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Distinguished Speakers
Prof. Dr. Faizan Ali
University in Galway
Ireland
Dr. Faizan Ali is an Established Professor of Marketing at the J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway. His research and teaching lie at the intersection of marketing, consumer behavior, hospitality, and tourism, with a particular focus on how emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, service robots, and generative AI are reshaping customer experiences and business strategy. He has published over 140 peer-reviewed journal articles, authored several books and book chapters, and earned international recognition as a Highly Cited Researcher (2022, 2023). His work appears in leading journals across marketing, management, and hospitality, and he serves on the editorial boards of several top-tier academic outlets.
Dr. Ali’s ongoing projects examine the adoption and ethical use of AI in service contexts, the role of transparency and fairness in consumer trust, sustainable hospitality practices, and the psychosocial and performance dynamics of human–robot collaboration. Through his scholarship and teaching, he aims to bridge theory and practice by promoting responsible innovation, digital transformation, and human-centered approaches to business education and service design.
Hera Oktadiana, Ph.D, CHE
Adjunct Associate Professor
Griffith University and James Cook University
Australia
Adjunct Professor
University of Brawijaya, Indonesia
Hera Oktadiana is an Adjunct Associate Professor at Griffith University and James Cook University, Australia and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Brawijaya, Indonesia. She is also a postgraduate academic at Trisakti Institute of Tourism, Indonesia, founder of Muslim Women in Tourism & Hospitality (M.WiTH), and founder of Halal, Sustainability and Inclusive Tourism (HaSIM) Forum. She holds a Ph.D. from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and CHE (Certified Hospitality Educator) from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute. She has served as Head of Tourism and Hospitality at several Indonesian tourism institutions. Her research focuses on tourist behaviour, Muslim tourists, Halal tourism, sustainability and inclusive tourism, and tourism education, with several of her works receiving academic awards. She is also a member of the editorial board of several reputable international tourism journals and has been a speaker at various national and international tourism events.
Keynote Speakers
Prof. Fevzi Okumus
William McFall “Mac” Pearce Endowed Professor
Director of Global Strategy and Strategic Engagement
College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management (HRSM)
University of South Carolina, USA
Professor Fevzi Okumus is the William McFall “Mac” Pearce Endowed Professor and the Director of Global Strategy and Strategic Engagement at the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management (HRSM) at the University of South Carolina. Until August 2025, Dr. Okumus was the Pegasus Professor and the Central Florida Hotel and Lodging Association (CFHLA) Preeminent Chair Professor within the Hospitality Services Department at the University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management. He was the Founding Chair of the Hospitality Services Department at UCF Rosen College. His main teaching and research areas include strategic management, leadership, hospitality management, services marketing, training, and lodging. He has served on and chaired/co-chaired numerous PhD dissertation and master thesis committees. He has over 350 academic publications (over 230 refereed journal articles, seven books, 12 book chapters, and over 100 conference presentations and reports). As of September 15th, 2025, his publications have received over 35,248 citations, and he has an h-index of 82. Prof. Okumus has been recognized as a “Highly Cited Researcher” in 2021; 2022; 2023 and 2024 by Clarivate, based on data from the Web of Science. Highly Cited Researchers™ are 1 in 1,000 of the world’s population of scientists and social scientists. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management (IJCHM) (Impact Factor: 9.0) and the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights (JHTI) (Impact Factor: 4.8). He is also the Founding Editor of the Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Horizons (JHTH), which has been recently launched in January 2025. He is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences. He has received numerous prestigious awards and recognitions including “The Michael D. Olsen Research Award” in 2016; “The University of Central Florida Scroll & Quill Society Award” in 2017, the “CFHLA Preeminent Professor” again in 2017, and the John Wiley & Sons Lifetime Research Achievement Award from ICHRIE in 2018. In April 2025, Prof. Okumus received the “Pegasus Professor” award at the University of Central Florida, which is the highest honor for a faculty member at UCF.
Prof. Mohamed Battour
Nahda University (NUB)
Egypt
Mohamed Battour is a professor of marketing at Nahda University (NUB), Egypt. He is a Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Islamic Marketing (Q1). He is Senior A. Editor in FIIB Business Review (Scopus Q1). He serves on the editorial advisory board of some journals, including Management and Sustainability: An Arab Review (Scopus) and Review of Management Literature. He has an impressive track record of publishing numerous papers in top-ranking journals (Q1/A*). Prof. Battour’s influence extends beyond academia, as he has been invited to serve as a keynote speaker at numerous international conferences, where he shares his insights and knowledge on Islamic marketing and tourism.