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Dr Gary Daniels

Gary has long been interested in work organisations and employment relations. This influenced his choice of MA, PhD and his research at the University of Manchester and Keele University, UK, which fell into two distinct areas: work-life balance and trade union organisation. Following a successful academic career, Gary turned to industry and established, owned, and managed hospitality businesses in China for a decade, which endowed him with a wealth of new knowledge and achievements. Indeed, this industry experience allowed him to look at hospitality and employment issues with new perspectives and has most recently prompted a keen research focus on external disruptions in the hospitality industry.

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Dr Rita Lo

Dr Rita Lo is currently Secretary for the Malaysia Executive Housekeeper Association. She has worked with several hotels and International Hotel Association on projects involving service quality, room division management, pro-management program and hotel operation documentation. Her areas of expertise include room division operations management, fragrance creation and revenue data analytic management. Her scope of research comprises the effective service quality tools for the hotel and tourism industry, hotel pricing strategy and revenue management strategy. Prior to joining the education industry, Dr Rita took on a supervisory role in Rooms Revenue, Room Division Operations, Guest Relation Executive as well as Training Supervisor at various hotels and retail companies.

Dr Prachi Thakur

Dr Prachi Thakur is a two-time TEDx speaker and diversity strategist who co-wrote the regional report for Asia and the Pacific on Gender in Tourism for UNWTO in 2022. Using training as her tool, Dr Thakur has been actively working with hospitality businesses in equipping individuals with inclusive skills and competencies. She is a sought-after speaker and has been invited to multiple international conferences including Asia Pacific Tourism Association (APTA) and UNWTO’s Regional Conference on the Empowerment of Women in Tourism in Asia and the Pacific. Dr Thakur is also a passionate researcher with interests at the juncture of inclusion, tourism, and hospitality.

Karen Lui Koon Ling

Ms Karen Lui has close to 20 years of professional and hospitality and tourism education experience. She is currently pursuing her PhD, researching on areas of hospitality education and works. Her other credentials include a Certified Hospitality Trainer awarded by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel and Lodging Association; a Certified ServSafe Instructor and Registered Examination Proctor with globally-recognized National Restaurant Association, USA; a HRDF Certified and Accredited Trainer recognised by the Ministry of Human Resources, Malaysia; a trained Professional Barista under Barista Guild Asia; a SCA Barista Skills (Intermediate) with Specialty Coffee Association and a Certified Food Handler Trainer from the Ministry of Health (MOH), Malaysia.

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Associate Professor Dr Daniel Chong Ka Leong

Associate Professor Dr Daniel Chong possesses over 18 years of experience in hospitality education and training. Holding a Doctorate in Business Administration with a specialisation in branding, he is recognised as a certified corporate trainer, hotelier, sommelier, and barista. Actively engaged in Malaysia's F&B industry through industrial projects and ongoing education initiatives, Dr Chong brings invaluable expertise to the field. With a strong background in management, training, and consultancy within the F&B sector, he has represented leading multinational hotel groups and franchised restaurants. Dr Chong's research contributions encompass sustainable practices, challenges, and opportunities within Asia's tourism, hospitality, and food industries.

Hairani M. Nur

Hairani M Nur is a Principal Teaching Fellow at the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Her teaching areas focuses on the planning and execution of events at Diploma and Degree programme. For practical elements, she continuously adds value to students’ experiential learning with event projects that incorporate external stakeholders such as academic conferences.

Apart from teaching, she guides the School’s teams for national and international competitions on MICE-related topics, with the most recent competitions being MICE Destination Marketing Contest 2021 organized by the Bureau of Foreign Trade and Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and AFECA Asia MICE Youth Challenge 2021organized by the Asian Federation of Exhibition and Convention Associations (AFECA).

She designs and implements short courses such as Certificate in Sustainable City Destination and Certificate in Sustainable City Destination Application, with participations from Japanese and Indonesian universities.

She participates in professional trainings especially those organized by the Malaysian Association of Convention and Exhibition Organizers and Suppliers (MACEOS) to enhance her skills and knowledge in business events.

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Dr Siti ‘Atikah Rusli

Siti Atikah Rusli is a dedicated academic with teaching experience in both public and private universities. Her strong educational background, combined with her passion for higher education, has led her to pursue a PhD. While working towards this degree, she is actively engaged in scholarly and research activities related to religious tourism and information technology.

Nur Fadillah Binti Saidin

Nur Fadillah is a Lecturer in Culinary Arts. She completed both her Diploma and Bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts at University Technology of MARA (UiTM), Malaysia and obtained her Master’s degree in International Hotel and Food Service Management from Bournemouth University, United Kingdom. Currently, she is pursuing her PhD in Hospitality and Tourism Management. Prior to joining academia, she has worked in retail and as a Chef at an Asian Fusion restaurant and a Japanese restaurant in the United Kingdom.

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Evelyn Loh Geok Yan

Evelyn Loh formerly oversees marketing and PR initiatives for the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management. She is an avid writer and has contributed to numerous editorial writings on behalf of the School, as well as published in peer-reviewed academic journals. Her research interests include crisis management in hospitality, sustainable tourism, e-commerce applications in tourism, and hospitality marketing. Evelyn is currently pursuing a PhD in Hospitality and Tourism at ºìÐÓÊÓƵ University.