About the Hotel Investment Conference

Torgeir Silseth

Silseth’s first hotel related work experience was as a chef at Union Hotel in Geiranger, an effort that led to a prestigious trainee position at the Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten in Hamburg. Torgeir started his career in Strawberry as Managing Director at Quality Hotel Hafjell in 1991. In 1996, he was employed as Operations Director for Scandinavia until he took up the position of Deputy CEO of Strawberry in 1999. 

In 2006 he was named CEO.

 Torgeir is chairman of the Nordic Leisure Travel Group, which includes the tour operators Ving, Globetrotter, Spies, Tjäreborg and the airline Sunclass Airlines. 

Torgeir Silseth has his education from the Norwegian Hotel Univerity College in Stavanger.

Michael Struck

Founder & CEO of Ruby Group. Prior to founding Ruby in 2013, Michael successfully established the hotel groups Kameha, Gold Inn and Dormero as an entrepreneur, as well as Cosmopolitan Estates, a real estate developer. Before that, Michael was authorized signatory of the Schörghuber Holding and Managing Director of several corporations of the Schörghuber company group. Particularly, he was responsible for hotel development, real estate and the touristic business of the hotel division of the group (Arabella and Arabella Starwood Hotels). At the beginning of his career, he worked for the Boston Consulting Group advising leading brands on marketing and distribution, and later managing restructurings, mergers and acquisitions. He completed his diploma in business studies and MBA at the University of St. Gallen (HSG), the London School of Economics (LSE) and the University of California Berkeley.

Anders Buchardt

Anders Buchardt is a graduate - Siviløkonom - from the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) in Bergen, Norway. Buchardt started his career in  PwC Consulting and Storebrand Bank, before establishing his own property development business. In addition to several residential projects, Anders has over the past 15 years developed a number of new, large hotel facilities in Norway and Sweden with operators like Strawberry, Scandic and ESS Group. Together with his father Arthur, Anders owns and manages the family business AB Invest AS. The company manages a larger portfolio of own-developed hotel properties, as well as the skiing destinations Hafjell and Kvitfjell. In addition to being Head of the Development, Anders is also the Chairman of the Board of AB Invest’s own companies.

Yuan Fang

Yuan Fang is Senior Vice President Development of Europe and America of Minor Hotels. She is also a member of the Expansion Committee, Asset Management Committee and Capex Committee of the company. Yuan is responsible for designing, assessing and delivering the growth strategy (organic and inorganic) of Minor brands across Europe and Americas.

Yuan has been part of the company for more than a decade. She joined the corporate offices of the company at the beginning of the group Five Years Plan 2014-2018 with the objective of securing the good delivery of the group growth plan and restructuring of the portfolio of hotels.

She began her career in BBVA as a Risk Analyst, and later acquired strong experience in reputed consulting firms as PwC and Deloitte as an Auditor and Financial Advisor, respectively.  In 2014, Yuan began her career in hospitality when she joined NH Hotel Group.

Yuan holds a Bilingual Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Management from the University Carlos III de Madrid.  Additionally, she has earned a Master's Degree in Auditing and Management Development from ICADE, complemented by academic stints in Boston, MA.

Guy Pasley-Tyler

Guy is Co-CEO at Archer Hotel Capital and played an integral role in its set-up in 2018, having previously spent 7 years with the Host Hotels European joint venture. His responsibilities at Archer include strategic leadership, portfolio & fund management as well as oversight of Archer’s operating platform, its large-scale renovation and repositioning projects and its sustainability efforts. Prior to Archer/Host, Guy worked in an advisory role at Economics Research Associates, latterly AECOM, and before that worked in various operations and commercial roles within hotels. He holds an MBA and is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.

Robin von Bothmer

Robin started his career in the hotel real estate advisory at EY before becoming a founding member of Engel & Völkers Hotel Consulting, the hotel advisory division for one of the largest real estate brokers in Germany. He concluded his consulting endeavors as Manager at KPMG with mandates ranging from feasibility studies, valuations, operator searches, M&A and buy-side advisory to restructuring advise. He is now Development Manager at ECE Work & Live, responsible for the acquisition and coordination of hotel development and conversion projects. Robin is a graduate of École hôtelière de Lausanne as well as European Business School (EBS) as a real estate economist. He has published several articles and regularly holds lectures in his field.

Adela Cristea

Adela is heading up Radisson Hotel Group’s development activities in the Nordics, UK and Ireland. Scandinavia is a key market, not only Radisson’s place of origin and home to the world’s first design hotel - The SAS Royal Copenhagen, now a Radisson Collection.

Adela’s role is to develop and execute the growth strategy in the region and drive forward the company’s ambitious expansion plan to be one of the top three hotel groups in the world. Focusing on an asset-right growth model through management, franchise and lease contracts, her vision is to deliver a compelling value proposition to hotel owners.

Adela is an experienced hospitality professional, having worked in hotel development and consulting across EMEA for the past 20 years. She is member of various hospitality associations and Women in Hotels groups. Adela has an MBA from Hult International Business School and studied Corporate Finance at London Business School.

Lily Wecker

Lily Wecker is a Development Director at Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group based in London. In this role, Mrs. Wecker focuses on sourcing, underwriting and executing new hotel and branded residence projects across Europe and North America.

 Prior to joining Mandarin Oriental in 2022, Mrs. Wecker was a Vice President in Acquisitions & Hotel Realisation at Zetland Capital in London, working across operational real estate asset classes with a focus on special situation capital solutions. Prior to Zetland, Mrs. Wecker was an Engagement Manager in Real Estate practice at McKinsey & Company in London. Mrs. Wecker holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Jacob Rasin

Jacob currently works for Pandox as Senior Vice President – Transactions . He is responsible for the development and execution of Pandox’s M&A strategies. Jacob holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration and a Swiss Hotel Diploma from H.I.M

Jules Pearson

Jules Pearson is the Global VP of F&B Creative Development at Ennismore, leading the creation and development of restaurants and bars across the group's portfolio and programming all new hotels globally. Before developing a new F&B space, Jules gathers market insights to ensure each outlet is best suited to the local market, opens with a bang, and remains relevant long into the future. She grew The Hoxton brand from one hotel to many, worked on the repositioning and rejuvenation of Gleneagles and now programmes restaurant, bars and nightlife destinations for brands such as Mondrian, SLS, Hyde and many more

Thor Filip Halvorsen

Thor Filip Halvorsen, CEO, Norwegian Hospitality Group, second gen. owner. Bachelor’s and master’s degree from Germany and the US. Experience from Thon Hotels, Marriott Int. in Benelux, and Germany, before taking a role in Norwegian Hospitality Group, a family owned, multi-franchise, hotel operation and real estate company.

Toke Clausen

Toke Clausen is the Head of Commercial Business Line at Nrep, and Partner at Urban Partners. ​

Toke leads a Pan-Nordic team and is responsible for Nrep’s investments and portfolio in the commercial segments, e.g. hotel, office, retail, light industrial, etc.​

​Since joining the company in 2015, Toke has driven investments, refurbishments and developments across office, hospitality, living and retail segments. He has been a leading part behind Nrep’s first hotel investments as well as developing Nrep’s Office strategy and portfolio which is managed under the Woods brand. ​

​Prior to joining Nrep, Toke worked at Boston Consulting Group within private equity, transportation and consumer goods sectors. ​

He holds a Master of Science in Finance and Economics from Aarhus University, Denmark, and is based in the Copenhagen office.​

Olena Klymenko

Olena has over 15 years of experience in Investment Banking advising on M&A and capital raising transactions in Hospitality and Real Estate.

Olena joined Santander in 2023 as Head of Real Estate & Leisure Europe advisory based in London.

Olena started her career at BNP Paribas, based in Paris. She subsequently joined Credit Suisse in London in 2010, where she became Head of Real Estate & Leisure  EMEA IB in 2021.

Miguel Martins

Miguel Martins is the Head of Development for Northern Europe at IHG^®, one of the world’s leading hotel companies. He is responsible for leading and developing IHG’s brand portfolio across Northern Europe, covering 17 countries, and identifying new business opportunities.  

Miguel and his team work collaboratively with development partners to deliver value for both franchised and managed hotels across luxury, upscale and mainstream brands. In his tenure with IHG, he has since signed over 45 new deals across the Northern Europe region. 

With extensive international experience in hotel development and hotel operations, he has been involved in over 20 projects in Europe, including Portugal, Spain and Poland. Prior to joining IHG in 2015, Miguel co-founded Polish Hotel Company, a strategic growth Partner, responsible for the roll out of some of IHG’s most well-known brands in Poland, such as Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hotel Indigo and Crowne Plaza.  

Miguel also worked as a Senior Consultant at an international hotel & asset management company based in Portugal where he was involved on various projects under local and international brands and experienced several functions in hotel operations. 

Halvor Berg Sand

Halvor is a Director of H.I.G. Realty Partners based in London and responsible for sourcing and executing real estate transactions in the Nordics.

Prior to H.I.G., Halvor spent eight years at Tristan Capital Partners, working across the Nordics, Germany, Luxembourg and the U.K. His projects included larger redevelopments, urban revitalisation, hotels, office, retail, logistics & light industrial. He has also worked for CBRE in Oslo, Norway in capital markets, corporate advisory and valuation and Savills in London, U.K.

Halvor holds a M.Phil. in Real Estate Finance from University of Cambridge and a B.Sc. in Business Studies from Lancaster University.

Amanda Sundström

Amanda joined SEB as a fixed income and FX strategist in 2023, focusing primarily on the Swedish economy and the Swedish Riksbank. In addition, she currently covers the Norwegian economy and Norges Bank as interim Chief Strategist Norway. Prior to SEB, she worked as a senior economist at the monetary policy strategy division at the Riksbank, analysing monetary policy and financial conditions in Sweden and internationally. Amanda holds an MSc in Econometrics from Stockholm University and BSc in Economics and Political Science from Linköping University.

Christoph Hoffmann

A consummate storyteller and hotel romantic, Christoph Hoffmann is a creative
visionary in the global hospitality industry.
With what he considers the imperative collaboration of local partners, Hoffmann
develops sharply tailored properties for city nomads, daydreamers and night owls, with a penchant for urban landscapes, mountain terrain, cultural connectivity, and democratic hotel culture. His connections run deep, with a rolodex of chefs, interior experts, antique dealers, product designers, bartenders, vintners, musicians, writers and other creatives at his disposal for projects that create beauty and buzz, resulting in precisely choreographed and orchestrated guest experiences. He grew up in a small town in southern Germany, and after graduating from secondary school, began a career in tourism at a New York-based incentive agency. “New York was my first education,” he says. Yet, knowing he had to hone his hospitality skills, he went on to study sales, marketing and strategic management at the Glion Institute (École Hôtelière et de Tourisme Leysin) in Switzerland and Cornell University, and thus, his adoration for the hotel business truly began.
Hoffmann’s initiation into the industry began at the American Colony Hotel in
Jerusalem, where he immediately fell in love with the progressive Israeli culture. He then returned to New York for a stint at the Box Tree Hotel. Soon, the old world sentimentality of Europe called him back, taking up positions at Kempinski Hotels, the Buergenstock Hotels & Resorts in Switzerland, and the Hotel Louis C. Jacob in Hamburg; he was hooked, and, in 2005, along with partners Stephan Gerhard, Ardi Goldman and Kai Hollmann, he founded the 25hours Hotel Company. Under the motto, ‘Every cool city needs a 25hours hotel’, the four partners set themselves the goal of conquering Europe’s major cities, breathing new life and soul into existing buildings and new built.

In 2016, 25hours Hotels entered a strategic partnership with Accor, which eventually led to the creation of the largest and fastest growing hospitality lifestyle company—Ennismore, in which Christoph serves as a founder overseeing the worldwide growth of the 25hours Hotel brand.

In addition to his role at Ennismore, Christoph is also the co-founder and CEO of
Bikini Island & Mountain Hotels, where he also co-owns properties in Mallorca and Zermatt. His influence is significant due to his extensive network, keen sense of trends, and appreciation for extraordinary locations. The company is currently opening its second location on Mallorca, with others in the pipeline.
Christoph also serves as an Advisory Board Member for École Hôtelière Lausanne (EHL) and Vienna-based, JPI Hospitality Fund. Further, he is a Senior Advisor with the start-up company Embassies Of The Good Living, a serviced-apartments club model designed for the (aging) boomer generation.
Hoffmann was awarded German Hotelier of the Year and named the Most Dynamic Hotelier by Monocle magazine. When he is not traveling he enjoys to live in Zurich and the swiss mountains. His affinity for antique markets, red wine, real books, and wide repertoire of musical interests, delicious food, poetry, sunshine, and grand hotels, are his muse to develop forward-thinking hospitality concepts all over the world.

Henrik Karlsson

Henrik Karlsson is the Business Development Manager of Benchmarking Alliance, the largest provider of market data and daily benchmarking in the nordic hospitality industry. Henrik is responsible for sales, support, and customer relations. He has also been involved in the development of benchmarking in new various areas within the hospitality industry such as conference and spa.

Philip Garbotz

Philip Garbotz is Senior Manager Project Scouting & Development at TUI Hotels & Resorts and responsible for the growth of TUI's hotel brands.

Philip has been part of the company for more than a decade, starting as a dual student at TUI AG in 2010 and working in TUI's hotel division since 2013. In 2016 the TUI BLUE brand was founded and since then Philip has supported and accelerated the growth of TUI Hotels & Resorts' hotel brands (especially the own brands such as TUI BLUE, TUI MAGIC LIFE CLUBS or ROBINSON CLUBS). TUI has currently a portfolio of more than 420 hotels worldwide and the target is to grow up to 500-600 hotels in the next years.

Markus Lehnert

Markus Lehnert started his career in hospitality more than 40 years ago, and he has been with Marriott International for the last 25 years. As Senior Vice President, Select Service Development & Affiliations EMEA, Markus is responsible for the development of all limited-service brands across Europe, Middle East and Africa and leads Marriott’s affiliation efforts across the continents. Before joining Marriott, Markus was a hospitality consultant with PKF in London for three years, and before that held operational positions for 13 years at various world-class hotels, among them the Breidenbacher Hof in Düsseldorf and the London hotels The Berkeley, Claridge’s and the The Lanesborough. Markus lives in Switzerland.

Karim Nielsen

Karim Nielsen is CEO for Kolpin Hotels – A luxury hotel brand with a strong focus on guest experiences within F&B through the chains Culture and Art involvement. Nielsen also owns his own bed & breakfast lifestyle hotel in the heart of Vesterbro, Copenhagen. He is a board member and Chairman at DGI-Byen, Copenhagen ZOO and Cruise Denmark. He heads the advisory boards of Aeroguest and Dreamboks.

Nielsen have been in the Hospitality industry for more 38 years and held Top Management positions in both global and local hotel companies.

Major focus now is to develop Kolpin Hotels and Residences and a new brand (launch date May 2025) together with the former ballet star dancer Alexander Kolpin and the Kolpin teamplayers. F&B experiences play a central roll at Kolpin Hotels and the brand is developing exciting F&B experiences – among others the award winning Cocktailbar TATA which will be developed further at all Kolpin Hotels.

Tobias Schulz

Tobias Schulz is an established hospitality professional whose extensive career has taken him on work assignments across different countries across Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Since January 2024, Tobias has served as Managing Director of Restaurant and Bar Partnerships at Hilton Hotels & Resorts for the EMEA region. Based in Dubai, he is responsible for the development and implementation of strategy in relation to third-party restaurants, bars, and chef partnerships, while also working closely with regional business developers and hotel owners to secure world-class dining solutions.

Tobias has dedicated his career to establishing strong relationships with hospitality stakeholders, including restaurant owners, accomplished chefs, and international culinary minds. Throughout his time with Hilton, he has had a clear and positive impact on the business, enhancing the landscape through connections and innovative activities.

Beyond his career, Tobias shows a great interest in diverse cultures and the contributions they can make when elevating dining experiences. Having lived in multiple destinations across the globe, he is well-versed in navigating multicultural environments. Out with Tobias’s professional life, he remains committed to the quest for knowledge, holding a Bachelor’s Degree in Hospitality Management from Hotelschool The Hague and an Executive MBA with Honours from Politecnico di Milano. He is currently studying for a Doctor of Business Administration at Hult International Business School and is expected to graduate in 2025.

As someone who speaks multiple languages, including German, English, Dutch, and French, Tobias is dedicated to lifelong learning. He is passionate about connecting with culinary and hospitality experts and brands worldwide, forging long-standing and meaningful relationships with specialists in the field. His experience of living and working across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific is at the heart of his professional journey and continues to shape his approach to daily life.

Erik Nissen Johansen

Erik Nissen Johansen is a highly accomplished founder and creative director of Stylt Trampoli, a globally recognized hospitality design studio based in Gothenburg, Sweden. For over 30 years, Erik has been leading Stylt in combining concept development, interior architecture, design, and branding to create unforgettable hotel and restaurant experiences for clients worldwide. Under Erik's visionary leadership, Stylt has won numerous awards, including the Global UNESCO Prix Versailles for best hotel interior twice, National Geographic Traveller Big Sleep Awards twice, AHEAD GLOBAL, Gold Key Awards, and several AHEAD awards. Stylt has also been recognized with the Best New Boutique Hotel in the World, and the IH&P award for world's best SPA design, among others. With over 500 completed restaurants and 250 hotels in its portfolio, Stylt's work speaks for itself. But what sets Stylt apart is its commitment to storytelling as the foundation for its design concepts. For Erik, stories are the key to bringing experiences and brands to life, and they guide every aspect of development, from brand positioning to setting the table. The result is consistent, engaging, and memorable design that creates equally engaging and memorable customer experiences. A Stylt story can even leverage guests as marketers, generating valuable word-of-mouth publicity. Story-based concepts are also well-insulated against fluctuating fashions, ensuring that Stylt's designs remain timeless and relevant for years to come. Some of Stylt's completed and ongoing projects include the Pater Noster Lighthouse in Marstrand, Sweden, Renaissance hotels in Amsterdam, Paris, the Niehku Mountain Villa, the Hyatt Centric Dubai, the 25h Hotels in Düsseldorf, Copenhagen, and Melbourne, the Downtown Camper by Scandic in Stockholm, the LEGO House in Billund, the Huus Hotel in Gstaad, the Lydmar in Stockholm, the Spedition Hotel in Thun, Switzerland, the Klaus K in Helsinki, the Sonya in St. Petersburg, the Stora Hotellet in Umeå, the Well in Oslo, Le Rouge in Stockholm, Le Pain Français in Gothenburg, and the Creekside Villa in Canmore, Canada. Erik's passion for design and hospitality started early. He was born in Oslo, Norway, in 1965 and graduated from the L'Istituto per l'Arte e il Restauro in Florence in 1985, where he earned a diploma in art, art history, marketing, and design. Today, Erik is not only a successful entrepreneur but also a sought-after speaker, sharing his knowledge and experiences at various international events and venues, including Objet et Maison in Paris, BODW Hong Kong, the Cornell School of Hotel Administration, and TedX

Sofie Hedin

Sofie Hedin is an architect and the Hotel Practice Leader at Krook & Tjäder, a firm renowned for its extensive experience in hospitality design, having completed over 700 hotel projects. The firm's expertise spans across hotels, restaurants, and conference spaces, with a focus on creating efficient, well-organized layouts that maximize the use of space while optimizing revenue-generating areas such as hotel rooms, conference halls, bars, and restaurants. Their designs aim to not only enhance the client’s brand and identity but also ensure that aesthetics and functionality are seamlessly integrated. A key element of their approach is considering the well-being and comfort of hotel staff, ensuring all aspects of the hotel function harmoniously together. This holistic perspective has made Krook & Tjäder a sought-after partner for property owners in the hotel industry.

Sofie has extensive experience across all stages of the architectural process, specializing exclusively in hotel projects —from initial concept sketches to detailed construction drawings—she has contributed to both large-scale renovation and new construction projects. Sofie's architectural journey began with several years of work in architectural competitions before she focused her expertise on hotels. Today, she continues to specialize in all phases of hotel design, collaborating closely with her team at Krook & Tjäder.

Heleri Rande

Originally from Estonia, Heleri has lived in seven countries and holds a Bachelor’s Degree from New York University in Economics and Business, as well as an executive MBA in Hospitality Administration from École Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland.

After leading Puccini Group’s growth in EMEA for two years after graduation, she has partnered with Think Hospitality to deliver on F&B strategy projects helping brands and owners assess the market, find the right concept positioning for the properties through strategic advice and review. Her focus is mostly on hotel and mall development projects with a portfolio that includes the likes of Accor, Hilton, Kempinski, Puro Hotels and Peel Holdings.

She is the Consulting Editor of Supper Magazine and programme director at various major hospitality events around the world. She co-founded Ideas-Flavours-Experiences, the leading gastronomy event in the Baltics and the New Baltic Hospitality Forum, the first hotel focused event in the region. Heleri also sits on the board of the Global Restaurant Investment Forum and is the Stammvater of the UK Chapter of EHL Alumni Network.

Christian Kielgast

Christian Kielgast is a partner and has been an integral part of building up and expanding NHC since joining the company in 2008.  The main area of activity is advising investors on hotel transactions, development projects including operator searches and contract negotiations as well as M&A advisory. Over the years, Christian has advised on hotel transactions and development projects with a combined aggregate value in excess of 3 billion EUR. Christian is based on NHC’s Copenhagen office but is active across the Nordics and coordinate cross-border clients and projects.

Christian is a honors graduate from the prestigious hotel management school Ecôle Hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) in Switzerland.

Edvard Øverlier

Edvard Øverlier is an Associate Partner in Nordic Hotel Consulting, focusing on advising real-estate investors and developers. Edvard joined NHC in August 2021 and has since worked on numerous assignments across the Nordics, e.g. hotel transactions, operators searches, property valuations, and development projects.

Edvard holds an BBA with Distinction Honours from the leading hotel management school, Glion Insititute of Higher Education in Switzerland. Edvard specialised in International Hotel Development & Finance, and during his studies he actively participated in the student life, e.g., as President of the Networking Committee.