Who We Are

Julia Simpson President and CEO of the World Travel and Tourism Council. She spent 14 years in the aviation sector on the Board of British Airways and Iberia and as Chief of Staff at International Airlines Group. Before joining British Airways, Julia was senior adviser to the UK Prime Minister. She held a number of key positions in the UK government and public sector, including Director at the Home Office and Department for Education and Employment; Assistant Chief Executive at the London Borough of Camden; and head of communications at the Communication Workers Union. Julia is on the Board of the London Chamber of Commerce.

With over 15 years of experience in the public and private sectors, Virginia has spent the last decade advocating for Travel & Tourism. She joined WTTC in 2013 responsible for driving the strategic plan and served as Executive Director of the Global Travel Association Coalition which aligned key industry organisations (ACI, CLIA, IATA, ICAO, UNWTO and WEF) to speak with ‘One Voice’. 

Prior to joining WTTC, she worked for the Mexican Government, including the Presidential Office under President Felipe Calderon. During her time at the Ministry of Tourism, Virginia was instrumental in the creation of the National Agreement for Tourism which aligned the public and private sectors in Mexico around ten key strategic pillars and resulted in Mexico being one of the most visited countries globally. 

In 2012, under Mexico’s G20 Presidency, she chaired the Tourism Working Group and orchestrated the Tourism Ministers of the G20 countries, which resulted in tourism being recognised as a key pillar for economic growth by the G20 Leaders. As Senior Vice President, Advocacy Virginia leads all of WTTC’s Strategic Initiatives as well as our engagement with governments and other Industry Associations.

Maribel Rodriguez joined WTTC in 2014. She has built an extensive network within the Travel and Tourism industry public and private sector, accumulating over 20 years of sales, marketing, communication and commercial experience in Europe and Latin America in the airline and hospitality industry. She was an Executive Commercial Director and Board Member for Travelodge Hotels Spain from 2008 to 2014. 

Prior she spent 11 years in the aviation industry, gaining extensive experience in all aspects of commercial aviation managing among others the introduction of low-cost airline operations into the Southern European market for Virgin Express, Go-Fly, EasyJet and Ryanair. She also worked for British Airways for Spain, Portugal and France. Maribel has an Executive MBA at ICADE Business School, a Degree in Industrial Psychology from the University of Salamanca and holds a Senior Executive Program for Travel & Tourism at IESE & JSF. She speaks fluent English, Portuguese and a good level of French and Dutch.

Victoria Rothwell joined WTTC as Finance and Administration Director in August 2020, responsible for Finance, Legal, IT and Administration for the business. Prior to joining WTTC, she spent 22 years leading finance and efficiency within the UK sales office of Norske Skog ASA, a world-leading producer of newsprint and magazine paper with 6 paper mills in Europe and Australia. 

Victoria is a Chartered Global Management Accountant and Business Leader, she has a proven track record in leading Business Unit finance and operations within a European-wide organisational context.

Adolfo Favieres was born in Reolid, Albacete, Spain. He initially attended the preparatory school at Colegio Maristas (Alicante) and Colegio del Pilar (Madrid). Graduated as Perito Mercantil (Accountant Degree) at Escuela Superior de Comercio (Alicante). He coursed the studies of Economic Sciences, Degree level, at University UNED, Madrid. Doctor in Aerospace Engineering (Ph.D.) Universidad Politécinca, Madrid. (1967). His professional career began in the aerospace industry, followed by eighteen years in Investment Banking, serving from engineer to Managing Director. During this period he served as Director on more than 25 Boards. He started his trajectory at the Tourism Sector in 1978 as Vice-Chairman of the hotel chain HUSA (Hoteles Unidos, SA), by then the largest one in Spain, with 42 hotels. HUSA, founded in 1930, is the oldest European Chain. 

In 1982 OCCIDENTAL HOTELS was co-founded by Adolfo, becoming a minority shareholder and Executive Vice-Chairman. The Company, founded with very limited resources, attracted the attention of financial investors, and when sold 25 years later, in 2007, was present in 15 countries with 80 hotels. After that outstanding experience, Adolfo served as the first Chairman of INVEROTEL (Asociación de Inversores Hoteleros Españoles) a coalition of 12 Spanish hotel chains that included 420 hotels, 136,000 rooms in 18 countries, where INVEROTEL assumed the defence of the interest of the investors facing the Government and Institutions of these countries. Adolfo has also expanded his activities in Tourism in several other positions: Chairman of ALDESA TURISMO SA, an investment company in México. UNIVERSIDAD ANAHUAC, MÉXICO DF. Guest Profesor in the International Doctorate in Tourism. (Chair of Innovation and Competitiveness of the Tourism Companies). Special Advisor of the Secretary General of the UNWTO. Trustee of University NEBRIJA, Madrid, and President of the Tourism Commission. Member of the Tourism Council of CEOE (Confederación Española de Organizaciones Empresariales) Chairman of TATELES Asset Managemnt SL, Hotel Consulting Company. 

He holds a deep knowledge of the touristic and social international scenario after 40 years of experience in the Sector. Fluent in English, French and Italian, Adolfo is a frequent speaker with large experience acquired in Europe, the USA, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia. During his time at the university, he developed other lateral activities such as theatre actor, soccer player, military and civil pilot, from what he feels as proud as grateful.

As Chairman of Apple Leisure Group, Zozaya leverages 30 years of industry insight to optimize global synergies between the Group’s leading travel and hospitality brands.

Prior to launching AMResorts in 2001, Alex held senior positions at Fiesta Americana Hotels & Resorts, where he led all commercial activities for Latin America's largest hotel consortium.

Alex's outstanding contributions to the international hospitality industry have garnered numerous industry accolades. Among the most relevant are: the recognition as “Hotelier of the Year” by Alta Hoteleria; the CNN Expansion magazine ranking that included Alex among the “100 Most Important and Influential Business People in Mexico” for eight consecutive years, and the “Dominican Tourism Champion” award that Alex received in 2019 from the Dominican Republic Hotel and Restaurant Association (ASONAHORES for its acronym in Spanish) in recognition to his ongoing commitment to strengthen the country’s tourism industry.

In 2018, Alex was appointed Vice President of the Mexican National Council of Tourism Companies (CNET for its acronym in Spanish), which is the main organism representing the tourism private sector in the country. On August of the same year, Alex joined the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Executive Committee as Vice Chairman for Latin America and the Caribbean. The WTTC is the private sector most important organism in the global tourism industry. A month later, FORBES magazine recognized Alex as an industry leader, and featured him on the September edition magazine cover. Finally, on September 2020 Alex was honored with the CHRIS “Lifetime Achievement Award” in recognition to his ongoing commitment and contribution to develop and strengthen the tourism industry in the Caribbean.

In January 2021, Alex transitioned to the Chairman position for Apple Leisure Group, where he continues to play a strategic role in the company’s expansion.

In January 2022, he began his career as a Philanthropist and became the Chairman of the children’s home and bilingual school Amigos de Jesus in Honduras and Saving our Sharks Foundation, both nonprofit organizations dedicated to protecting vulnerable communities and reef’s environment at risk.

He also continues to serve as Ambassador for the WTTC and Vice President of CNET (Consejo Nacional Empresarial Turistico de Mexico).

Christopher Rodrigues became Chairman of the Royal Ballet School in January 2020 and Chairman of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency in April 2021. In May 2018 he became an Ambassador for the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and in January 2019 Council Member and Chairman of the Development Committee at University College School, Hampstead.

Christopher was Chairman of the Port of London Authority from January 2016 – March 2022; Chairman of Openwork from January 2014 – June 2020; Chairman of the British Council from 2016 – 2019; Chairman of the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association from 2013 – 2019; Chairman of VisitBritain from 2007 – 2017; Chairman of International Personal Finance and Windsor Leadership from 2007 – 2015; Chairman of The Almeida Theatre from 2008 – 2016. Christopher was a Council member of the National Trust from 1997 – 2004, and again from 2010 – 2012, and a Trustee from 2012 – 2016. He was on the Executive Committee of WTTC from 2007 – 2016.

Christopher is a graduate of Cambridge University (MA) and the Harvard Business School (MBA, Baker Scholar). He was awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University of Surrey (DUniv) in April 2013. He rowed for Cambridge in the 1970 and 1971 Boat Races, is a past-Chairman of Leander Club and is a Steward of Henley Royal Regatta.

Christopher was made a Commander of the British Empire in the 2007 New Year Honours list for services to British business interests and charitable works in the UK and USA.

- Co-Chair, UN STGs Advocates Alumni
- Ambassador WTTC (WORLD TOURISM TRAVEL COUNCIL)
- Co-Founder IEC (International Esports Committee)

Dho Young-shim, the chair of UN SDGs Advocate Alumni, has contributed to solving social imbalance in underdeveloped and African countries by growing the tourism industry for more than two decades. Since 2004, she has led the UNWTO ST-EP FoundationUnited Nations World Tourism Organization, Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty, (United Nations World Tourism Organization, Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty), the first UN-Global Tourism affiliated organization in South Korea. The ST-EP Foundation was established to eradicate poverty in underdeveloped countries by making the tourism industry sustainable. She has made an effort to introduce Korea to the world; she served as ambassador for cultural cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2003-2004, and ambassador for tourism and sports at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 2005.

Gerald Lawless started his career with Forte Hotels which culminated in him setting up and growing Forte’s operations in the Middle East. After a 23-year career with Forte Hotels, he joined Jumeirah in 1997 and helped establish it as one of the premier luxury hotel brands in the world. Taking on the challenge of launching Burj Al Arab, the world’s most luxurious hotel, after the successful introduction of Jumeirah Beach Hotel to an eager travelling public, he went on to become President and Group Chief Executive Officer of the Jumeirah Group. 

At the beginning of 2016, having served for 18 years at the helm of the Jumeirah Group, Gerald assumed a new leadership position responsible for tourism and hospitality in Dubai Holding, the Group’s parent company. As a past Chairman of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) he serves as one of their International Ambassadors and is an Honourary member of the organisation. He is also an International Ambassador for Galway 2020 as it takes its place as European Capital of Culture 2020. As of September 2017, Gerald has now retired and continues to reside in Dubai. 

Gerald is a graduate of Shannon College of Hotel Management in Ireland and holds an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration in Hospitality Management by the Johnson & Wales University, State of Rhode Island, USA; an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by the National University of Ireland, Galway; and an Honorary Doctorate by the Middlesex University Dubai. He is a fellow member of the Institute of Hospitality; and a member of the International Advisory Board of the Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne. He is a recipient of the 2017 Presidential Distinguished Service Award for the Irish Abroad.

Born in Tokyo in 1948. After graduating from Keio University's Faculty of Commerce in 1971, joined Japan Transportation Public Corporation (currently JTB Co., Ltd.). After being assigned to the Beppu branch office in Kyushu. region, he was in charge of general sales, as well as arranging and mediating foreign travel. In 1990, he assumed the position of Planning Section Manager of the Sales Planning Department and was involved in marketing, company-wide store development, and advertising.

1996 General Manager of Kawasaki Branch, 1999 Executive Vice President of Japan Travel Agency (US), 2000 Director General Manager of Sales Planning Department, 2002 Executive Director General Manager of East Japan Sales Headquarters.

President and Representative Director in June 2008, Chairman and Representative Director in June 2014, Director and Advisor in June 2023 (current position)

In April 2012, Tagawa who was a director of WTTC invited the WTTC Global Summit to be held in Tokyo and Sendai in the Tohoku region of Japan. The world's media sent out to the world that Japan was recovering vigorously after observing the recovery situation in Tohoku one year after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake.

Also, from June 2014 to June 2020, he served as Chairman of the Japan Association of Travel Agents.

In April 2016, he was appointed WTTC Vice Chairman at the board meeting held in Dallas.

Appointed as WTTC Ambassador in April 2022

Received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon in the Spring 2021 Imperial Decorations

In November 2019, he assumed the position of vice president of the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which he continues to this day.


His other current appointments include:

Chairman of Japan Ecotourism Association
Chairman of the Sanin Inbound Organization
Chairman of Japan Shopping Tourism Association
Chairman of the Long Stay Foundation

Kathleen Matthews is an award-winning American television journalist, public affairs advocate, and former communications executive at the world’s largest hotel company. Currently, she is chairwoman of the Maryland Democratic Party and a member of the Democratic National Committee. For nearly a decade, she was the chief communications and public affairs officer for Marriott International, where she was responsible for the company’s global brand public relations, corporate communications, government affairs, social responsibility, and company culture. 

As a global advocate for jobs and travel, Matthews was vice-chair of the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board during the Obama Administration and chaired the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council for the travel industry. Committed to diversity and the environment, she co-chaired Marriott's Global Green Council and served on the company's Global Diversity and Inclusion Council. 

Prior to her career at Marriott, she was an award-winning news anchor and reporter at the ABC-TV affiliate in Washington, DC for 25 years, and hosted the nationally syndicated “Working Woman” television show. Matthews is a 1975 graduate of Stanford University and a 2004 Fellow at the Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School at Harvard University. She and her husband Chris Matthews have three grown children.

Luiz has worked in the travel industry for more than 40 years, as the owner of Bel Air Viagens, the largest travel agency in Brazil, and acquired by American Express in the late 1990s, followed by a short executive run at Amex and a long 20-year career as Vice President of Latin America for Sabre. At Sabre Luiz was responsible for the agency business across 7 different countries. 

More recently Luiz is an investor and collaborates with a couple of technology companies. BemAgro is a leading provider of AI and the processing of satellite and drone images for the agriculture industry, and Bembras, a provider of technology in the private, homeland and public safety markets. Luiz is actively involved as a Board of Directors member in a couple of companies, as well as a local not for profit organization (NPO). 

Luiz Ambar has a bachelor’s degree in Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and an MBA from PUC-RJ, of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Martin Cowley, Chairman, eRoam Pty Ltd and The Lido Group. Sydney, Australia. Martin Cowley has 3 decades of experience in executive roles in Aviation, Travel and Technology. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford. He spent 20 years with the Swire Group and Cathay Pacific Airways in senior commercial roles, leading teams in 9 countries around the world and was a member of the founding team at the OneWorld alliance. He subsequently spent 10 years with Sabre Holdings as CEO, Sabre Pacific in Australia and New Zealand then as Senior Vice President, EMEA, Sabre Travel Network, based in London. 

Since 2011 he has built a successful portfolio of board and advisory board roles with a number of multinational companies in the travel and technology sectors. He is currently based in Sydney.

Martin started his career with Short Brothers & Harland in Belfast. He spent the majority of his career based overseas, selling airliners of every shape and size for Shorts, Saab and BAe / Airbus to airlines in Europe, the USA, Latin America and the Asia Pacific. Based predominantly in Hong Kong for 25 years, Martin became heavily involved in advocacy for the aerospace sector and its multiple stakeholders via his founding role and Presidency 1999-2011 of the Aerospace Forum Asia (AFA). He was consequently recruited as CEO of the venerable Pacific Asia Travel Association in Bangkok between 2011 - 2014. Martin was a Founding Member in 2012 of the Global Travel & Tourism Council with the leaders of WTTC, UNWTO, IATA, ICAO and WEF. 

On behalf of members, he advocated vociferously for restraint on self-harming travel taxes, such as the UK’s Air Passenger Duty. He also pushed hard for less silo thinking and more appreciation of the interdependence of the complete visitor economy and its job-creating spark. He hosted aligned advocacy events in the House of Commons and led PATA missions to APEC and G20 Summits, and appeared regularly as a spokesperson on CNN, BBC World, CNBC and many other media outlets. Now based at his family home, amongst the undulating drumlins of County Down, Northern Ireland, Martin has in recent years worked as a mentor and coach, also with his two sons, on local visitor economy businesses, whilst maintaining overseas links through philanthropy, politics and golf. 

He is a proud alumnus of a varied set of educational institutions, including Millfield School, University of Ulster, The Open University, INSEAD, Columbia NYC and Cambridge University. Today Martin is a trustee of the Queen's University, Belfast, ”Literific” debating society, founded in 1850: the Sir Hans Sloane STEM learning centre in Killyleagh and the Columbanus Project (a European-wide peace, reconciliation and sustainable tourism initiative).

Dr Michael Frenzel serves as president of BTW since November 2012, the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry. He was the Chairman of the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) until March 2016. Since September 2012 he is also Honorary Chairman of the Global Tourism Economy Forum, Macau. Currently, Dr Frenzel serves as a member of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Bahn AG, an international provider of mobility and logistic services as well as Director of Amex GBT, the world-leading business travel company. Furthermore, he is the Special Ambassador of Tourism for UNWTO. 

Most recently, Dr Frenzel held the role of Chairman of the Board of TUI Travel PLC and CEO of TUI AG. Under his leadership from 1994 to 2013, the multi-business conglomerate Preussag AG was repositioned into TUI AG, Europe’s leading tourism group. Early in his career, Dr Frenzel held various managerial positions at the Westdeutsche Landesbank (WestLB), Düsseldorf, including managing the complete industrial and financial portfolio of the bank. 

He began his career in 1981 at WestLB. Previously, Dr Frenzel served as a member of the Supervisory Boards for AWD Holding AG (one of the leading financial service providers in Europe), Volkswagen AG, E.ON Energie AG (one of the world‘s biggest private electricity and gas companies), Norddeutsche Landesbank (a universal bank in North Germany), Continental AG (one of the top five automotive suppliers in the world and the second-largest in Europe), ING Bank Deutschland AG, and Deutsche Hypo Vereinsbank (part UniCredit Bank AG). Dr Frenzel earned his doctorate (Dr. jur.) from Ruhr University in Bochum.

Michel is the former Group President of Hertz International, the leading global car rental brand, where he was responsible for all of its wholly-owned and franchise operations in 150 countries across all continents, outside North America. Over his 38 year career in the constantly transforming car rental business, Michel has progressed through the organization, holding numerous leadership positions in the operational, commercial, country and divisional management. 

Most recently, Michel has been championing the « smart mobility » strategies for Hertz, working closely with start-ups and incubators. Since he moved on from Hertz in April 2019, Michel is an Advisor and a Consultant focusing on Travel, Transportation and Smart Mobility. He is the Chair of the Advisory Board for the GTTP (Global Travel and Tourism Partnership), a non for profit organization that supports education programs enabling each year 700,000 students from 15 countries to build careers in Travel and Tourism. He is also an Ambassador for the WTTC (World Travel and Tourism Council), and a Foreign Trade Advisor to the French Embassy in London. 

Michel developed an early passion for travel, world cultures, and entrepreneurship, having lived in Morocco, France, Italy, and currently in London with his family. He took a gap year at age 26, to discover the world, and is an accomplished musician who loves travelling, sailing and mountaineering.

A multiple Emmy-winning investigative reporter and producer, Peter Greenberg is America’s most recognized, honoured and respected front-line travel news journalist. Known in the travel industry as “The Travel Detective,” he is the Travel Editor for CBS News, appearing on CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News and CBS Sunday Morning. And his national CBS EYE ON TRAVEL radio show is broadcast from a different location around the world each week. The consummate insider on reporting the travel business as news, Peter Greenberg hosts the public television show The Travel Detective with Peter Greenberg. The series offers 40+ half-hour episodes that seek to empower audiences with travel news, must-have information, insider tips known only to a select few, and hidden gem destinations not found in traditional guidebooks or brochures. 

Travel Weekly named Peter Greenberg one of the most influential people in travel, along with Bill Marriott and Sir Richard Branson. He was inducted into the U.S. Travel Association’s Hall of Leaders for his contributions to the travel industry. Among his other honours, Peter Greenberg received a News & Documentary Emmy Award as part of the NBC News Dateline team for outstanding coverage of a breaking news story, “Miracle on the Hudson.” Peter Greenberg began his career in journalism as a West Coast correspondent for Newsweek in Los Angeles and San Francisco. 

He won a national Emmy Award for Best Investigative Reporting for the ABC 20/20 special on the final orphan flight out of Vietnam, “What Happened to the Children?” He also is the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin, and an Excellence in Broadcasting Award from the Aviation Space Writers Association of America. And when he is not reporting all over the world, Greenberg is an active volunteer fireman in New York.

Susan is Chair of Caresourcer.com and of EBS (Enhanced Biomass Solutions) in West Australia. Susan sits on the Boards of Moon Pig (Chair of the Remuneration Committee, Employee Representative & ESG Lead), Uber UK, The Rank Group plc (Chair of the Safer Gambling Committee) and Affinity Water Ltd. (Chair of Remuneration Committee). Susan is also a Director of ChapterZero.org.uk, an organisation dedicated to providing education, insight and support on climate change to Non-Executive Board Directors and Chairs. Susan is also actively involved in several start-ups in property and medical technology.

Prior to her plural career, Susan was Managing Director of British Gas Residential Services, a £1.8bn revenue division, leading the Service and Repair, Central Heating Installations, Electrical Services, and Dyno-Rod business units. Susan joined British Gas from the Acromas Group where she was Chief Executive of the Travel Division, responsible for Saga Holidays, Hotels, Cruises, the AA Travel division and Titan Travel. Previously, she held senior roles at Royal Caribbean International, Avis Europe, PepsiCo International, McKinsey & Co, and Saatchi & Saatchi living in over 7 countries worldwide.

She has held several non-executive directorships including the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU), Wizz Air plc, Courtaulds plc, Royal & Sun Alliance plc, Transcom, First Choice Ltd., S.C Johnson, Whitbread plc. Susan was also a member of the Advisory Board of the LUISS Business School in Rome.

Susan has a BA from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, and an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (S.A.I.S.) in Washington DC. She is fluent in German and Italian.

Susan lives near London with her husband and two sons and loves being in the outdoors, enjoys mixing sailing, travel and photography, and has realized a passion for designing jewellery.

Taleb Rifai was the Secretary-General of the United Nations' World Tourism Organization, based in Madrid, Spain, until the 31st of December 2017, having held the post since being unanimously elected in 2010. The first Jordanian to hold a UN agency Secretary General position. Prior to assuming his post at the UNWTO, Taleb Rifai was the Assistant Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for three consecutive years. 

In 2001, he served as the Minister of Tourism and Antiquity, as Minister of Tourism, he was the Chairman of the Jordan Tourism Board, President of the Amman School for Tourism and Hospitality and was elected Chairman of the Executive Council of UNWTO in 2001. From 1999 to 2003, he served in several ministerial portfolios in the Government of Jordan. First, he was appointed Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, in charge of Jordan’s Development Agenda and bilateral and multilateral relationships with donors and agencies. He was subsequently appointed Minister of Information, the spokesman of the Government of Jordan, as well as being in charge of communications and public media. In the three years preceding his service in the Jordanian Cabinet, he was appointed the CEO of Jordan’s Cement Company, one of the country’s largest public shareholding companies. 

From 1993 to 1995, Rifai headed Jordan's first Economic Mission to Washington DC, promoting trade, investments, and economic relations between Jordan and the United States. Rifai was also actively involved in policymaking and developing investment strategies as Director General of the Investment Promotion Corporation (IPC) in Jordan (1995–1997).