Our conference will feature a distinguished lineup of keynote speakers and panelists from Romania, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, France, and the United Arab Emirates. The roster includes prestigious economists, private investors, and developers deeply entrenched in the real estate sector, alongside representatives from international financing structures, major Romanian banks, and active investment funds within the CEE region. Our experts, ranging from project managers and architects to construction engineers and building science specialists, bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise in real estate project development.
In an era where energy efficiency and sustainability are at the forefront of the real estate industry, our speakers will address crucial topics such as energy self-sufficiency, prosumer strategies, home and building automation, and their integral role in the sustainability of projects. These discussions will help delineate the difference between a project destined for success and one that might not yield a return on investment.
Moreover, we will have representatives from leading hotel chains, both those currently active and those planning to enter the Romanian market, along with suppliers of cutting-edge technologies, FF&E (Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment), and other essential products vital for the hospitality sector.
LISTEN TO THE 2025 Event Speakers
Philippe Bijaoui
Chief Development Officer Europe & North Africa Premium, Midscale, Economy
Claude Béglé
Chairman & CEO, Swiss NeWater Holding
Claude Béglé
Chairman & CEO, Swiss NeWater Holding
Dr Claude Béglé is a Swiss entrepreneur, currently fully engaged in the field of sustainability and environmental initiatives. Founder and CEO of Swiss NeWater, a company whose purpose is to tackle two complementary SDGs: enhance public health / fight pandemics through hygiene, while at the same time protecting the environment. Swiss NeWater has developed a disruptive technology, i.e. a machine producing on the spot 18 eco-friendly cleaning and disinfection formulas.
He was a member of the Federal Parliament of Switzerland, particularly active in its Foreign Affairs Committee, with a focus on peace and humanitarian activities, as well as digitalization and cybersecurity. Previously, he served as Chairman of the Board of the Swiss Post, a logistics and financial service entity with a revenue of 11 billion CHF, 10 % net profit and the country’s second largest employer. He has been a member of DHL Express global board and CEO for Central Europe & Germany. Prior to that, he has been Chairman and CEO of DPD, as well as Executive Vice President of GeoPost (French Post). He also served as Vice President Europe of TNT Express. During the first half of his career, he held several marketing and managerial positions for Nestle and Philip Morris. He started with the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Development Cooperation) and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
He holds a PhD in Economics, a Master in Law and a Master in International Relations.
Saar Sharon
Managing Director, West Ridge Asset Management
Saar Sharon
Managing Director, West Ridge Asset ManagementSaar is the Managing Director of West Ridge Asset Management, a boutique asset management advisory. Saar is a hotel and real estate transactions specialist with over 32 years of commercial experience, advising on disposals, acquisitions, asset management, funding, development, office conversions, leasing and management and franchise agreement across all hotel asset classes in UK and Europe. Over the years Saar has held senior positions with Colliers, Leonardo Hotels, PPHE and JLL. Since 2005 Saar has helped investors, operators, hotel brands, and lenders generate returns through hotel disposals, acquisitions, funding and asset management. To date, Saar has been involved with hotel property worth more than £12bn in the UK, Western and Eastern Europe, working for public and private companies. Since the inception West Ridge Asset Management In 2016 Saar advised on deals worth over £5bn of hotel real estate deals including the successful acquisition of 102 hotels comprised of 20,000 bedrooms valued over £2bn.
Tinu Sebeșanu
Managing Partner, Trend Hospitality
Tinu Sebeșanu
Managing Partner, Trend Hospitality
With more than three decades of experience in the hospitality industry, Tinu has put his mark in the concept, development and management of various landmark projects in the region, positively impacting their implementation and success.
He attended the courses of the Bucharest Institute of Technology followed by an MBA Program. Pursuing in a continuing education credo, he got specializations in Strategic, Financial and Asset Management at Cornell and Boston Universities and received the Postgraduate Certificate of Board Practice and Directorship at Henley Business School.
In 2005 he founded Trend Hospitality Consulting & Management, which has become one of the leading companies in the South Eastern region with over 300 projects completed to date. The company offers consulting and management services as market research, feasibility studies, valuations, financing, brokerage and asset management. Also, Tinu is a founding member of HORA (the Hotels and Restaurants Organization in Romania).
Nina Moldovan
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Moldova in Cluj & CEO, Winners First
Nina Moldovan
Honorary Consul of the Republic of Moldova in Cluj & CEO, Winners First
With a wealth of experience in business development, Nina Moldovan has dedicated her career to enhancing the hospitality sector through strategic leadership and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Her extensive background in new business development gives her a thorough understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by startups, thanks to her involvement in projects from their earliest stages.
With over 23 years of experience across various roles and domains, including tourism, hospitality, real estate development, and startup programs, she remains committed to elevating service standards, optimizing operational efficiency, and giving back to the community.
Her mission is to foster innovation within the hospitality and real estate industries, seamlessly blending tradition with technology and always striving for excellence.
As the Honorary Consul of the Republic of Moldova, Nina Moldovan serves as a catalyst for synergy between the two countries, fostering educational, cultural, and business exchanges. This unique role at the intersection of diplomacy and hospitality has further refined her expertise in new business development within the hospitality sector.
Yateendra Sinh
Principal, YS & Associates – Switzerland
Yateendra Sinh
Principal, YS & Associates – Switzerland
Yateendra Sinh is a hospitality expert, who has been working at Board and senior executive level for more than three decades. Yateendra believes that the true value of an enterprise is developed through connecting the finer details, and human emotions, to a macro vision and concept.
He advises on the development of service enabled real estate projects, townships and tourism destinations. He has project experience in 60+ countries and several high-end brands, including, W, Dusit, Nestlé, Nespresso, Mandarin Oriental, Mercedes Benz, Audi, Häagen-Dazs, Rotana, Jumeirah, Oberoi.
Yateendra works out of Switzerland and maintains his connection with his roots in India.
Vlad Dragoescu
Director, CEE Head of Portfolio Management, Revetas Capital
Vlad Dragoescu
Director, CEE Head of Portfolio Management, Revetas Capital
Vlad Dragoescu is Director- CEE Head of Portfolio Management and he joined Revetas in 2014. Vlad draws upon over 18 years of asset and property management as well as real estate development and investment.
Overseeing the Portfolio Management team, Vlad works closely with Oana Partenie-Dorhan to ensure to optimize the operations of the Revetas portfolio while being involved both operationally and strategically in all phases of the real estate investment cycle.
Before joining Revetas, Vlad was the Managing Director of a private equity group focused on investments across Central and Eastern Europe. While there, Vlad was responsible for managing nearly all acquisitions, financings, greenfield investments, and asset management operations of the group. From 2011 to 2014, Vlad worked as the Romanian local partner for the same London-based private equity fund, coordinating their property and asset management departments, while also directly managing many of their projects.
Vlad holds a master’s degree in Financial Management and a bachelor’s degree in Finance, Banking and Stock Exchange, both from the Bucharest University of Economic Studies
Dr Ray F. Iunius
CEO, winsed.swiss
Dr Ray F. Iunius
CEO, winsed.swiss
Dr Ray F. Iunius is the author of various academic and professional articles published by journals in the management of services, technology, and innovation. He is also the author of a number of books such as « Industrie de l’accueil », « Hôtellerie de Luxe », « La gestion des spas », “Un Hôtel, un modèle ?” in de Boeck editions and co-author of the “Lausanne Report on the future of Hospitality Industry.”
In the last 20 years Ray occupied different management positions at EHL education Groups. He is also the founder of the Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne Institute of Technology and Entrepreneurship (EHLITE), the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (INTEHL), the Students Business Projects (SBP), the EHLITE magazine, and the Chair of Innovation Paul Dubrule.
Ray is today CEO of winsed.swiss education group (WEG) SA, an integrated group of educational institutions comprising professional and vocational programs, soon universities and post-secondary education schools in the service industry.
As Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Business and Economics (HEC) of the University of Lausanne, he is currently teaching Strategic Consulting Projects and Service Operations Management.
Ray earns an MBA and PhD from the University of Lausanne and a BSc, MS and PhD in Technical Sciences from the University of Transylvania Brasov.
