Sarah Loftus

Managing Director, Make It York

Sarah is Managing Director of Make It York. Prior to this role she was Chief Executive for LincolnBIG, a not-for-profit placemaking organisation, tasked with ensuring Lincoln city centre was well maintained, welcoming, creatively animated and had great public spaces. She has over 25 years of experience of reducing inequalities and creating growth, having delivered several complex physical and revenue regeneration and town centre management projects. Sarah holds an MPhil in Town Planning from University College London.

Andrew Stokes

England Director at VisitEngland

Andrew Stokes OBE is England Director at VisitEngland, part of VisitBritain, the national tourism organisation for Britain and England. He leads VisitEngland's work to support destinations and tourism businesses across England, helping drive growth in the visitor economy through destination development, industry collaboration and the Local Visitor Economy Partnership programme. Andrew joined VisitEngland in 2016 after 16 years as Chief Executive of Marketing Manchester and brings more than three decades of experience across tourism, culture and major events.

Katerina Rysova

Senior Insights Manager, VisitBritain

Katerina is a Senior Insights Manager at VisitBritain. Katerina has delivered data, analysis and presentations across domestic and inbound tourism, leveraging a range of data sources, also diving into areas such as accessible and inclusive tourism, regional analysis and understanding the tourism business landscape in England. Katerina has 20 years' experience in Research and Insight, with the most recent four years at VisitBritain.

David Flesher

Commercial Director at LNER

David Flesher is a commercially driven brand and marketing specialist who leads LNER's commercial directorate covering marketing, revenue management, sales and distribution, and analytics and insight. Having spent over 20 years working across financial services, tourism and leisure, automotive and rail, David knows how to build brands, drive conversion and grow revenue founded in the power of the customer experience. Prior to LNER, David has held senior roles across a number of UK and global organisations, including Aviva and Cox Automotive.

Kieron Smith

Artistic Director, Mr Smith Entertainment Ltd

Kieron has worked in the entertainment industry for over 30 years. Originally an actor by profession, he appeared in the West End, repertory theatre and on national tours and TV, before moving into theatre directing. Since 2000 he’s been writing and directing shows and multimedia experiences for attractions and theme Parks across the globe for companies including Merlin Entertainments, Universal Creative, Disney and Lego. In addition to opening twelve immersive attractions around the world, he’s written and directed large-scale action-packed spectaculars, fun family shows, as well as rides and films for many exciting brands and IPs.

Dr Brendan Paddison

As an urban geographer, Brendan's research interests include tourism and destination management, spatial justice, policy, and collaborative forms of destination governance and development. Brendan teaches across a range of Business and Management subject areas, including tourism, responsible business and politics and completed his PhD titled Governance and Community Advocacy in Tourism Development: An International Comparison. Brendan leads the Visitor Economy and Experience research group at York St John, is co-chair of the Tourism Education Futures Initiative (TEFI) and Chair of the York Tourism Advisory Board. He is Subject Editor: Tourism for the Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education and a member of the editorial boards for the Journal of Teaching in Travel and Tourism and the e-Review of Tourism Research journal.