Waseem El Tanahi business development director of CONNEX Assistance, the leading provider of medical and travel assistance in the Middle East and Africa. El Tanahi has over twenty-five years of executive experience in various managerial positions held in the UK, UAE, and Egypt.  He specialises in scaling strategies for SMEs and has been tasked with the expansion of CONNEX Assistance throughout this diverse and sometimes challenging region.

Laura Hilton has over 25 years’ experience creating quality-driven, cost-effective global healthcare networks. The architect of a worldwide healthcare network available to over 62 million insured members in 180+ countries, Laura is passionate about leveraging technology to simplify the healthcare experience. Laura has developed customized international healthcare solutions for multinational corporations, family offices, study abroad programs, NGOs and professional sports teams. A graduate of Yale University, Laura speaks five languages.

Benoit is the Head of International Mobility Market at IMA GROUP (France), in charge of all development and marketing aspects of expatriates and business travellers’ assistance solutions.

Before joining IMA Group in early 2018, Benoit was based in SSEA for several years working for International SOS as a Business Development manager, and then as Branch Manager of the Cambodian office.

Prior to that, Benoit held marketing and @business positions in the BtC insurance industry (MAIF) Benoit holds a Specialized Masters in marketing management from ESSEC Business School and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the IAE (Institut d’Administration des Entreprises).

Sebastien Bedu is the General Manager of GCC for the Middle East team, based at the International SOS office in Dubai. He joined International SOS as the Branch Manager of MedAire, the Aviation & Maritime division of International SOS in 2015. During that time Sebastien was predominantly responsible for the growth and delivery of the Middle East & Africa’s book of business of the company and also led the development and implementation of the first-in-the-World travel pass during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2021, he was promoted into his current role of General Manager, GCC for International SOS where he now manages and oversees the Commercial and Operations teams for the region. Prior to joining International SOS, Sebastien worked for several large corporations where he was Director of Sales for the Middle East.

Dr Lucy Ng’ethe serves as the Chief Medical Officer at Phoenix Aviation Limited where she oversees the air ambulance operations and patient transport services.

Dr Ng’ethe is a Consultant Anaesthesiologist with advanced training in aeromedical evacuation operations and has extensive experience in both anaesthesia and critical-care transport. She has worked in various high-pressure environments, ensuring optimal outcomes during the transport of complex and critical-care patients.

Dr Ng’ethe has a special focus on patient safety and perioperative care, ensuring that critically ill or injured patients receive expert care during flights, adhering to the highest medical and safety standards.

Ozan Alemdaroğlu is the Deputy General Manager of Redstar Aviation, leading the commercial and operations management. Having graduated with a degree in business management, he has over 15 years of experience in the medical assistance industry.

Ozan started his career within the medical assistance industry on operations, and was also involved in air medical services. He held the positions of Project Manager, Business Development Manager, Business Development and Operations Director, respectively.

Having been involved in leading international projects and specialising in offshore operations, occupational health and emergency medical assistance, Ozan has held the role of Deputy General Manager since 2018.

Jonathan Cooper (JC) is the managing director and founder of WIS Group Ltd; through its group companies WIS provides technology and marketing management solutions to insurers and distributors across the GCC that enables efficient distribution of travel related products. With a career spanning over 30 years in insurance, JC has worked with the world’s leading providers in the travel & retail sectors and crafted some of the most innovative and impactful customer solutions. JC has been based in Dubai for the last 10 years, has a passion for travel, and considers it his personal mission to improve traveller protection in the market, while realising the full commercial potential that this presents.