Massimo Pigliucci is an author, blogger, podcaster, as well as the K.D. Irani Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York. His academic work is in evolutionary biology, philosophy of science, the nature of pseudoscience, and practical philosophy. His books include How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life (Basic Books) and Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk (University of Chicago Press). His forthcoming book is The Quest for Character: What the Story of Socrates and Alcibiades Teaches Us about Our Search for Good Leaders (Basic Books). More by Massimo at philosophyasawayoflife.blog/.

Mark Weingard is a self-made serial entrepreneur and investor. He was a pioneer in the world of fintech and sold his company Reset to ICAP in 2008.  The company has since been sold to S&P Global and the CME and is now named Osstra.
In 1999 Mark and his partner Annika founded Hotel IQ, a mystery shopping company that rated hotels service levels. Mark was always fascinated by hotels and created the original template for the survey.  The company was the main service supplier for Hyatt, Pan Pacific, Six Senses and Mövenpick. Mark moved away from the business in 2012 to focus on his other activities.
Mark has since turned his hand to the world of hospitality and real estate.  He has created the Iniala brand which is famed for its prestigious, multi-awarded hotels in Thailand and Malta.  Iniala has also recently launched its first Villa project in the prestigious Pedralbes district of Barcelona.
Mark is also the founder of the Inspirasia Foundation.  The Foundation was set up in 2003 after Mark’s fiancée was killed in the Bali bombing.  The foundation has since given over US$ 15 million to charitable causes. Its Annika Linden Centre in Denpasar is a leading hub for NGOs focused on disability on the island.  Mark has additionally set up the Academy of Givers in Malta, a members’ organisation that promotes philanthropy and corporate social responsibility.  Mark also created the Malta Social Impact awards, and a TV programme called Changemakers that promotes charitable investment in sustainable projects.
He holds a 1st class honours degree in Economics and Statistics from the University of London.

Piyanuch Thamchariyawat has been a lead designer with EDG for over 15 years, and she has created strategic and award-winning concepts and projects throughout the world. As Principal and Senior Creative Director for EDG Asia, Piya transforms concepts into inspired guest experiences. A gifted artist, designer, and illustrator in her own right, she guides our design teams in the development of new concepts and creative solutions that break the mold. Innovation is her second nature.

Leading DesignLab’s Interior Design team, Virginie has 17 years of experience working in diverse locations through Europe and Asia for studios including Kengo Kuma and Denniston International. During her career she has worked on very different kind of projects but her passion for travel and the discovery of new cultures led her to specialize in hospitality. In 2015 she co-founded DesignLab, an architecture and interior design firm specialized in hospitality. Today the firm works for famous brands such as Aman, Accor, Hyatt group, IHG etc… in Vietnam and overseas.

David Hodkinson is the Co-Founder and Design Director of Studio Noor, a leading architecture and design studio with a focus on hospitality projects, based in Ho Chi Minh City and Athens.

Born in 1977, David studied Architecture at Oxford Brooks University in England and received his Master’s in Architecture and Interior Design from the Royal College of Art in London. After working at Glen Howells Architects, he was hired by design-led practice, ArchitecturePLB.

David’s desire to establish his own architecture and design studio brought him to Vietnam, where he met Luc Lejeune and set up Noor in 2003.

At Noor, David takes the lead on significant hospitality projects for high profile operators including Azerai, Marriott, Accor and Hilton as well as a number of luxury residential properties.

David is currently working on the studio’s latest commissions: Phase 2 Azerai Ke Ga Bay, Vietnam, renovation of Le Meridien Saigon, Furaveri Resort, Maldives, renovation of the Furama Danang, along with a new resort in the Maldives.

David is a dedicated, passionate architect who brings a fresh design eye to each project. His ongoing interest is to explore new materials, methods of design and building, along with a focus on high-end contemporary design. David leads a team of 10 architects and interior designers from the studio’s headquarters in Ho Chi Minh City.

David is also a furniture designer and his pieces are sold internationally.

As Founder and Creative Partner, Clint Nagata’s passion for travel, hospitality and design is the inspiration behind BLINK Design Group’s vision. Born and raised in the Hawaiian island of Oahu in a Japanese American family, he has spent a lifetime imagining concepts, delivering smart and considered spaces, and wowing guests in some of the world’s most desirable destinations.

After 13 years with WATG in Honolulu, Clint relocated to Thailand 16 years ago. BLINK has since expanded its presence in Asia with studios in Singapore, Shanghai, Dubai and Portugal, and in 2017 acquired the Jaya Interior Design Business (JID). Clint spearheads a collective of bold thinkers with an open-minded approach that nourishes collaboration and creativity.

Under a guiding philosophy he has dubbed ‘placemaking’, Clint steers projects from conception through to completion based on big ideas rooted in a deep dive into the culture, people, and design vernacular of a place.

Mauro directs all Savills Hotels SE Asian operations. Alongside business development, his extensive industry expertise guides hotel investment and consultancy, feasibility studies, cash flow alongside market analyses, project consultancy and operator selection. Mauro is also highly competent with asset and development site valuation modelling.

Besides managing the development of Savills Hotels team, Mauro is an active member of the industry and founded WeHub Vietnam. The community platform hosts signature hospitality events like Meet The Experts, HoSkar Night and webinars. Mauro uses these platforms to share his expertise and support other industry professionals. Mauro is also known as a judge for the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards, the region’s most respected real estate award that celebrates the achievers in the world’s most dynamic markets.

Before revitalizing Savills APAC Hotels, Mauro was co-founder and Executive Director of Alternaty Real Estate which, within 5-years became Indochina’s leading hospitality consultancy. He has also headed up CBRE Vietnam Hotel Services after being their Senior Valuation and Advisory Manager. Prior to joining CBRE, Mauro worked with Ernst & Young.

David Kaye came to Vietnam to write a textbook with the Ministry of Education in 2011. Lots of online magazines were launching. Saigon’s largest, AnyArena, asked David to write for them. He was faced with a choice. Write textbooks or interview chefs, actors, and bartenders. He chose the latter.

Soon after the international media company Vietcetera recruited him to build the publication on solid editorial foundations as editor-in-chief. After almost two years, he left to join Wink Hotels as Brand Director, launching this new chain of hip, international-standard, made-in-Vietnam hotels and an online bilingual magazine, The Dot Magazine.

The brand launched with Wink Hotel Saigon Centre in the difficult days of the pandemic, in March 2021. With rave guest reviews, the second Wink is now open in Danang and the third one opens, also in the same city, in April. After that, there are 13 more Wink Hotels in the pipeline…at least.

In what little of his downtime is left, David also writes for Condé Nast and Drink Magazine Asia, and works on creative campaigns for Happiness Saigon.

Peter Cuong Franklin is a Vietnamese-American chef who studied at Le Cordon Bleu and trained at world- famous restaurants including Caprice in Hong Kong, Alinea in Chicago and Nahm in Bangkok. A pioneer of modern Vietnamese and Asian cuisine, he is a leading light and one of the most recognizable faces on the country’s dynamic gastronomic scene.

His true inspiration is his mother, who runs a small noodle shop in Dalat in central Vietnam and is famed for her prawn & pork turmeric noodle soup. At Anan Saigon, he combines his deep knowledge of Southeast Asian street-food flavors with contemporary international techniques. Chef Peter also helms Nhau Nhau cocktail bar and Pot Au Pho noodle bar, with all his restaurants – including Anan Saigon – located in Chợ Cũ, the oldest wet market in Ho Chi Minh’s city center.

He also works with local charities such as Saigon Children, Koto and Streets International, helping disadvantaged youth to gain experience and employment in the hospitality industry. He is also a mentor for the new generation of chefs and bartenders and served as a judge for Young Talents Escoffier Vietnam and World Class Vietnam. Chef Peter was recognized as Tatler Asia’s Most Influential Tastemakers of 2021.

Louis is the founder and CEO of Nomadic Resorts an award-winning architectural and landscape design office with offices in Mauritius, Rotterdam and Cape Town that delivers innovative, experiential hospitality projects across the planet since 2011.

Among their most recent work is Wild Coast Tented Lodge in Sri Lanka which was voted Global Gamechanger at the 2020 Ahead Awards. The company designs bespoke green building projects for various luxury hotel groups including Soneva, Banyan Tree, Playa Viva, Neom and Resplendent Ceylon.

Louis also founded Nomadic Escapes, a new outdoor hospitality management company focussed on, biophilic tented experiences; net zero carbon operations, re-wilding and regenerative landscaping. Their first camp Bamboo Mountain in Mauritius .

Following his hotel management studies in France, Louis was recruited by Six Senses Resorts and Spas in 2004 as a Permaculture consultant and became the group Director of Green Building and Sustainable Landscaping a role in which he helped develop the group’s ground-breaking Sustainability practices.

Throughout his career he has worked at the cutting edge of green building and landscaping projects including ‘Fresh in the Garden’ the pioneering Farm to Fork treetop restaurant at Soneva Fushi, the Treetop Dining Pod at Soneva Kiri and the innovative bamboo treehouses at Playa Viva.

As well as having a French BTS diploma in hotel marketing, he is LEED Accredited Professional, has a master’s in Environmental Architecture and Advanced Energy Studies from the University of London and followed Hospitality Design and Planning courses at Cornell-Nanyang in Singapore.