Jennifer Fox

Global Advisory Board Member, Bench Events

Until the sales of FRHI to Accor Hotels in 2017 Jennifer Fox was President, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and President, International for FRHI and oversaw the luxury brands global hotel portfolio in addition to being responsible for operations of the companies Raffles & Swissotel brands in all International markets outside of North America.  Jennifer joined the company in 2011 and has a strong background in operations, product and service strategy, global brand development, human resources, owner relations and development.

Jennifer brings has more than 25 years of experience in the luxury, resort and business segments of the hospitality industry. Prior to joining Fairmont, Jennifer spent 10 years at InterContinental Hotels Group, where she was Chief Operating Officer, Europe responsible for operations, financial performance, talent management and service delivery for all IHG brands of owned, managed and leased hotels across more than 20 countries spanning Europe, North Africa and Russia/CIS. While at IHG, Jennifer also served as SVP - Global Brand Management for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts where she was responsible for developing the new InterContinental Hotel brand positioning and the supporting employee engagement program, brand advertising and brand standards.

Previously, Jennifer spent 13 years at Starwood/Sheraton where she held several senior management roles including General Manager and Marketing positions and was the VP Global Brand Manager for the Sheraton brand.

Jennifer also brings extensive experience as a General Manager, having run some of the finest luxury hotels and resorts in the world including the InterContinental Hong Kong, which she rebranded from the Regent and the Orchid at Mauna Lani (now a Fairmont) which she rebranded from Ritz Carlton.

Jennifer has lived and worked in the United States, Asia, Europe, Canada and Australia during which time she has developed a global network of luxury associated and industry related contacts, including strong connections in the media and owner and investment communities.

Jennifer is a Non-Executive Director for Village Roadshow Ltd a publicly traded company in the movie, leisure and entertainment industry.  Jennifer is also a Non-Executive Director at Grace Belgravia a woman’s only health, wellbeing and lifestyle private members Club.

Jennifer holds a doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from the International School of Management in Paris, France, and an MBA from Baylor University, Texas USA

Valeriano Antonioli

Chief Executive Officer, Lungarno Collection

Valeriano Antonioli is Chief Executive Officer of Lungarno Collection, the hotel management company owned by the Ferragamo family. A 30-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Antonioli with creative and innovative flare, has reinvented traditional hotels and resorts into social destinations, fusing classic and modern indulgence throughout Italy, Germany, Russia, England and the U.S. His most recent success story was the creation of the Portrait Brand with awards-wining-hotels in Rome, Florence and soon in Milan (Italy). With the Portrait Brand he was able to transform uniform luxury in spontaneous personalization, filling an important gap in the luxury hotel industry. A true Renaissance man, Antonioli is a Taekwondo Black Belt, outdoor sports enthusiast, and author of Passione e Cucina (Eating, Drinking and Flirting) and The Joy of Discovery. Fluent in Italian, English and German he was honoured in the Italian Republic Legion of Honour as “Cavaliere della Repubblica Italiana” in 2007.

Marc Dardenne

Chief Operating Officer, Public Investment Fund – Amaala

Following graduation from the world-renowned Ecole Hoteliere De Lausanne in Switzerland, Marcembarked on a progressively rich career as hotelier in all reaches of the globe and is currently Chief Operating Officer of PIF’s Amaala Project based in Riyadh (KSA).

Marc is a passionate and relatable hotelier with well-rounded operational expertise having worked extensively with Grand Hyatt and Ritz-Carlton in Europe, Middle East and Asia and he is well recognized for a track record for creating operational excellence and financial returns. Emaar, the Middle East’s largest real estate company, approached Marc in 2008 to develop and launch a hospitality division.
During his tenure, he created a luxury five-star lifestyle brand named The Address Hotels and Resorts and he worked closely with Giorgio Armani on developing and opening two Armani Hotels in Dubai and Milan. He also led the expansion of the company’s leisure division which included spas, golf courses, a polo club and a yacht club. In 2011, Marc was recruited by Pontiac Land in Singapore which is owned by the Kwee family who is known for being amongst the largest owners of prime real estate in Singapore. Marc again led the creation of their own ultra-luxury hotel brand, Patina Hotels and Resorts and it included the pursuit of projects in Singapore, Shanghai, Maldives and Sydney. Marc was most recently Interim Chief Executive Officer and Group Chief Operating Officer of Dubai based Jumeirah Hotels and
Resorts, which owns four large hotels in Dubai including the world famous seven-star Burj Arab and
operates 20 hotels and resorts in Europe, Middle East and Asia.

Marc is Belgian, was born in France but raised in Switzerland and he fluently speaks four languages. He is happily married for the last thirty years to an American wife named Rima and they are blessed to have two kids residing in Los Angeles and San Francisco. A passionate sports and health enthusiasts, Marc enjoys world travel and experiencing diverse cultures. Throughout his professional career Marc has dedicated time to several charity organizations including Doctors without Borders and The Red Ribbon.

Tony Kurz

Chief Executive Officer, Director, Brandmark Collective

Tony has carved out a niche in intelligently translating unrelated fashion and lifestyle brands into hospitality experiences.  He started his career in hospitality on the development/finance side and brings a well rounded, owner centric angle to the hospitality industry.  For 6 years, Tony was a board member & partner at Hilfiger Hospitality Group, the hospitality venture of fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger, including serving as Chief Development Officer & Chief Executive Officer.  Working closely with Mr. Hilfiger and a handpicked team, Tony led the development of two Hilfiger brands, from concept to brand/operating standards, through to real estate acquisition. With Tommy’s support, in 2014, Tony left the day-to-day management to focus on translating additional brands into hospitality. Brandmark Collective, and its first license Karl Lagerfeld, is the culmination of that effort.  The above experiences have led to a wealth of deep owner relationships on a global basis, as well as a rather unique trust and access to many brands looking to enter the hospitality space in one form or another.  Prior to THHG, Tony served as a partner at Capital Alliance Partners Ltd., an independent corporate finance advisory and fund management firm based in London. The firm specialized in real estate and Tony had a particular focus on the hospitality sector. Tony also served as a partner at Riva Hospitality Advisors ltd., a firm focused on specialized resort services to US developer/owners including property sourcing, pre-development planning, product design, operator selection and marketing services for the international market.  Tony is a native of the USA and resides in Amsterdam.