Advisory Board Members

This illustrious group of business leaders has worked to make the Global Wellness Summit a reality.

Susie Ellis
Founder, Chair & CEO, Global Wellness Summit
Chair & CEO, Global Wellness Institute, United States

Susie Ellis is the co-founder, chair and CEO of the Global Wellness Summit and chairman and CEO of the Global Wellness Institute, the non-profit research and educational resource for the global wellness industry. Recognized as an authority on wellness trends, Susie is frequently quoted in major news outlets around the world. She holds an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and is a popular speaker at industry events.

Amir Alroy
Co-Founder, Welltech Ventures, Israel

Amir Alroy is an investor, entrepreneur, and global thought leader in wellness, health, and longevity. He is co-founder of Welltech Ventures, a venture fund investing in science-backed wellness, healthspan, and longevity innovation, and co-founder of The Wellness Collection, a platform highlighting leading wellness and longevity destinations worldwide. Previously, he served as CEO of the A.Y.R.A.D family investment group. Amir was co-chair of the Global Wellness Summit 2022 in Israel and serves on the Summit’s Advisory Board. He is also a keynote speaker, author of Wellness: A Journey to Optimal Living, and Global Wellness Day Ambassador for Israel.

Anna Bjurstam
Founder, Wahayla, Sweden

Anna Bjurstam is founder of Wahayla, a wellness and longevity company advising hospitality, fitness, and health brands on the future of wellbeing. A pioneer in the global wellness industry for more than 25 years, she helped launch S.A.T.S. in Sweden, growing it into Scandinavia’s leading fitness chain, and later built Raison d’Être into the consultancy behind more than 200 spas in 70 countries. From 2013–2026, she served as Wellness Pioneer at Six Senses, helping establish the brand as a global leader in wellness hospitality. She has served on the Global Wellness Summit Board since 2007. A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Anna regularly shares her insights at international conferences and educational institutions, contributing to the ongoing evolution of the wellness industry through her unique blend of business expertise, scientific understanding, and spiritual wisdom.

C. Victor Brick, MEd
Founder & CEO, Ohana Growth Partners, United States

Victor Brick is Founder and CEO of Ohana Growth Partners (OGP), one of the largest franchisees in the Planet Fitness health club system, with operations across the United States and Australia. He is also co-founder of the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation, which advances evidence-based approaches that integrate exercise, nutrition, and mind-body practices into mental health care. Victor serves on the Board of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he contributes to advancing innovative approaches at the intersection of fitness, mental health, and wellness.

Cathy Feliciano-Chon
Managing Partner, Finn Partners APAC, Greater China, Hong Kong

Cathy Feliciano-Chon is a marketing expert with over 35 years of experience in brand development and communications. While based in Hong Kong, she oversees strategy and business development for Finn Partners’ offices in Asia driving the global campaigns and market entry strategies for the world’s leading companies and brands in tourism, hospitality, consumer and luxury. Cathy spearheads thought leadership initiatives producing research on a range of topics from wellness tourism, luxury travel, the future of food and smart cities. She is recognized for her keen insights on Asia’s consumer landscape and emerging trends.

Nicola Finley, MD, PLLC
Integrative Medicine and Board Certified Internal Medicine Physician, United States

Dr. Nicola Finley sits on the Global Wellness Summit board of advisors. She is a physician board-certified in internal medicine physician and obesity medicine, fellowship trained in integrative medicine, and adjunct faculty member at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona. She is the Founder and Principal at Dr. Nicola, PLLC, a physician-led boutique consulting practice helping organizations elevate their wellness and preventative health strategies globally. Her expertise includes holistic wellness, women’s health, metabolic health, employee wellness and health equity.

Irene Forte
Founder & CEO, Irene Forte Skincare, United Kingdom

Irene was previously the wellness director of Rocco Forte Hotels and has launched her own skin-care line: “Irene Forte Skincare” in 2018. Irene was awarded government funding to create a careers app in 2015 (Map My Future), which has been available at Rocco Forte Hotels since 2016. Irene was also awarded the “2016 Rising Star Shine” award and an “Acorn 30 under 30” award in 2017. She is the daughter of Sir Rocco Forte.

Maggie Hsu
Partner, Andreessen Horowitz, United States

Maggie Hsu is a Partner at Andreessen Horowitz focused on web3. She previously led business development for Amazon Managed Blockchain at Amazon Web Services, and has held executive positions at Zappos.com and Hilton Worldwide. She is also co-founder of Gold House, a nonprofit collective of pioneering Asian leaders. Maggie is a Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures Industry Scholar and a past co-chair of the 2017 Global Wellness Summit. She holds undergraduate and MBA degrees from Harvard University.

Ömer K. Isvan
Founder & President, Servotel Corporation, United Kingdom

Ömer K. Isvan is Founder and President of Servotel Corporation, a global hospitality and lifestyle real estate advisory firm with more than 40 years of experience in hotel, resort, wellness, and mixed-use development. He has advised investors on projects in over 46 countries, guiding developments from concept through operations and asset management. A Fellow of the Institute of Hospitality, Ömer serves on the board of the Global Wellness Summit and was the 2021 Summit co-chair in Tel Aviv. He is widely recognized as a pioneer in hospitality development and is credited with helping introduce the concept of the boutique hotel to the industry.

Jessica Jesse
Founder, CEO & Creative Director, BuDhaGirl®; Founder, Zen Collective

Jessica Jesse is Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of BuDhaGirl®, a luxury lifestyle brand that blends wellbeing, ritual, and design through meaningful products and experiences. She is also Founder of Zen Collective, a platform that brings together brands, content, and community centered on mindful living. Through her Mindful Glamour® philosophy, Jessica encourages intention-setting and everyday rituals that transform ordinary moments into meaningful experiences. Her work has helped create a global community dedicated to wellbeing, presence, and purposeful living.

Hannah Messerli, PhD
Economic Development Specialist, United States

Dr. Hannah Messerli serves on the faculty of The George Washington University School of Business leading the MBA Consulting Abroad Program for Germany. Previously as a Senior Private Sector Development Specialist in Tourism in the Finance, Competitiveness and Innovation Group of the World Bank she supported government efforts to utilize tourism as an economic development tool for diverse economies in each of the world’s regions. She is a tourism researcher and lectures globally on tourism economics and sector trends.

Veronica Schreibeis Smith
CEO & Founding Principal, Vera Iconica Architecture & Developments, United States

Veronica Schreibeis Smith, AIA, is CEO and Founding Principal of Vera Iconica, a global design firm specializing in wellness architecture, interiors, Wellness Kitchen™ design, and real estate development. A pioneer in creating environments that support human and planetary wellbeing, she has led projects across four continents for hospitality, residential, and regenerative living brands. Veronica founded the Wellness Architecture & Design Initiative for the Global Wellness Institute and the nonprofit Wellness Architecture + Design. She is also host of the podcast Architecture of Being, exploring how design influences longevity, vitality, and happiness.

Yoriko Soma
President & CEO, Conceptasia Inc., Japan / Singapore

Yoriko Soma began her career at the Boston Consulting Group, Hong Kong. Believing that the health and wellness business is at the core of people’s happiness, and would grow into a global scale industry, Yoriko launched a fund in 2007 for investments in the spa and wellness sector. She has deep experience in corporate wellness, introducing wellness programs for company employees and the government sector. She is a regular and popular speaker at conferences and seminars in Japan, in order to broaden wellness knowledge and deepen commitment in the Japanese market.

Emeritus Advisory Board Members

Pete Ellis
Founder & Chairman Emeritus, Global Wellness Summit, United States

Pete Ellis has devoted his career to creating better experiences for consumers. In 1994-95, he launched the first automotive buying and research website, Autobytel.com, revolutionizing an entire industry. After taking Autobytel public, Ellis formed Jubilee Investments, which became the majority shareholder of Spafinder, among other companies. He also was a founder of Booker Software, one of the largest point-of-sale management systems in the spa and wellness industry. In 2018, MINDBODY acquired Booker.

Professor Mary Tabacchi, PhD, RD
Professor Emerita, Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, United States

Professor Mary Tabacchi, PhD, RD, has been active in the spa industry since the early 1980s, when she worked with the Golden Door and Rancho La Puerta. She created strong prototypes for spa research for the International Spa Association in the early 1990s, the Destination Spa Group and the Leading Spas of Canada in 2000-2004. Dr. Tabacchi has taught spa management and development at Cornell University’s Hospitality Management program since 1985.

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Advisory Board Members

Emeritus Advisory Board Members

2026 Global Wellness Summit