Soma is a managing director at J.P. Morgan Private Bank in London and heads the Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities (FICC) team for the EMEA region. His team offers a broad range of investment solutions to meet the needs of private bank clients. Soma is also responsible for the FICC Investment Management platform in the private bank to deliver a full spectrum of managed investments using both internal and external investment managers.
Soma has broad investment advisory, sales and, trading management, and new business development experience. He joined J.P. Morgan in 2009. Before that, he was a Managing Director with Citigroup in New York and headed a multi asset structured products team and advised clients on portfolio strategies and risk management. Prior to joining Citigroup, Soma worked with HSBC (Republic Bank) in New York and Mellon Bank in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in various trading positions in foreign exchange, taxable fixed income and derivatives.
Soma is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder and a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts (NYSSA). Soma holds a MBA degree from the Carnegie Mellon University and a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh.
Soma has been a guest speaker at various seminars organized by groups such as the Structured Products Association and SRP and has spoken on topics such as “Managing portfolio risk using structured investments,” and “International portfolio diversification.”
Kara Change Management specialises in bringing practical support to blue-chip organisations in Banking, FMCG, Motor, Retail, Telcos/IT, Travel and others. For the past 12 years, Kara has developed a track record of no-nonsense expertise in managing change – with objectivity, empathy and sensitivity to human issues. The work ranges from…
1. Auditing and Troubleshooting for problems and solutions
2. Practical Support in managing change
3. Training Programmes to develop skills
Kara’s founder and Managing Director Alan O’Neill mba gained his front line management experience initially in retail (as owner / manager). He currently holds directorships in distribution companies in the Homewares Industry and in the Hair and Beauty Industry.
Alan brings expertise, real empathy and objectivity to all projects. He has a reputation for being very practical and has a talent for balancing great commercial awareness with real concern for organisational and human challenges. Since 1991, he has been lead consultant for many large culture change projects in Ireland, UK, Germany and Middle East. His expertise ranges from supporting and challenging Exec Teams at board level to develop strategy – to facilitating teams to ensure smooth implementation. Using a mix of well tested business models and practical experience, he is skilful at steering a successful path through the inevitable obstacles and achieving measurable results.
When leading training programmes, Alan tailors content to match business needs. Workshops are highly interactive and care is taken to ensure that newly acquired skills are transferred to real life and daily behaviours. With his personable style, he relates equally well to board members as he does to the front line – ensuring individuals maximize their full potential to the benefit of the business.
Mr. Reda Metwally was appointed to the position of Vice president, responsible for the operation of the Egypt Air duty free shops in April 2010.
A career executive in Egypt Air since 1985, Reda started out in the finance division of the airline company. He was appointed Financial Manager – United Kingdom in 1995 and continued in this role until 1999 when he continued his financial career in Cairo.
During the period from 2006 until 2008 Reda was involved in the exciting activities of creating the new internal airline – Egypt Air Express. He was appointed to the board of directors and acted as a project team member as well as the Financial Manager of this new company. In October 2008 Mr. Metwally transferred to Egypt Air Tourism & Duty Free Shops Company as Financial Manager, where he contributed to the hectic programme of shop redevelopments.
In his new role as Vice president, Reda is working to improve efficiencies inside the company. He is delighted to see that in October 2010, the company achieved its best ever monthly sales of $17.6 million.
ADAC is the owner and operator of Abu Dhabi Emirate Airports. Primarily comprised of Abu Dhabi International Airport, Al Ain International Airport and Al Bateen Airport, ADAC also operates a number of smaller airfields in the Emirate.
Michael’s previous experience covers a multitude of infrastructure disciplines including, Power, Rail, Roads, Waste Treatment and other reconstruction projects in environments as hostile as Iraq. It is in the area of Aviation where he has gained most of his experience, specifically working for Bechtel on the redevelopment of Curacao International Airport and New Doha International Airport.
Following exposure in the development and construction side of Aviation he moved to Mumbai International Airport following privatization of India’s 4 key airports. During his tenure the previously manually operated airport deployed a campus converged network solution, AODB and new FIDS solution, ERP solution and campus VoIP solution. Michael also project managed the International Terminal redevelopment from an IT perspective and turned IT into a revenue generator contributing back to MIAL’s bottom line.
Former Virgin Blue Airlines commercial chief, David Huttner, joined Nyras Ltd. London as Senior Vice in April 2010 integrationg Planely Spoken, an aviation and tourism consultancy he founded into Nyras.
David had previously spent nine years with the Virgin Group, initially with Virgin Express in Europe and latterly with Virgin Blue in Australia where he was part of the launch team.
After graduating from Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, in 1988, he began working life in the maritime and fuel industries, serving with a number of major companies in the US and the UAE. David joined Virgin Express in Brussels in 1996 as an MBA intern (gaining his degree at INSEAD in France) and rose through various positions to become Deputy Director of Sales & Marketing.
In 2000, he was appointed Head of Commercial for Virgin Blue, becoming one of the three founding officers of the Virgin Group’s new Australian venture. He went on to lead strategy and communications and, subsequently, international development for the carrier.
David has undertaken business consultancy projects for a range of major aviation industry clients, including various airlines, Navitaire, Macquarie Airports, Jersey Airports, Virgin Group and Oman Airports. He has also been commissioned to work on aviation issues for the IFC (World Bank Group). He also previously served on the Board of Directors of Vueling Airlines in Barcelona.
Mr. Amr El-Ezabi was appointed Chairman of the Egyptian Tourist Authority on April 1st, 2007. He has a wealth of experience in the travel and tourism sector spanning over two decades in various leading industry roles.
Prior to that, El-Ezabi was Assistant Minister of Tourism, where he played a key role in representing the ministry in international tourism forums and exhibitions. He worked closely with the Minister on external marketing campaigns and activities conducted by Egyptian Tourist Offices.
His past positions within the ministry took him across the globe especially as Tourist Attaché in Paris, The Tourist Attaché at the Egyptian Tourist Office in Spain and The Tourist Counselor at Egyptian Tourist Office in Montreal.
Mr. El-Ezabi was born in Egypt in 1960. He holds a Master Degree in Sociology from the Sorbonne University in France, a Diploma of Modern French Literature from Paris University, and a Bachelor Degree in Science from Cairo University. He has a Tourist Guidance license from Egyptian Ministry of Tourism. He is fluent in Arabic, French, English and Spanish.
Ms. Cassotis is a specialist in high-level strategy for decision making at airports, air service development, commercial planning, public outreach and communications. She is an experienced project manager, conducting and overseeing strategic and contingency planning, airport marketing and route and profitability analysis projects for airports, private sector clients and government agencies around the world.
In the current economic environment, Ms. Cassotis is focusing her team on revenue generation for airports and systems of airports worldwide. She is currently working with several major US and European airports to enhance their commercial pre-marketing strategies.
She has been a member of the SH&E Airport Services team since leaving Logan International Airport 12 years ago. At Logan International Airport, Ms. Cassotis was responsible for the public outreach, internal and external communications and strategic planning for the Airside Improvements Planning Project and Logan Modernization.
She is currently a member of ACI’s Commercial Management Committee Trends Working Group. She holds her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Massachusetts.
From its offices in London, Boston, New York and Chicago, SH&E provides trusted advice to airport executives and investors worldwide in the areas of commercial planning, air service development, forecasting, revenue enhancement, cargo marketing and operations, safety and security, environmental and climate change, system planning and economic impact analysis, and privatization.
Michael Cashin was appointed to the position of Project Director – Egypt Air Duty Shops Consultancy in February 2005 to lead the consultancy in its seven year contract. In this period Egypt Air has seen considerable growth and development with sales rising from $50 million to $165 million since then. Further considerable growth is anticipated.
Michael joined the Aer Rianta International parent company, Aer Rianta – Dublin Airport in 1967. He was a project team member in setting up the Dubai Duty Free Shop in 1983 where he gained his first experience in the travel retail business. In 1988, he transferred to Moscow as Director Finance and project team member in setting up Moscow Duty Free. Over the following ten years he set up and managed a number of companies in Russia & Ukraine before heading to Karachi in Pakistan. In 1999 Michael returned to financial matters joining a consultancy team assisting the development of Sofia Airport, Bulgaria. Since 2005 he has worked in Egypt.
Michael is married with two grown daughters.
Michael Barrett started his career in 1995 as a journalist at European news channel Euronews in Lyon before joining the network’s marketing department. Since then he has worked in both media and new media, as well as for an international NGO, specialising in fundraising, marketing and communications.
Michael joined TFWA as Conference & Research Manager in 2006, taking on responsibility for the organisation of the TFWA World Exhibition and TFWA Asia Pacific conferences in Cannes and Singapore as well as the annual MEADFA conference and the inaugural China’s Century Conference held in Beijing in March 2013. Following his relocation to India in July 2010, he was appointed Executive Officer for the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA).
Michael is also Director of Fairetail CRM, a marketing agency he set up in 2011, which provides consumer communication solutions for NGOs, charities and social enterprises. The company operates the solidarity travel and tourism website Soulcialtravel.com.
Dermot Davitt is one of the most experienced editors and commentators working in the travel retail media.
He joined The Moodie Report in April 2006 as Deputy Publisher, becoming President (and Co-owner) of The Moodie Davitt Report from August 2015. The company is today part of UK-based publishing and events business Mark Allen Group.
Davitt plays a key management role across the company’s operations, from its flourishing Print Division to the industry’s leading business intelligence website, www.MoodieDavittReport.com, The Moodie Davitt e-Zine and other titles.
Based in Galway, Ireland, Dermot is also a highly experienced conference moderator. He has chaired and moderated many of the travel retail industry’s leading events over the years, including The Trinity Forum, the Airport Food & Beverage Conference & Awards, the MEADFA Conference, the TFWA Asia Pacific Conference, the Nordic Travel Retail Seminar and many others.
