Speakers

Andrea Smith

Director, Partnership Development and Management VISA

Paul Van Alfen
Managing Director Up in the Air

Roberto Da Re

CEO Travel Ledger

Chiara Quaia

Senior Vice President, Market Development Travel Enterprise Partnership Mastercard

Andrea joined Visa from the Higher Education sector where she was Executive Director for Marketing, Recruitment and Communications, having left the travel and payments industry due to Covid19. Prior to joining the University, Andrea was Head of Business at easyJet, responsible for the increased penetration of the higher yielding business customers as well as the business strategy. Andrea has a wealth of experience across travel and payments, a career spanning 34 years, with a 25 year tenure at American Express. In her role at Visa, Andrea is accountable for forging deeper global partnerships with a clear narrative, unlocking incremental benefits though the distribution partners as well as developing partnerships with the influential regulatory bodies across the ecosystem to win the hearts and minds of their members. This ensures Visa is seen as a scheme of choice and a credible trusted advisor.

Paul advises Airlines and OTA’s on their payment strategy and other players in the Travel payment value chain (Schemes, IATA, GDS’s, Acquirers, VCN issuers, Payment gateways, Fraud, FX and other Service providers) on how to reach the next level. This includes defining or fine-tuning their Travel vertical strategy and go to market plan, challenging their product offering & partner strategy, advising on the impact of regulation changes and performing a gap & competitor analysis.

Roberto Da Re, a seasoned figure in the Travel Technology space with over 25 years of experience, kickstarted his career at SABRE in Europe and the US. He then founded Dolphin Dynamics in the late nineties, showcasing his knack for blending booking engine technology and travel supply chain knowledge.
In 2016, Roberto's fascination with Fintech, Blockchain, and the rapidly transforming payment industry led him to envision Travel Ledger, a revolutionary B2B settlement platform for the Travel Industry. By 2018, he dedicated himself entirely to this venture, turning it into a thriving platform with over 2,000 users in the UK and expanding globally.
Beyond his tech prowess, Roberto is a sought-after speaker at travel industry events and finds balance in family life, golfing, and his love for Formula One.

Chiara has been working in the travel and payments industry for over 20 years and is currently the Senior Vice President Market Development Travel, within the Enterprise Partnership Unit at Mastercard, focusing on Travel B2B issuing propositions, Travel Acquiring solutions and overall travel industry strategy.
She previously worked as the Head of Commercial at Amadeus Payment Unit ensuring payment solutions commercialization in the travel industry (hospitality, airlines, travel agencies) and prior, also in Amadeus, she headed the Payment Business Development Area and the Payment Partnerships Team.
Prior to joining Amadeus in 2012, she has worked in the Global Card Division at Santander Bank and in AirPlus International mainly focusing on commercial card processing and acquiring.
Chiara is also ambassador in Spain for the European Women Payments Network, a not-for-profit organization which goal is to promote gender parity in the payment industry.

Greg Toussaint

Director at Edgar, Dunn & Company

Livia Vité

CCO, Perseuss

Frank Oostdam

President ECTAA & Director ANVR

Heli Mäki-Fränti
Vice-President ECTAA & Managing Director SMAL

Greg Toussaint is a Director in Edgar, Dunn & Company (EDC) Paris office with over 15 years of consulting experience with EDC in business strategy for clients in Asia, Europe, North and South America. Greg has worked in EDC London's, Sydney's and Paris' offices and developed global perspectives on payments. Within EDC, Greg co-leads EDC’s Travel Payments Practice globally, working on strategy topics for all actors in the travel value chain (e.g. travel agents, airlines, hotels, car rental operators, corporates, issuers, acquirers and payment schemes). Greg recently published a white paper on 7 best practices for corporate to improve corporate payments. Outside of work, Grégoire plays the saxophone and loves baking cakes.

With more than 20 years’ of experience, including more than 10 years dedicated to the travel sector, Livia possesses a wealth of knowledge spanning various domains such as travel distribution, payments, risk management, and law.
Her extensive expertise reflects a deep understanding of the complexities of the travel industry, empowering her to craft innovative solutions geared towards optimizing the travel value chain. Notably, Livia has played a pivotal role in assisting airlines and travel agents in overcoming B2B distribution and payment challenges.

Frank Oostdam has been involved in the travel and tourism industry since 2007. Frank is Director of the ANVR, the Dutch travel association. He is also President of Ectaa, the european umbrella organisation of travel associations. He’s also member of the international board of the Tui Care Foundation and member of the board of commissioners of the Dutch travel guarantee fund and Calamity fund.
Before starting his career in the travelsector he was involved in several sectors and active in the field of retail, wholesale and brands.
In his previous job he was active in the automotive sector, working for the VW/Audi dealerorganisation for eight years. Frank is married, has two children and lives in Bathmen near Deventer.

Heli Mäki-Fränti has been working in the travel industry since the mid-1990s. She is the Managing Director of the Association of Finnish Travel Industry (SMAL) since 2007. Heli is the the Vice President of the European Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators, ECTAA.
A long career in the travel industry has involved both advocacy work on the preparation and application of legislation and close cooperation with the media, public authorities, policy makers and, of course, national and international partners in the travel and tourism sector. Heli is widely networked and active in many travel-related national, Nordic&Baltic and international working groups and forums, including ECTAA Executive Board and Air Matters’ Committee, the APJC Finland, the national Advisory Group for Package Travel, the Ministerial Travel Forum and Matka Nordic Travel Fair Advisory Group.
Heli encourages good cooperation but also calls for a level playing field within travel industry . She hopes that the great importance of the travel industry is recognised both in the EU Member States and in the EU institutions.

Heleen Mulkers

Lawyer, Dugardyn & Partners

Melissa Lanoye
Responsible Payment Operations & Fraud Prevention, TUI

Eric Drésin
Secretary General ECTAA

Jan Van Steen
Managing Director Omnia Travel

Heleen has a multifaceted background on the dynamic intersection of travel, commerce, and law. She brings a wealth of experience from diverse roles in international marketing and sales at AB InBev. More recently, Heleen transitioned into a prominent legal role, specializing in travel and aviation law and collaborating with Olivier Dugardyn, at Dugardyn and Partners, accumulating more than 35 years of experience in the regulatory field of travel and aviation.

This collaboration has further enhanced Heleen’s insights, adding depth to their understanding of the intricate legal frameworks shaping the evolving landscape of travel. This dual expertise allows her to offer a unique perspective at the intersection of commerce and compliance within the travel (payment) industry.

I started my career at Tui in 2011 on the Finance Department as an Accounts Payable Responsible and moved shortly after to the Accounts Receivable Department where I was appointed to do credit management. From this position out I got a taste that Fraud lurks around every corner. I mainly handled the cases of people who claimed they had not made their bookings with TUI, despite the sufficient evidence, and worked closely with law firms and bailiffs. Due to the Covid breakout my career took a different in turn, and I was assigned to focus on internal financial processes to refund all our customers' flights in the most efficient & cost-reducing way. Again I came across fraud-related cases where vouchers were forged. So it was no surprise that I said a resounding “yes” when I was offered the job as responsible of Fraud & Payments in 2022. With my experience in these areas, and the continuous learning of how the payment landscape is functioning , I hope to extend my knowledge and do my contribution.

Eric Drésin has been serving as the Secretary General of the European Association of Travel Agents and Tour Operators since September 2019. With a dedicated team and the invaluable expertise of member organizations, his mission is to amplify the voice of travel agents and tour operators in their interactions with European institutions, international organizations, and foster productive collaborations with stakeholders and partners.
During the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Eric and his team worked diligently to secure essential support from European institutions for travel intermediaries. Today, his focus is on championing the development of a resilient and sustainable travel industry in Europe, ensuring that it can adapt and thrive in an ever-changing landscape.

Jan Van Steen started his career in the banking sector and after a few years he decided to enter the travel industry where he has been active since the early nineties. Since 2005 he is managing director of Omnia Travel, a travel agency chain in Belgium with a turnover above 100 million euro. Jan is chairman of the professional association BTO and director of ECTAA. He is also a director of the Travel Guarantee Fund and a member of the APJC in Belgium. In this context he combines knowledge from practice with the activities in the professional associations of which he is a member

Christian Möller
Director Transport & Distribution ECTAA

Ralf Pastleitner
Director International Public Policy & EU Affairs
Head of TUI Group Corporate Office EU

Tom Pilling
Chief Risk Officer, Trust Payments

Mark De Vriendt
Chairman EGFATT & General Manager GFG

Christian Möller earned his Master Degree in Business at the University of Lüneburg, Germany. He is Director Transport & Distribution for ECTAA. Previous roles have been Manager Procurement for Lufthansa City Center International, where he was responsible for Airline, GDS, Rental Car & Credit Card contracts as well as Global Franchise Account Manager for international franchise agencies. He worked as Manager Air Matters, Business Travel, Business Economy and Fraud Prevention at DRV, the German Travel Association in Berlin. He started his career as a Consultant Business Travel for Carlson Wagonlit Travel in Germany and was an intern with Lufthansa in New York and Patti Roscoe & Associates (PRA) Destination Management in Seattle, Washington.

Ralf Pastleitner, an Austrian national, studied law at the Karl-Franzens-University in Graz/Austria, where he also acquired his law doctorate. He holds an executive MBA degree from the University of Maastricht (School for Business and Economics), where he still teaches as guest lecturer on sustainability in the travel sector. Ralf Pastleitner worked as an associate for a law firm and in the legal department of an international steel company in Vienna before coming to Brussels as parliamentary advisor to an Austrian MEP. After holding different corporate senior positions in regulatory and government affairs with a focus on climate, transport and energy policy, he joined TUI Group, the world’s largest integrated travel and tourism company, in 2017 as Director International Public Policy & EU Affairs, coordinating TUI’s public policy activities across its source markets. Ralf Pastleitner also heads TUI Group’s EU corporate office in Brussels, and acts as the travel group’s point of contact for the European Institutions, European Associations and EU Member States. He is a member of the Executive Committee at Airlines for Europe (A4E) and currently chairs a European Commission expert group on the green transition in travel and tourism.

Tom has worked in Acquiring Fraud & Risk for over 21 years including other large payments & fintech companies such as WorldPay and Paysafe. Starting as a Fraud Analyst with WorldPay and gaining experience in all matters Risk over those 21 years; Tom was appointed Chief Risk Officer at Trust Payments in February 2021. Trust Payments continues to go from strength to strength and this growth is reflected against the different partnerships that Trust has. One of the key partnerships that Trust maintains is with Axcess and Trust My Group (also on the Panel Session at ECTAA). Trust Payments prides itself on it’s continuing Acquiring experience in the Travel vertical. Whilst a lot of Acquirers left many Travel Merchant ‘high and dry’ during Covid Trust Payments continued to support the Travel Industry and this has resulted in a building confidence in the travel vertical and the support continues for all type of businesses in the Travel Sector.

Mark has always worked at the heart of the Belgian travel industry. After is master's degree in law, he became General Secretary of the Belgian Tourism Industry Federation (FTI) in 1991, which is still a member of ECTAA today. In 1993, he became Director of ABTO, the Belgian association of tour operators. In that position, he was a director and arbitrator in the Travel Disputes Committee. In 1995, the Belgian travel industry established the Travel Guarantee Fund (GFG), with Mark at its head. 'Nine Eleven', eruption of the Icelandic volcano, the 2008 financial crisis, Thomas Cook's bankruptcy, the Covid19 crisis... he experienced it all from the front row, piloting the GFG ship through turbulent waters.
He boasts that travellers in Belgium are the best protected in the EU, as all payments to travel organizations for trips to be undertaken are covered, including individual travel services. However, he would like to see the European Commission go further and truly protect ALL travellers, including against the bankruptcy of airlines, among others. This would simultaneously reduce the risk for tour operators and their travellers and guarantee funds.
Since 2016, he is Chairman of EGFATT, the European Guarantee Funds’ Association, which he founded with the French and Dutch guarantee funds in 2011.