Anna Nash, the newly appointed global president of Explora Journeys, is set to lead a raft of sector experts confirmed for this month’s TTG Luxury Travel Summit.
In her new role, Nash is tasked with driving the strategic vision and growth initiatives of MSC Group’s luxury ocean travel brand, having just launched Explora II and with fleet set to see a further four vessels added by 2028. Nash joined the brand in September after a 10-year career at Aman, where she was most recently chief commercial officer.
Prior to Aman, she was director of communications for Rosewood London and spent more than 11 years with Orient Express – now Belmond – leading PR for the trains and cruises division. Delegates will be able to hear Nash’s insights during the half-day conference taking place at the Kimpton Fitzroy in London on the afternoon of 17 October.
The full programme has now been revealed for the event, which is held in association with the Spanish Tourist Office. The afternoon conference forms part of Day of Luxury, which also features Luxpo, where hand-picked agents will take part in one-to-one meetings with luxury-focused suppliers during the morning.
Also newly announced as joining Nash on the programme is Joss Kent, CEO and executive chair of conservation travel brand AndBeyond, where he has been since 2012.
A former lieutenant in the Household Cavalry, Kent holds a Harvard MBA and is a former global chief executive of Abercrombie & Kent, where he played a driving role in setting up its charitable arm, A&K Philanthropy. He has been a trustee of AndBeyond’s impact partner, Africa Foundation, since joining the company.
Also speaking at the summit will be Alexandra Haider, senior content editor at Gen Z-focused marketing agency, Pion.
Joining Pion in 2022, Haider specialises in trend and culture content and authors Pion’s Youth Trends Report, which forecasts the biggest trends to impact youth culture.
She has appeared as a guest speaker at events for Unicef and JCDecau, and at the conference, she will share how delegates can appeal to and understand the increasingly important Gen Z demographic.
Meanwhile, Laura Montesanti, founder of Synergy – The Retreat Show, will share her insights from a wellness, travel and hospitality career spanning more than 25 years.
Founded in 2022, Synergy brings together retreat entrepreneurs and industry leaders to fully focus on combining wellness and travel.
Montesanti previously lived in South Africa volunteering for causes including supporting young people living with HIV in Cape Town and opening a yoga school with classes on a donation basis.
In 2014 she launched a luxury consultancy business with past projects including leading the sales of diving and onboard wellness experiences for a luxury yachting company, and helping luxury hotels across the world to host retreats, curate wellness journeys.
