaluating the challenges for Pacific tourism after COVID-19.
Prior to joining PSDI, Sara consulted for the World Bank, USAID, Timor-Leste’s Office of the President and Ministry of Tourism, and government institutions in Australia. She has lectured in the Masters of Tourism at Monash University, is an Adjunct Research Fellow at Swinburne University and sits on the Board of the Balibo House Trust.
Prior to joining PSDI, Sara consulted for the World Bank, USAID, Timor-Leste’s Office of the President and Ministry of Tourism, and government institutions in Australia. She has lectured in the Masters of Tourism at Monash University, is an Adjunct Research Fellow at Swinburne University and sits on the Board of the Balibo House Trust.
Jennifer Bartlett is an economic development and sustainable tourism advisor with more than 25 year experience working for a range of government, private sector, development agency and NGO clients.
She has worked in 25 countries around the world, including several Pacific Islands countries. Her experience in the tourism sector covers key themes including: sustainable destination development; product and niche experience development; policy and planning; natural and cultural heritage; tourism value chains; MSME/entrepreneurship; business enabling environment; investment generation; infrastructure planning; market research; marketing and distribution; institutional strengthening; workforce development and training; and post-disaster recovery.
Jennifer is currently working with the ADB’s Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI) on a Reopening Framework for SPTO, as well as the World Bank’s ‘Future of Pacific Tourism’ study and Tonga Tourism Recovery project. She is an advisor to Strongim Bisnis in Solomon Islands and Business Link Pacific, and earlier this year completed projects for Sustainable Travel International in Palau.
She has worked in 25 countries around the world, including several Pacific Islands countries. Her experience in the tourism sector covers key themes including: sustainable destination development; product and niche experience development; policy and planning; natural and cultural heritage; tourism value chains; MSME/entrepreneurship; business enabling environment; investment generation; infrastructure planning; market research; marketing and distribution; institutional strengthening; workforce development and training; and post-disaster recovery.
Jennifer is currently working with the ADB’s Private Sector Development Initiative (PSDI) on a Reopening Framework for SPTO, as well as the World Bank’s ‘Future of Pacific Tourism’ study and Tonga Tourism Recovery project. She is an advisor to Strongim Bisnis in Solomon Islands and Business Link Pacific, and earlier this year completed projects for Sustainable Travel International in Palau.
Jennifer Bartlett
Economic Development and Sustainable Tourism