Natalya Butakova is Business Development Manager of AP Companies Global Solutions, the international leading health care management, cost containment and emergency medical assistance company.

AP Companies has the largest direct medical provider network in185 countries. AP’s specialist Cost Containment team consistently achieves significant savings and carefully controls expenditures of AP’s Clients.

Natalya has been with AP Companies since 2005, having previously worked in private hospitals as a specialist working with international insurance and maritime companies.

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 Kluge is Chief Commercial Officer at Air Alliance Medflight, an international air ambulance company.

Eva is an expert in aeromedical repatriation, medical assistance and travel health insurance. She started her career 25 years ago, working in various roles for Europ Assistance and the Munich Re/ERGO Group. Some of her responsibilities included Head of International Medical Network and Key Account Manager Global Health Services. Since 2013, she has been working in executive roles in the air ambulance industry. She holds a degree in Healthcare and Social Management and speaks fluently five languages, among them Arabic. At present, she is completing her MBA in Digital Transformation. Eva has received 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.

As Director of Global Assistance and Aeromedical Evacuation, for AMI Expeditionary Healthcare, I am entering a very exciting time with the organisation, as we now have an aviation base at Malta International Airport, our Lear 45 with Lifeport Plus stretcher configuration gives us a dual patient transport. We have strong capabilities to service Libya and north Africa. We also have a King Air 200 and will be bringing further air frames online as I develop the AMI assistance product offering on a global basis.

Sadly, Covid19 has caused much devastation throughout the world, AMI provides medical services to international aid organisations, humanitarian concerns, the private sector, and government agencies in a wide range of remote and challenging environments.

To be involved with this project is both challenging and exciting and allows me to continue working with professional individuals who are fearless in deploying their tasks on the Covid19 frontline. Tremendous people whom I am proud to associate with.

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.

Patrick Schomaker is Director of Sales & Marketing at European Air Ambulance (EAA), one of Europe’s leading aeromedical providers. He has been with Luxembourg-based EAA since it was created in 2006, and has 20 years’ experience in the aviation industry – having previously worked in commercial and contractual relations, pricing and revenue management in Europe and the US.

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.