Management Committee Member
Esther Gonzalez is Amadeus’ Regional Head Industry Affairs for Asia Pacific, Commonwealth of Independent States and Middle East & North Africa
TREASURER
Choo Pin ANG is Expedia Group’s Senior Director for Government and Corporate Affairs for Asia.
Management Committee Member
Esther Gonzalez joined Amadeus in April 2016 and she is currently Head of Industry Affairs APAC, MENA & CIS. In this role she is responsible for leading the strategy of Amadeus in the regions, analyzing the political ecosystem and combining it with a full support to the business units.
Before joining Amadeus, from 2012 to 2016 she was having similar responsibilities in the Construction Sector as Head of Business Development for Abengoa ( in change of water desalinization PPP and Bioenergy large projects for Government and Municipalities ) and prior to that for almost 6 years she held similar responsibilities in ACS Group leading very large Waste to Energy projects on a BOT, PPP structure in APAC and Middle East.
Esther studied at Andover High School (MA. USA), holds a baccalauréat from the Lycee Francais de Madrid (Spain), a Law Degree from Universidad Complutense ( Spain) and a PDD from ESADE & Georgetown McDonough School of Business (Washington, DC).
PRESIDENT
Mike is veteran of Airbnb’s Asia Pacific leadership team, and is currently responsible for engagement with government and community leaders across the region. He brings a wealth of experience from his previous role as General Manager for Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan where he led Airbnb’s business and operations.
Before joining Airbnb, Mike led Google’s public policy efforts for emerging markets in Asia. He was previously at the US-ASEAN Business Council in Washington D.C, and he represented leading US investors in Southeast Asia on complex trade and investment issues across a variety of industries. Mike grew up in Kuala Lumpur and is a graduate of Stanford University.
TREASURER
Choo Pin ANG is Expedia Group’s Senior Director for Government and Corporate Affairs for Asia. In this role, he spearheads the Group’s Asia governmental affairs and public policy strategy across its portfolio of brands such as Expedia, Hotels.com, and Homeaway. Through the engagement of public and quasi-public stakeholders in the region, Choo Pin helps the Group manage regulatory and business risks, forge partnerships with governments, and identify business opportunities.
Choo Pin has also helped shape the debate surrounding travel, tech and e-commerce in Asia. He is chairperson of both the Asia Internet Coalition (https://www.aicasia.org) and the US-ASEAN Business Council Travel and Tourism Committee, and Vice-Chair of the Asia Travel Tech Industry Association. He has also provided regular training to senior Southeast Asian government officials on e-commerce under the Third Country Training Program jointly organized by the US and Singapore governments.
Choo Pin has extensive experience in political and economic issues across Asia. He previously headed the China operations of a New-York based investment advisory firm conducting political and reputational risk analysis for a clientele of PE funds and SWFs, before joining Standard Chartered Bank as its Head of Public Affairs. Before that, he served as a diplomat in Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs covering International Organizations, Middle East, and Northeast Asia, where he was Singapore’s Deputy Consul-General to Shanghai. Choo Pin has a BA degree from Tufts University and a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, both obtained through the Government of Singapore’s prestigious Overseas Merit Scholarship. He speaks English, Chinese, German, and Spanish.
VICE PRESIDENT
Kees Jan joined Booking.com in September 2018 and heads-up the Public Affairs efforts in Asia-Pacific from the regional headquarters in Singapore.
Prior to joining Booking.com, Kees Jan worked with FTI Consulting from 2014 to 2018 in Singapore, executing communications and engagement strategies for clients managing regulatory and reputational challenges.
Before moving to Asia, Kees Jan worked in Brussels at a Public Affairs agency where he advised multinational corporations from various sectors.
Management Committee Member
Kelly Kolb joined Travelport as Vice President for Government Affairs and Industry Affairs in May 2016. In this role, she is responsible for leading Travelport’s global government affairs activities, while working closely with the company’s business units on developing strategic initiatives.
Prior to her tenure at Travelport, Kolb was Vice President of Government Affairs at the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA). At RILA, she was the lead lobbyist and media spokesperson on issues related to labor and employment, supply chain security, customs, and transportation. She was also active in various advocacy coalitions, including chairing the lobbying committee of the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace.
Kolb also served as the Acting Assistant Secretary for Government Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation, a position she held after working as the Deputy Assistant Secretary within the same office. In this position, she served as the secretary’s primary advisor for all governmental matters and was responsible for developing and advancing the department’s governmental affairs strategy.
Before joining the Department of Transportation in 2005, Kolb worked on Capitol Hill. She holds a B.S. degree from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
