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REDEFINING WHAT IT MEANS TO “LIVE WELL”: EXPLORING WELLNESS COMMUNITIES AND LIFESTYLE REAL ESTATE ROUNDTABLE
January 31, 2017
Anna Bjurstam
Vice President of Spas & Wellness, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas
Anna has always been dedicated to wellness, and has worked in the business for 25 years. Together with her hands on expertise in wellness and a Master Degree in Business, Anna is also now working with Pegasus Capital Advisors as a Strategic Advisor as well as their portfolio companies Six Senses and Raison d’Etre. She is VP of Six Senses Spas with 30+ locations world-wide as well as being a partner in Raison d’Etre Think Tank Wellness, with over 120 projects executed in 65 different countries, as well as it its own wellness brand LivNordic in its portfolio.
James Brewer
Workspace Consultant, Steelcase
In his role as Workplace Consultant at Steelcase, James leverages a diversified background in management, sales, strategic design and project management to inform innovative solutions. He is focused on helping organizations understand how physical space can be optimized to promote employee wellbeing and organizational performance. Additionally, James is driving research initiatives designed to broaden our understanding of how the built-environment can support employee wellbeing.
Dr. Anjan Chatterjee
Elliott Professor of Neurology, The University of Pennsylvania
Anjan Chatterjee is the Chair of Neurology at Pennsylvania Hospital. He wrote The Aesthetic Brain: How we evolved to desire beauty and enjoy art and co-edited: Neuroethics in Practice: Mind, medicine, and society, and The Roots of Cognitive Neuroscience: behavioral neurology and neuropsychology. He has received the Norman Geschwind Prize in Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology and the Rudolph Arnheim Prize for contribution to Psychology and the Arts. He is a past President of the International Association of Empirical Aesthetics and of the Behavioral and Cognitive Neurology Society.
Dr. Lawrence Choy
Co-Founder and Medical Director, Elite Focus Clinic
Lawrence Choy M.D. is a Stanford-trained psychiatrist and diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is the co-founder and medical director of Elite Focus Clinic, a specialty clinic treating Adult ADHD and cognitive performance in Silicon Valley. Dr. Choy particularly specializes in clinical neuroscience and neuroenhancement in helping his patients improve their overall well-being. Dr. Choy has more than 10 years of clinical experience treating diverse patient populations.
Susie Ellis
Chairman and CEO, Global Wellness Institute
Susie Ellis is chairman and CEO of the Global Wellness Institute and leads its research and wellness initiatives. She also guides the Global Wellness Summit. Susie is a prominent industry analyst and speaker and is frequently quoted in news outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and the Financial Times. She was president of Spafinder Wellness, Inc. ® for over 14 years.
Joanna Frank
Executive Director, Center for Active Design
Joanna Frank is the founding Executive Director of the Center for Active Design. Prior to launching the Center, Joanna worked for the City of New York, where her positions included Director of Active Design and Director of the NYC FRESH program. Before working for the City, Frank was a Partner at Bright City Development, LLC where she was responsible for the development of mixed-use residential buildings using sustainable design criteria. Frank is a member of the American Heart Association Workplace Health Steering Committee [National].
Andrew Gibson
Vice President Well Being Luxury Brands, AccorHotels
As vice president of Well-Being at AccorHotels luxury brands, Andrew Gibson is responsible for the development and execution of the company’s wellness strategy globally for 6 luxury brands. He is responsible for developing a strategy that embraces wellness throughout each hotel starting from concepts and design to implementation of standards. He has over 25 years of international hospitality experience in the fields of spa, wellness and leisure.
Ben H. Gill
One Planet Communities Manager, Bioregional
Ben oversees Bioregional’s One Planet Communities program, ensuring the program’s high level targets are in line with the latest climate science and supporting the program’s members in implementing their strategies to meet these ambitious targets. Ben undertakes regular performance reviews of the projects to gather data on the health and well-being benefits of sustainable communities, and to share this practical implementation experience with the other members. Ben has 15 years’ experience in the environmental sector latterly focusing on creating healthy and sustainable communities.
Ross Guttler
Vice President, Business Development, Delos Living LLC
Ross has spent 15 years in investment, development and advisory roles across multiple product sectors. At Delos, Ross manages strategic relationships among Fortune 100 clients as well as institutional investors, owners and landlords. Having joined Delos in the early stages, he has led the growth of several business lines. In addition, Ross serves in an advisory capacity to a NY-based startup focused on developing spectral sensors for the built environment.
Katherine Ophelia
Senior Research Fellow, Global Wellness Institute
Katherine Johnston has 17 years of experience conducting economic and industry competitiveness studies worldwide. Since 2008, Katherine has partnered with the Global Wellness Institute to pioneer groundbreaking research on the global wellness industry. Katherine has worked as a senior economist at SRI International, a major nonprofit research and consulting firm, since 1999. She holds degrees from Sweet Briar College and Georgetown University.
Saskia Kunst
Founder & CEO, Consiglio Corporate Development
Saskia Kunst is a senior global executive with a number of multinationals both in Asia and Europe. Passionate about wellness in the workplace, Saskia, in her role as managing director, successfully introduced many health-related initiatives at the Schiedam office of the SBM Offshore group. She holds a master of arts degree and an MBA from the Simon Business School/University of Rochester.
Mia Kyricos
President, Kyricos & Associates LLC
Mia Kyricos is president and founder of Kyricos & Associates LLC, a boutique advisory firm providing strategic guidance to wellness, hospitality, tourism and lifestyle companies on a global scale with a specialty in brand strategy. With over 20 years of experience, Mia has helped to develop, operate, and market wellness-related brands and facilities across 100+ countries. She also regularly advises owners on the development of wellness communities, is a Global Wellness Summit Board Member, an Advisory Board Member for the University of California Irvine, and the Brand Architect of the Global Wellness Institute.
Joshua Luckow
Executive Director, Canyon Ranch, U.S.
Joshua Luckow is an entrepreneurial and visionary executive with proven performance within diverse disciplines—strategy, operations, business development, branding and marketing, finance and information technology—for public and private global firms ranging in size from $180 million to $52 billion, with over a decade spent at Canyon Ranch. Joshua is co-founder/president of NEXUS Executives, an organization that unites business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the economy. Joshua Luckow is an entrepreneurial and visionary executive with proven performance within diverse disciplines—strategy, operations, business development, branding and marketing, finance and information technology—for public and private global firms ranging in size from $180 million to $52 billion, with over a decade spent at Canyon Ranch. Joshua is co-founder/president of NEXUS Executives, an organization that unites business leaders and entrepreneurs from across the economy.
Christopher Norton
CEO, Equinox
Christopher Norton is Chief Executive Officer Equinox’s hotel business, Norton oversees all facets of Equinox’s luxury hospitality business and execute future growth strategy. Norton brings over 28 years of industry experience with Four Seasons, overseeing global hotel operations and defining the brand’s future product vision, through design and construction.
Veronica Schreibeis Smith
Principal Architect, Vera Iconica Architecture
Veronica Schreibeis Smith began her career in Peru and South Korea with projects ranging from upgrades to the Hyatt Regency Incheon to working with the people of Lake Titicaca to develop thermal baths using local materials and masonry techniques. She also founded Vera Iconica Architecture, which focuses on sculpting space from the landscape to create graceful experiences that connect self to place.
Brooke Warrick
American LIVES, Inc.
Brooke Warrick, founder of American LIVES, Inc., has been a leader in values and lifestyle research for over three decades since his early days at SRI. Specializing in residential and resort real estate, including the design of health and wellness oriented communities; he has worked with Canyon Ranch, Miraval, as well as projects throughout North America, including Central America and the Caribbean. Brooke focuses on sustainable design as a LEED trained professional. He is currently designing a program to optimize the health and wellbeing of Baby Boomers.
David Wickline
Chairman, Alchemy Ventures Group
David Wickline’s career spans investment banking (Morgan/Goldman Sachs) and developing over $500 million of resorts in partnership with leading investors who value his alchemist’s ability to spot undervalued opportunities and deliver stellar returns. David’s ventures include California hot springs, a Napa winery, Micronesian resorts and the assembling of 10 kilometers of Pacific coastline for an eco-resort that has won praise from international environmental groups.
Ophelia Yeung
Senior Research Fellow, Global Wellness Institute
Ophelia Yeung has extensive experience leading research and strategy development for business, nonprofit, multilateral and government organizations, including 20-plus years at SRI International, a technology and innovation company. Since 2008, Ophelia has co-authored several research studies for the Global Wellness Institute, including Global Spa and Wellness Economy 2014 and The Future of Wellness at Work 2016. Ophelia holds advanced degrees from Smith College and Princeton University
