ITIC MEA 2025

Dr Joseph Lelo is the Medical Director at AMREF Flying Doctors. He is a practicing anaesthesiologist and an experienced flight physician, having performed complex and demanding aeromedical patient transfers across the globe. A graduate of The University of Nairobi’s medical school, he holds a Master of Medicine degree in Anaesthesiology and a Bachelors degree in Medicine and Surgery. He is also a certified aviation medical examiner with the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority. He holds certification in pre-hospital care and is a life support instructor certified by the American Heart Association.

Waseem El Tanahi business development director of CONNEX Assistance, the leading provider of medical and travel assistance in the Middle East and Africa. El Tanahi has over twenty-five years of executive experience in various managerial positions held in the UK, UAE, and Egypt.  He specialises in scaling strategies for SMEs and has been tasked with the expansion of CONNEX Assistance throughout this diverse and sometimes challenging region.

Laura Hilton has over 25 years’ experience creating quality-driven, cost-effective global healthcare networks. The architect of a worldwide healthcare network available to over 62 million insured members in 180+ countries, Laura is passionate about leveraging technology to simplify the healthcare experience. Laura has developed customized international healthcare solutions for multinational corporations, family offices, study abroad programs, NGOs and professional sports teams. A graduate of Yale University, Laura speaks five languages.

Dr Olutomiwa Ogunbona is a highly versed and passionate Occupational Health Physician, licensed to practice with both the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria and the General Medical Council, UK. He draws a wealth of knowledge from across the globe including from universities in Nigeria, South Africa, Europe, and the US.

Dr Ogunbona has made significant contributions across multiple industries, including oil and gas, manufacturing, construction, and the financial sector. His work has been instrumental in enhancing workplace health and safety standards in these sectors.

He is the co-founder of Ambulance Nigeria Medical Assistance, HELP Medical Technologies, and Holistic Care Medicals. Through these initiatives, he has played a pivotal role in advancing emergency medical services, corporate healthcare management, and innovative medical technologies in Nigeria, Africa and beyond.

He serves on the board of several prominent organisations, including Precious Stone, Pentabonat Ventures, Ambulance Nigeria Medical Assistance Limited, 3As Medical Services, and HELP Technologies. His leadership and strategic expertise have been vital in shaping these organisations’ contributions to the healthcare industry.

A fellow of numerous prestigious medical bodies, Dr Ogunbona is affiliated with the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society (UHMS) US, the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) UK, the Society for Occupational and Environmental Health Physicians of Nigeria (SOEHPON), and the Hyperbaric Medical Practitioner Society of Nigeria (HMPSN).

He has authored and co-authored several academic publications, further contributing to medical literature and knowledge-sharing.

Benoit is the Head of International Mobility Market at IMA GROUP (France), in charge of all development and marketing aspects of expatriates and business travellers’ assistance solutions.

Before joining IMA Group in early 2018, Benoit was based in SSEA for several years working for International SOS as a Business Development manager, and then as Branch Manager of the Cambodian office.

Prior to that, Benoit held marketing and @business positions in the BtC insurance industry (MAIF) Benoit holds a Specialized Masters in marketing management from ESSEC Business School and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the IAE (Institut d’Administration des Entreprises).

Sebastien Bedu is the General Manager of the Middle East team, based at the International SOS office in Dubai. He joined International SOS as the Branch Manager of MedAire, the Aviation & Maritime division of International SOS, in 2015.

In 2021, Sebastien was promoted as General Manager, GCC, where he led the Commercial and Operations teams for the region. In 2023, Sebastien’s scope was extended to the whole Middle East with a specific focus on International SOS’ Health & Security Travel Risk Management solutions.

Prior to joining International SOS, Sebastien worked for several large corporations where he was the Director of Sales for the Middle East.

Dr Ahmed Monir is an accomplished health and wellness expert, founder, and leader of the LGA Assistance Group (LGA Assistance, Qatar Assistance, KSA Assistance, and the soon to launch Africa Assistance, East & West Africa Assist, and Egypt Aid) which focuses on medical and travel assistance. He is also currently spearheading a project that will change the playing field for medical tourism. Throughout the past 20 years, Ahmed’s passion has been to inspire people in investing in their health and wellness.

Backed by his MA in Medicine from Cairo University, his medical experience, and travel enthusiasm, Ahmed is known for his advocacy to bridge the body and mind. Through the organisations he founded, he strives to share his vision with millions of people and travellers.

His visionary outlook has earned him opportunities to work on the global market with projects that were entrusted to his group, most recently in the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. With his leadership, LGA Assistance Group created a ground-breaking tool called Healthcare Provider Auto-Selection System that redefines how we picture, do, and innovate cost-containment strategies. Whatever Ahmed puts his heart into, it flourishes and grows.

With over 23 years of experience in the healthcare and insurance sector, Amber Musson-Thorp specialises in health, wellness, population health management and insurance strategy, focusing on growth, leadership, and business development. She has a proven track record of driving sustainable growth for global insurers, providers, intermediaries and corporate entities across multiple jurisdictions, including the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Amber has held leadership roles in some of the largest multinational corporations, focusing on growth and proposition development, and has been a judge for the UK Health & Protection Awards since 2021. Her latest role was Group Commercial Director MEA and GM of Lifecare International brokers in Qatar. She recently moved into a consulting role to use her experience and network to connect and advise the healthcare sector through the fascinating landscape of innovation available to manage population health, longevity, insurance and industry business development.

Amber is based in Qatar but is supporting businesses globally in achieving their growth ambitions.

After graduating from the Political Science and International Relations Department (Fr) at Marmara University in 1996, Bilge Bora had a master’s degree in both Business Administration and Marketing at Yeditepe University in 2001. Bora,who started her career at Koçbank in 1996, worked in the Sales and Retail Banking departments for many years. After working as Branch Manager, Regional Manager and Sales Manager at Türkiye Ekonomi Bankası, she worked as Sales Manager and Bancassurance Director at Akbank, Garanti BBVA and Türk Ekonomi Bankası. Working as the  Customer Communication Director at BNP Paribas Cardiff Pension as of May 2015, Bora resigned from this position on July 1, 2022, and became the General Manager of marm assistance.

Bilge Bora, who is fluent in both English and French, is also a Professional Coach, Mentor, and Internal Trainer.

Ozan Alemdaroğlu is the Deputy General Manager of Redstar Aviation, leading the commercial and operations management. Having graduated with a degree in business management, he has over 15 years of experience in the medical assistance industry.

Ozan started his career within the medical assistance industry on operations, and was also involved in air medical services. He held the positions of Project Manager, Business Development Manager, Business Development and Operations Director, respectively.

Having been involved in leading international projects and specialising in offshore operations, occupational health and emergency medical assistance, Ozan has held the role of Deputy General Manager since 2018.

Elena Rethorn, holding a Masters in HealthCare, is a distinguished speaker in several Universities in Europe and MENA Region, teaching Leadership and Emotional Intelligence for healthcare professionals and non medical students.
With over 20 years of experience in Medical assistance, she has gone through a long journey starting her career from being a paramedic, travel agent, hospital coordinator and finally, medical provider across the Globe. Elena has inspired people across MENA Region, Asia and Europe, combining theoretical knowledge with practical applications to facilitate professional and personal success in Healthcare organisations. Additionally, she serves as the Mrs. Earth Environmental Ambassador UAE 2023, advocating for environmental awareness and sustainable practices.