Our Advisory Board Members
Meet our inaugural Advisory Board and learn more about the visionaries inspiring our future and growth.
- Bekezela Ndlovu
- CEO & Founder, African Bush Camps and African Bush Camps Foundation
What excites you most about the future of Black Travel Summit?
What excites me most about the future of the Black Travel Summit is its power to reshape the global travel narrative. It creates a platform that not only celebrates Black voices and stories but also opens doors for deeper representation, opportunity, and collaboration across the travel industry. I’m particularly inspired by how it brings together changemakers, thought leaders, and innovators who are committed to building a more inclusive and sustainable future for travel.
Bekezela Ndlovu - Advisory Details
CEO & Founder of African Bush Camps and African Bush Camps Foundation
Bekezela “Beks” Ndlovu began his journey in tourism as a Professional Safari Guide after completing his studies at Plumtree School in 1995. He gained invaluable experience with leading operators like Wilderness Safaris, before launching his own bespoke safari company in 2001. His extensive guiding work across Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda gave him deep pan-African insight into tourism and conservation. In 2006, Beks founded African Bush Camps, starting with Somalisa in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Since then, he has grown the company to include 18 camps across Zimbabwe, Botswana, and Zambia, supported by a strong reservations and marketing arm, and the African Bush Camps Foundation. Now CEO of the African Bush Camps Group, which employs over 600 people, Beks leads with a strong focus on sales, marketing, and strategic development. A passionate conservationist, he is committed to integrating community upliftment and environmental stewardship into the core of his tourism ventures.
- Gai A. Spann
- Founder & Travel Artist, SPANNing the Globe Tours
What excites you most about the future of Black Travel Summit?
I’m excited to learn more about the vision and direction of the Black Travel Summit. I truly believe the Black travel demographic has long been overlooked across all sectors of the industry. There’s a real need for an organization that can unite the many voices—industry professionals, content creators, business owners, and travelers—to create meaningful impact and lasting impressions.
The first step is sparking dialogue and bringing together representatives from both the industry and the consumer side. I’m genuinely interested in being part of that conversation and contributing to the movement.
Gai A. Spann - Advisory Details
Founder & Travel Artist, SPANNing the Globe Tours
Gai Spann is a seasoned business development executive and global travel expert with over 20 years of experience in hospitality, tourism, and B2B sales. She is the founder of SPANNing the Globe Tours, a boutique travel company specializing in customized, culturally immersive experiences. A recognized industry leader, Gai was named one of TravelPulse Magazine’s Top 20 Influential Women in Travel. Her career includes leadership roles with major travel brands like Apple Leisure Group and Ensemble Travel Group, where she drove multimillion-dollar sales growth and strategic partnerships. Gai holds a master’s degree in Hospitality Management from Florida International University and a bachelor’s in Economics and Marketing from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Jamie-Lee Abtar
-
Head of Marketing,
Not in the Guidebooks
What excites you most about the future of Black Travel Summit?
What excites me most is its growing power to drive systemic change in how Black travellers are represented and catered to across the industry. The Summit is becoming a vital space for thought leadership, creativity, and global collaboration uniting professionals, entrepreneurs, and creators who are rewriting the rules of travel culture and access.
Jamie-Lee Abtar - Advisory Details
Brand and Strategy Director, Mirabelle Communications
Jamie-Lee Abtar is a strategic brand builder, author, and senior marketing leader with over 15 years’ experience helping travel, leisure and hospitality brands elevate their identity and drive sustainable commercial growth. Her career spans tourism boards, tour operators, agencies and global campaigns, giving her a rare cross-industry perspective on what truly moves travellers from interest to action.
Based in London, UK, Jamie-Lee is the Brand & Strategy Director at global marketing agency Mirabelle Communications, where she works with travel and lifestyle brands to develop clear positioning, compelling storytelling and long-term commercial growth.
She is also the author of Strategic Branding in Tourism, a practical guide exploring how travel brands can build stronger identities, create meaningful connections with travellers, and drive long-term brand value in an increasingly competitive global market.
- Carrington M. Carter
- Co-founder & General Partner, East Chop Capital Co-founder & Managing Partner, Getaway Society
What excites you most about the future of Black Travel Summit?
Helping it to become the globally-recognized gathering of the Black diaspora travel ecosystem.
Carrington M. Carter - Advisory Details
Co-founder & General Partner, East Chop Capital Co-founder & Managing Partner, Getaway Society
Carrington M. Carter is a serial entrepreneur, real estate developer, investor, and wealth strategist who is passionate about building businesses, economic empowerment, wealth creation, and uplifting the community. He is Co-founder & General Partner of East Chop Capital, a multi-asset private equity firm with a hybrid focus on real estate development and angel investing. Carrington is also Co-founder and Managing Partner of Getaway Society, a luxury vacation rental home company with a portfolio of homes across several states.
- S. Lovey Parker
-
Executive Director & Founder, Black Hoteliers & Investors
Association (BH&IA)
What excites you most about the future of Black Travel Summit?
I’m most excited by Black Travel Summit’s growing global reach and its bold shift toward aligning creators and entrepreneurs with an investment lens. By weaving capital conversations through its programming—like the pitch competition and business-building workshops—BTS is evolving into a platform that doesn’t just celebrate Black travel, but actively accelerates ownership, scale, and generational wealth.
This direction deeply aligns with my work at the Black Hoteliers & Investors Association to grow Black ownership of independent hotels and resorts to $8B globally by 2060. BTS is becoming a vital bridge between culture and capital in travel—and that’s the future we need.
S. Lovey Parker - Advisory Details
Executive Director & Founder, Black Hoteliers & Investors Association (BH&IA)
S. Lovey Parker is an industry-defining force at the intersection of hospitality, investment, and social impact. As the founder and Executive Director of the Black Hoteliers & Investors Association (BH&IA), she is architecting a bold new future—one in which Black ownership is not the exception but the expectation across independent and boutique hotels and resorts.
With a distinguished background in hospitality leadership and a master’s degree from Georgetown University, S. Lovey has emerged as one of the most influential voices in the movement to close the racial ownership gap in commercial real estate. Her groundbreaking thesis, Independent Boutique Hotels & Equitable Representation of Black Ownership, catalyzed the formation of BH&IA in 2023. Since then, the organization has become a trailblazing nonprofit trade association dedicated to building an $8 billion ecosystem of Black-owned hospitality assets by 2060.
- Michele Bondanelli
-
Head of Leisure
Sales, Hyatt Hotels
Corp.
What excites you most about the future of Black Travel Summit?
Black Travel Summit commitment to the Black Diaspora and its vibrant culture. Additionally, BTS' mission to increase the visibility, representation, and economic empowerment of Black travelers and travel professionals within the industry. For those of us that have been fortunate to participate in the various summits - we quickly realized how much of a safe and inclusive spaces that BTS has created for Black travelers, while advocating for diversity and inclusion in travel.
Michele Bondanelli - Advisory Details
Head of Leisure Sales, Hyatt Hotels Corp.
A sales leader with 20+ years of experience in developing and implementing sales and marketing strategies to reach optimal results and deliver profitable growth. Energetic, innovative, positive, enthusiastic individual with very strong commercial skills while possessing a high level of integrity.
- Florian Valmy-Devillers
- Business Development Director, Caribbean Tourism Organisation Chapter UK & Europe CEO, FVD International
What excites you most about the future of Black Travel Summit?
Help shape a future where Black travelers are celebrated, empowered, and authentically represented across the global travel industry.
Florian Valmy-Devillers - Advisory Details
Business Development Director, Caribbean Tourism Organisation Chapter UK & Europe CEO, FVD International
Florian Valmy-Devillers is a trilingual tourism expert and strategic marketer with a Master’s degree in International Affairs (Tourism) awarded with Distinction. He is the Business Director of the Caribbean Tourism Organization Chapter UK & Europe and CEO of FVD International, a consultancy focused on sustainable tourism and international brand development. Florian has delivered high-level projects across five continents, including ministerial activations at the European Commission and international forums involving government, tourism leaders, and media. For the past three years, he has also served as a part-time lecturer at the Master’s level, teaching Digital Marketing and Crisis Communication. With experience spanning South Africa to Cuba, and a cross-cultural perspective shaped by his French Caribbean heritage, Florian brings a global mindset, strong industry insight, and a passion for aviation, videography, and meaningful collaboration. His ultimate career goal is to contribute to the blueprint for a more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable future for all through travel and tourism.
- Jessica Mutuku
- CEO and Founder, Tyler Group Holdings
What excites you most about the future of Black Travel Summit?
I’m excited about how Black Travel Summit is positioning itself as a true global force. An ecosystem where Black travelers, entrepreneurs, and professionals are not only represented but are driving innovation, investment, and cultural influence in the travel industry. The future holds greater visibility, meaningful partnerships, and a legacy that uplifts our community across borders.
Jessica Mutuku - Advisory Details
CEO and Founder, Tyler Group Holdings
Jessica is an investor, M&A strategist, and business growth expert with over 15 years of experience across real estate, healthcare, technology, media, and luxury markets. She has negotiated and structured over $100 million in deals and specializes in identifying undervalued assets, scaling businesses, and driving profitability. As CFO of Black Travel Summit and CEO of Tyler Group Holdings, Jessica combines financial strategy, brand building, philanthropy, and a passion for travel to create opportunities and empower underrepresented communities worldwide
- Esosa Osagiede
- Award-Winning Creative Director
What excites you most about the future of Black Travel Summit?
What excites me most about the future of the Black Travel Summit is the opportunity to help shape and elevate the global narrative around Black travelers through the lens of creativity and storytelling. As a brand shaper and advertising expert, I understand the power of narrative to influence culture, shift perceptions, and create space where none existed. The Summit is more than an event—it’s a movement. It offers a platform to champion authentic Black stories, build emotionally resonant experiences, and foster global connections that empower our community. I’m inspired by the role creativity can play in making the Black travel experience not just visible, but unforgettable, desirable, and deeply valued
Esosa Osagiede - Advisory Details
Advertising. Insight Publicis Nigeria
Esosa Osagiede is an award-winning Creative Director with nearly two decades of experience crafting bold, culture-shaping campaigns for global brands. She currently leads creative at Insight Publicis, where her team won Grand Prix at LAIF 2023 and secured Agency of the Year in 2024. Named Most Outstanding Creative Director (WIMCA 2023 & 2024), Creative Personality of the Year (Edge Awards), and a DARE! 2025 honoree, Esosa is also a passionate mentor and advocate for female representation in advertising. In 2023, she was the only West African selected for the Cannes Lions See It Be It program. With jury experience at Cannes Lions, CLIO, D&AD, and The One Show, Esosa brings visionary leadership and a deep commitment to elevating Black voices in global creative spaces.