TONY FERNANDES, Group CEO, AirAsia
“Transforming the Way People Fly”

Prior to holding the Group Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia position, Fernandes has held various key financial and managing director positions in Virgin Communications and Warner Music, spanning from the United Kingdom, to Malaysia, and to South East Asia. The last position he had prior to joining Air Asia was as VP at Warner Music South East Asia.
Fernandes was active in developing the Malaysian music industry and numerous recognitions from the industry, the country, and the international circle. To date, he has received an impressive list of accolades for his accomplishments:

1. “Setia Mahkota Selangor” in 1999 from Seri Paduka Baginda Yang DiPertuan Agong, Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah,
2. “Recording Industry Person of the Year 1997” from the Recording Industry Association of Malaysia,
3. The International Herald Tribune Award for the Visionaries & Leadership Series in 2003 for his outstanding achievement with AirAsia,
4. "Malaysia CEO of the Year 2003" by American Express and the Business Times
5. The “Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year – Malaysia 2003” at the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in 2004
6. Business Week’s 25 Stars of Asia for 2004,
7. “Airline Business Strategy Award 2005 and Low Cost Leadership” by Airline Business
8. Asia Pacific Aviation Executive by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (“CAPA”) for the year 2004 and 2005,
9. Master Entrepreneur of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2006 Malaysia,
10. “The Brand Laureate” Brand Personality for his exemplary performance, dedication and contribution towards the aviation industry in Malaysia in 2006 and 2007,
11. Prestige Award from Macau Special Administrative Region in 2008,

He became an Associate Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 1991, and a Fellow Member in 1996, as well as of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) which is the largest professional accountancy body in Europe.

As a Group CEO for AirAsia, Fernandes is also a member of the Employee Share Option Scheme Committee of the Board.

In recognition for the services rendered to the betterment of the community and nation, Fernandes has been conferred the Dato’ titles twice in 2005 and 2007, under the Negeri Sembilan and Pahang.

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Douglas Khoo,
Founder & Director, OneXeno
“Marketing in the Attention Economy, Endless Quest of Understanding Your Consumer Needs”

Following his inner entrepreneurial streak, Khoo left the more traditional side of communication, having spent 15-year career with the WPP Group. He held senior positions in J Water Thompson, MindShare, and m-Digital, working in various markets in Asia.
Since then, there has been nothing traditional for Khoo. He founded several online businesses, Qunar.com where he formed partnerships with AtNext.com, Shawei.com, and OneXeno, in which he is the Director.

He sits on the boards of privately-held internet companies, and Asia Digital Marketing Association. To help entrepreneurs with their businesses, Khoo does mentorship on the Cradle Investment Programme run by MAVCAP and the Ministry of Finance, Malaysia.

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Nick Emery, Chief Strategy Officer, GroupM/MindShare Worldwide
“Death of Media Agency, Why It Is Good For Your Brand”

Emery is responsible for global client servicing, setting strategic direction and product development for the group.He has worked with a number of media owners, agencies and creative shops.

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Vishnu Mohan, Asia Pacific CEO, MPG
“Designing Impactful Media Campaign Measurement, Why Marketers Continue to Get It Wrong”

In an earlier incarnation as an offshore oil engineer out of India, Mohan developed an ability to quickly get to the core of problems.
Coupled with a liking for media (and The Times crossword), he made it look easy to juggle two roles throughout his career; sometimes media and account, at other times planning and new businesses.
In Euro RSCG Partnership Singapore, he raised the media department to a new level of proactive functioning, while working as a strategic planner.
Again, in MPG, the media arm of Havas, he successfully put 26 operations across 18 cities on its Asia Pacific network map by early 2007, as he consolidated its existing businesses.

As CEO for Havas Media Asia Pacific, his direct reports include cross-disciplinary functions from traditional, digital, to sports marketing.

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Tim Balbirnie, CEO South Asia, Synovate
“Measuring Effectiveness: Does Return on Involvement and Return on Investment Ever Match?”

Balbirnie is responsible for Synovate’s vision, strategic direction and the overall operations across South Asia.
His career spanned over 25 years, the last 20 being in Asia. Stints include Survey Hong Kong Ltd, Frank Small Associates in Hong Kong, and finally Asia Market Intelligence before it became Synovate.
As a recognised expert in his field, Balbirnie presents research papers in conferences, featured in various publications across the region, and a member of several research organizations including Market Research Society, United Kingdom.

Born in Thailand, brought up in Kenya, studied in Ireland and worked in England and Asia, Balbirnie embodies Synovate’s philosophy of embracing a world with no boundaries.

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Mark Holden,
Managing Director, PHD Australia
"Media Owner 3.0 - How Advancements in Technology are Going to Create New Media Opportunities for Media Owners"

Holden is tasked with launching PHD Australia, having been part of a team that reinvented PHD in the United Kingdom.
In the UK, he ran the Strategy Group for the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, as lead consultant on a landmark project relating to the future of advertising.
Quick to know what works in media, he won six media effectiveness awards shortly after he joined OMD, and within 18 months of taking up a position in Rocket, a subsidiary planning agency of PHD.

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Kentaro Kimura, Co-CEO, Creative Director, & Account Planner Hakuhodo KETTLE, Inc, Japan
“How to Boil the World? Bringing the Moment in Media.”

Kimura first joined Hakuhodo in 1992, starting as strategic planner, and later expanding himself to product, creative, media, and even content development.
In 2006, he established Hakuhodo Kettle, a creative agency that plans and implements innovative campaigns, in which he continued to set the world on fire with his works.

As an Account Planner, Kimura’s list of recognitions included 2001 Grand Trophy and 2007 Gold for Advertising Marketing Effectiveness at the New York Festival. He also received Gold at Asia Pacific Advertising Festival, SPIKES, New York ADC, and CLIO as a Creative Director. He was a member of jury for the Promo Lion at Cannes International Advertising Festival in 2007.

When off work, Kimura fills his hours with backpacking, yoga, composing music, creating videos, camping. His love of travel takes him to more than 30 countries around the world.

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Prashun Dutt, Director-Consultant: Marketing, Strategy & Communications for UTUSAN Newspapers and Magazines and The Sun (Nexnews)
“Increasing Value in Hypercompetitive Markets - Dynamic Insights for Media Owners”

Dutt has over 27 years of wide and extensive experiences within global media networks such as MTV Asia Pacific, CNBC Asia Pacific, the Global Edition of Forbes Magazine and Fortune, and the Times Publishing Group.
His career started in leading agencies such as J Walter Thompson, McCann-Erickson, Ogilvy & Mather and Bozell.
To date, Dutt has developed various strategies, tools and techniques in the field of marketing, branding, advertising and communication, audience insights and measurements.

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Keith Bellows, Editor-in-Chief, National Geographic Traveler
“Transforming from Single Media to Multimedia: National Geographic Story”

Under Keith Bellows, National Geographic Traveler was nominated for a 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence.
Bellows carries vast and varied experiences in the media and publishing world as writer, editor, developer, producer, and commentator in leading media as Sports Illustrated, Disney, ESPN, Reader’s Digest, AARP The Magazine, Washingtonian, Parenting, and many others.
He previously ran his own companies, the Media Development Group and WestWorld Media.
A board member of Dartmouth’s alumni magazine and former board member of the American Society of Magazine Editors, he speaks extensively at home and abroad, has appeared on television more than 100 times, and teaches photography workshops and writing seminars around the country.
Bellows is the author of “The Canuck Book” and the 1998 Winter Olympics ACCESS Guide for ABC-TV.

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Deby Sadrach, Home & Personal Care Director, Unilever Indonesia
“Lifebuoy ‘Hand Washing’ Campaign, Single Idea, Unique Execution Across Country”

Joining Unilever Indonesia in 1988, Sadrach rose to her current position, having held previous roles as Personal Care Director, General Manager Marketing Services, and Marketing Controller for one of Unilever’s large divisions.
A dentist by education, Sadrach is a marketer by profession. She spent a good part of her career, leading brands within the oral and hair categories in Unilever, whether at the local, regional or international level.

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Ian Stewart, Senior VP, MTV Networks Asia
“MTV Rock The Vote, Building A Critical Youth Nation”

From Australia, Stewart came to Asia after university in 1990, and never went home.
His journey in Asia traverses from research agency, to marketing company (The Coca-Cola Company), to media (MTV Asia), to advertising agency (Ogilvy), and even starting his own Youth Marketing agency (Filter), which was acquired by Aegis in 2005.

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Peter Tortorici,
President, GroupM Entertainment
“Immersing Entertainment and Advertising in a Different Communication Platform in Different Country”

Peter Tortorici is one of the most respected television executive in the entertainment world, producing Emmy Award winning show 3rd Rock from the Sun with Carsey-Werner Company, and developing other Emmy Award winning series, Murphy Brown and Chicago Hope, in CBS Entertainment.
He was part of a team, which ushered CBS Entertainment to a number one position in primetime, daytime and late night schedules for three consecutive seasons during 1991 to 1994.
Other experiences include Telemundo Network, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Columbia TriStar Television.
In his current role, Tortorici provides global leadership in content initiatives for MindShare Entertainment, a group he founded in 2003.

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Barney Loehnis,
Asia Pacific Director, Isobar
“Embracing Digital as an Impactful Consumer Engagement Medium: Making it Work Across Asia Pacific”

Loehnis is responsible for driving Isobar’s global and regional digital network, comprising over 300 digital experts in 14 agencies in Asia Pacific.
Championing the work to evangelize the integration of digital media within offline media and marketing mix, he was able to hail over US$100m worth of media exposure out of his CRM strategy in Warner Bros.
His early works include launching WHSmith’s eCommerce shops, leading a mobile city guide service for Citikey, and launching thousands of portals, large entertainment sites, online marketing and promotion for films and TV shows across Europe, in Warner Bros.

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Kotaro Sugiyama,
Senior Executive Officer, Dentsu Japan
“Active Engagement, Understanding Consumer Mobile Behavior for an Effective Mobile Marketing Campaign”

Sugiyama is a leading figure in Dentsu’s new and innovative communication-related businesses. His unique ability is manifested in his creative works in both in traditional and interactive media.
Passionate in pursue of combining these media, Sugiyama brings Dentsu to become leader in providing advanced integrated communication solutions for clients.
An internationally renowned creative, Sugiyama served as a jury member at the Cannes International Advertising Festival and Cyber Lion, and featured in an English periodical, Campaign.
In Japan, he has been the Chairman of Tokyo Interactive Ad Award since 2003.

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Pushkar Sane,
General Manager Asia, Starcom IP, Starcom MediaVest Group
“Utilizing the Power of In-Game Advertising in Asia Pacific”

Sane is responsible for driving business and providing overall leadership guidance to Starcom IP operations across Asia.

A strong believer in integration, Sane has played different roles within the communication businesses from account management, strategy, digital, CRM, data analytics, technology, to media function. He possesses strong understanding from electronics to consumer goods categories out of working with clients for FCB (now DRAFTFCB) and Euro RSCG Worldwide, across the Indian and Hong Kong markets.

An active contributor to the digital market initiatives, Sane regularly speaks the digital market events, and serves as a Direct Committee for the HK4As, Advisory Board and as a panel of judge for ad:Tech.

It is his passionate, imaginative, experimenting, risk-taking character, and love of technology that have been instrumental in enabling him to face challenges in the last decade.

Sane earned his BSc in Physics, Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Applications from MS University of Baroda, India, and Post Graduate Diploma in Advertising & Communications Management from NMIMS Mumbai (India).

Sane loves gadgets, photography, traveling, playing chess, tennis and squash. He now lives in Hong Kong with his wife, Bashuli.

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Ian Gee,
Brand Planning Strategist, Initiative Media
“Making Your Consumer as Your Best Ally, Media Agency Role in Creating Brand Relevance”

Ian has been in the advertising business for over thirty years.
A master of reinvention, he is now on his fourth career in the industry. He was originally trained as a graphic designer, but has since been an art director, an account director, an account planner, and now he works in media.
English by birth, Ian worked for ten years in several major London agencies before moving to Australia in the early ‘80s. He spent most of the last 25 years working in agencies Down Under.
He was in China for three years in the ‘90s as Planning Director of Saatchi & Saatchi, then China’s largest advertising agency, before returning to Australia for five years as Planning Director of JWT in Melbourne.

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Scott Thomson, Global Head of Evaluation, Naked Communication
“Understanding the Power of Media, the Power of Innovative Execution that Deliver Impactful Engagement”

As Global Head of Evaluation, Thomson leads in developing approaches to evaluation, recently launching dedicated unit Naked Numbers for clients in the United States, Europe and Asia Pacific.
He spent early years of his career, building Nielsen’s media, consumer and retail products in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, before moving to Asia and ending up in Starcom Mediavest.

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Gavin Mehrotra, International Media Director, The Coca-Cola Company
"Prospering in the new avatar of media: why marketers must work with their communication partners earlier and closer"

A seasoned media professional with a passion for integrated marketing communications and the advertising world, Mehrotra’s career began in McCann-Erickson and Ogilvy, in various countries around the Middle Eastern and South East Asian countries, and Australia.
He has since crossed over to the client side, Nando’s in New Zealand, before turning up in The Coca-Cola Company, until today.

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