Julien is a healthcare insurance leader with over two decades of experience in the international health insurance and medical assistance sectors. With expertise in medical provider partnerships, cost containment, and employee benefits, he has navigated the healthcare landscape across APAC and Europe.

As the Director of Medical Network APAC at Aetna International, Julien demonstrated exceptional leadership, orchestrating cost-saving initiatives resulting in significant reductions in medical costs. Notably, Julien played a pivotal role in innovating insurance products, driving exceptional sales.

Julien’s career journey includes key roles at Aetna and Europ Assistance, where strategic network management initiatives yielded medical cost savings and expanded coverage across diverse regions.

With a commitment to employee engagement and a passion for meaningful interactions, Julien fosters strong relationships and delivers performance beyond industry standards.

Katy Youngman has had an extensive career in the healthcare industry, specifically in travel and international private health medical insurance (IPMI). These experiences have provided her with a deep understanding of both the healthcare service provider and payor perspectives.

A significant part of her career has been spent at Allianz partners, where she has had the opportunity to make a substantial and sustainable contribution.

By leveraging her expertise in business, health, and procurement, she has driven positive change and achieved measurable results for the business and members. She takes pride in her ability to identify areas for improvement and implement strategies that enhance the overall customer experience.

One area that particularly excites her is the intersection of digital health services and customer healthcare choice. She strongly believes that technology has the power to revolutionise how healthcare services are accessed and delivered. With a special focus and drive for continuous improvement, she is dedicated to exploring innovative solutions that utilise digital health services to provide customers with more convenient and personalised options.

Alex is a seasoned expert in health and travel risk management with extensive experience throughout Southeast Asia, both as an insurance broker and assistance provider. Alex’s journey into travel assistance services began at International SOS Paris and has since led him to set up his own company, Feti’a assistance.

Feti’a is based in regions where access to quality medical care is a challenge, and its motto is ‘presence matters’. To facilitate seamless cross-border medical transfers and to promote local assistance providers who often work in the shadows, Alex also founded AWARE24, a regional network of local assistance experts across Asia.

Paul Brenchley is a Managing Director & Partner at BCG, based out of the Singapore office. Paul has been in the insurance industry for over 20 years, working for both insurers and supporting them in consulting firms. He has been in Southeast Asia for over 10 years. His focus has been working across a number of (re)insurance companies to help them with their business challenges. This includes new business and proposition build, strategic advice on business growth, driving affinity partnership/bancassurance/agency, improving operational excellence and customer experience.

Adrit is the Managing Director, APAC for CoverGo, an award-winning Insurtech providing enterprise software solutions to insurance companies globally. CoverGo has developed the first fully configurable, modular, no-code health insurance platform for omni-channel distribution, policy admin and claims powered by 500+ open insurance APIs, allowing insurance companies to configure and deploy products at record speed, across any cloud. CoverGo’s vision is to replicate this across GI & Life to become a fully configurable, no-code SaaS platform for all lines of business!

Prior to joining CoverGo, Adrit had over 17 years of experience in insurance, insurtech, and health tech, including co-founding Symbo (embedded insurance insurtech) and serving as the CEO of Vivant (Health Tech). He has also held various leadership roles at RSA & AIG. His extensive background equips him to address key challenges and opportunities in the industry.

Adrit is a firm believer in tech innovation to advance the evolution of the insurance or health sector, a vision perfectly embodied by CoverGo.

Lily Chen was Marketing and Account Services Director of World Link Medical Centers (e.g. Parkway Health China) from 2002 until 2007.

She was the Managing Director of JLT Insurance Brokers China Employee Benefit Business (from 2015 to 2018), and then Founder and Managing Director of Essential Benefit Solutions (since 2008), and Managing Partner of The Martec Group China since 2007. She holds an American Chamber of Commerce Shanghai Entrepreneur Committee Chair and is Former Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce Shanghai Vice President. Lily was named as the 2023 Forbes China 100 Most Influential Chinese Selection Winner.

She attended the University of California, Irvine, Paul Merage School of Business, MBA, and the California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, BS.

Melinda Byrne is a Co-Director at Southern Cross Assist, a renowned organisation specialising in providing vital support and services to insurance companies and individuals alike. With a background as a registered nurse and team leader on the medical assistance desk in a large international assistance company, as well as experience in cost containment, Melinda brings a wealth of expertise to her role.

Melinda’s extensive experience in medical assistance, repatriation, and insurance has equipped her with the insights and expertise necessary to address the unique needs and challenges of these sectors. Her passion for her job and her relentless pursuit of excellence have earned her widespread respect within the industry. Her strategic mindset, coupled with her innate leadership qualities, has helped to establish Southern Cross Assist as a cornerstone of reliability and efficiency in these critical areas.

Combining her knowledge of healthcare, insurance, and assistance services, Melinda has played a pivotal role in the establishment of Southern Cross Assist.

Dr Jacob Thomas, a medical doctor, has vast experience in hospital management, having served in various capacities at the Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care Group (RSDH). He was the Executive Director of their flagship hospital, Subang Jaya Medical Centre (SJMC) for nine years. He is currently the Group Medical Advisor at Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care which comprises seven hospitals in Malaysia and Indonesia. RSDH is a leading tertiary care medical group in the region, reputed for its quality medical care and service excellence. 

Dr Thomas was appointed as the Champion (Head) of the Private Healthcare Productivity Nexus under the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (M)PC), which seeks to improve productivity of the private healthcare sector in Malaysia. This also includes the must-awaited enhanced Public Private Partnership (PPP). He serves as a Councillor of the Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH), which is an accredited member of ISQua.  Dr Thomas was a member of the Joint Commission International (JCI) Board from 2014 till 2022. In January 2021 he was appointed as the Chair of this prestigious Board which is based in Chicago USA till December 2022. He has served as the President of the Association of Private Hospitals of Malaysia (APHM) from 2008–2018. He was also the Chairman of the Board of Directors at Ramsay Sime Darby Health Care since its formation in 2013 until August 2021.

Dr Thomas works closely with Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) and various Government agencies and NGOs to promote Malaysian Healthcare both locally and internationally.

He was the recipient of the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award for Healthcare by Global Health & Travel. This prestigious award is a testament for his contribution to the development of healthcare regionally.

In May 2023, Dr Thomas was recognised and awarded the Thomas Masterson Healthcare Pioneer of the Year in Asia-Pacific, which aims to recognise leading health experts by honouring the memory of Thomas Masterson (Co-Founder of Global-health Asia Pacific). This prestigious award also acknowledges his pioneering spirit and substantial impact on the healthcare industry and medical tourism sector.