Natalya Butakova is a CEO of AP Companies Global Solutions, leading international independent TPA, health care management, cost containment and emergency medical assistance company. Natalya has been with AP Companies since 2005, having previously worked in private hospitals. Within AP she had been involved into business development projects, client management, new offices set ups, sales and digitalization processes. “Growing together with AP has been inspiring and exciting. Work has never been routine and monotonous for me, but rather always challenging, developing and motivating. Helping people to live better life and getting better healthcare by itself is a huge motivator”.

Brad joined TuGo in 2003 as Executive Director, Business Development. He’s now Chief Customer Officer and responsible for all customer-facing operations. In addition to overseeing growth in the traditional sales segments, he manages the Customer Operations and Customer Service teams.

Brad brings more than 35 years of insurance experience to the team, 25 of which were spent with AON and Marsh & McLennan, where his role involved providing risk management and consulting services to corporate clients, with an emphasis on medical and health insurance program structure.

Most recently, he served as President of Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada’s (THiA) Executive Board, having previously served as Vice-President. He is still active on the Executive Board in his current role of Past President.

Brad attended Concordia University College of Alberta and the University of Alberta. He has a Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker designation.

I have held senior positions within health and travel assistance for over 15 years. I have extensive experience setting-up and managing multi-cultural teams and offices and developing global networks. I thrive in challenging situations where lean and change management practises can be applied to create a sustainable working environment along with creating a happy and productive work culture.

Successes include process improvement and optimisation for service enhancement and cost efficiency, business development for growth and global recognition, tech initiatives and implementation for streamlining operations and optimising consumer experience.

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.

For 35 years, I’ve been connected to the Travel Insurance industry working for international companies in many countries around the world. My experience has been in the Development (Sales, Marketing and Affiliation & Partnerships) and more recently in the Support area (Operation, Correspondent and providers) contributing to INNOVATION Projects and Pilots. I experienced a closer exposure to more and more digital customers, helping to improve the user experience, taking advantage of technological advances and interacting with other industries, new profiles and technologies that are currently operating in the market.

Sebastian will speak on the Travel Insurance industries response to Covid-19 at ITIC Global

Eva is an expert in aeromedical repatriation, healthcare insurance and medical assistance. Following a seven-year work and study spell in the Middle East, she started her career in international medical assistance and healthcare services, working in various roles for Europ Assistance and the Munich Re/ERGO Group. Some of her responsibilities included Head of Global Medical Provider Network and Key Account Manager for cutting edge projects in the fields of travel health insurance and government. Since 2013, she has been acting in executive roles in the air ambulance industry. She holds a BA in Healthcare and Social Management and an MBA in Digital Transformation. Eva speaks five languages, among them Arabic and she has won several awards for pioneering achievements in the aeromedical industry.

Mandy is Managing Editor of Voyageur Publishing & Events magazine titles, including ITIJ, AirMed&Rescue, International Hospitals & Healthcare, and all the regular ITIJ supplements. She has been involved in the international travel and health insurance sector since 2006 and regularly writes about industry issues such as underwriting, consolidation, cost containment, consumer education, fraud, assistance provision and complex air ambulance missions.

Rory O’Gara currently holds the position of Operations Service Delivery Manager with Allianz Care. Rory is responsible for maintaining and managing service standards extending to key global outsourced partners and reviewing operational processes for efficiencies and value add member experience.  Rory previously held the role of VP Medical Provider Management – North America with Allianz Partners responsible for medical networks, network partnerships and cost containment strategies, preceding this Rory had a variety of network management responsibilities in Allianz Partners over his 10+ years with the business.

Having worked in the industry for nearly 30 years the last 17 as an independent consultant, I have worked on numerous types of projects and supported Insurers, medical assistance companies, claims handlers and suppliers to the industry. I am chairman of the Travel Insurance Claims Committee (TICC) and sit as a guest on the ABI Travel Committee. I act as an expert witness when called upon, especially in mediations and inquests. I feel into international disaster recovery by accident but have travelled the world at a moment’s notice since 1996, which is always an adventure and honour.

Specialised in Emergency Medicine and Tropical Medicine from Germany, Dr.Bettina Vadera joined AMREF Flying Doctors (AFD) in Nairobi, Kenya, where she worked for 21 years as a Flight Physician, Medical Director and later Chief Executive Officer.  Under her leadership, the organisation moved from a programme within the humanitarian Health Organisation Amref Health Africa (AHA) to a successful, widely respected air ambulance company that owns a fleet of dedicated air ambulance aircraft and provides high level regional and intercontinental aeromedical patient transport.

Bettina moved to Berlin, Germany in July 2020 where she continues to support AMREF Flying Doctors as Chief Medical Advisor. She is also an auditor for EURAMI.

Accredited Counter Fraud Specialist (University of  Portsmouth)

Mark studied in the Netherlands and is a Qualified Nurse, he moved to Spain in September 1997 and started his career at AXA Partners/AXA Travel Insurance in 2002. He has held various positions over the past 19 years including: Travel assistance agent, Manager UK travel assistance team in Barcelona. He led an operational marketing project in the commercial department and set up the American Express Dutch claims team while leading the local Spanish admin team. Other accomplishments include setting up assistance for Porsche cars and truck assistance for Michelin.

Today Mark is responsible for heading up the Medical Network for the Spanish office and is the Head of the Technical Claims Team for AXA Travel insurance along with being the Cost Containment & Counter Fraud manager ATI.

Upon leaving the military in the early 1990’s, Mike began working in the commercial aviation field, eventually being named Vice President of Business Development at Air Ambulance Worldwide.
Mike has been involved in the planning of over 6000 air ambulance repatriations globally and has experience managing on-site mass evacuations from disaster areas, as well as providing on-site flight management solutions for secure flights –  from Tonga in the South Pacific to Sierra Leone in West Africa. In addition to his aviation experience, Mike also managed the operations of a Global Travel Assistance provider before joining the AAW team. He is known in the industry as a forthright professional with a highly developed understanding of the needs of both insurers and patients

Claudia Schmiedhuber is the Founder & CEO of Alpine Health Consulting and Dare It Marketing Solutions as well as the Managing Director of EURAMI, the European Aero-Medical Institute.
Passionate about all things involving the aero-medical and assistance industry, Claudia has worked in various roles within the industry – starting off as a flight paramedic and operations manager in Canada and Austria, before establishing the first specialized niche marketing & consulting companies worldwide. A global speaker and panelist, Claudia is always keen to share knowledge, discuss, debate, and disrupt the industry with out-of-the-box approaches and innovative views.

Volker Lemke has been the head of the ambulance division and a member of the executive board of FAI since 2005.  After the company’s legal form was changed in 2020, he is now one of the two Managing Directors. He started his career as a paramedic in ground based and helicopter emergency services completing thousands of missions. From 2000 to 2005 he held a number of management roles with air ambulance providers, specializing in this field of cost sensitive assistance services. His capability to fulfil the requirements of senior management positions in the air ambulance industry, is based on his many years of professional activity, his extensive market knowledge acquired over many years and his interpersonal skills.