Dr Gary Daniels is an entrepreneurship-focused academic and former hospitality entrepreneur with over two decades of international experience in the UK, China, and Malaysia. His work is defined by a unique 'practitioner-scholar' identity, built on a foundation of ten years as the founder and operator of three successful F&B ventures in Chengdu, China. This entrepreneurial experience directly informs his teaching and leadership.
As Head of the Centre for Hospitality Innovation and Leadership (CHIL), Dr Daniels leads the development of innovative, industry-connected curricula.

He has designed experiential learning projects like the 'Hospitality Bazaar' and established professional certification pathways with bodies such as WSET, ServSafe, and CHIA to enhance student employability. Dr Daniels’ research integrates his practice with the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL). His applied research focuses on entrepreneurship ecosystems, sustainable and responsible practice, digital transformation in hospitality, and work-integrated learning (WIL), with a particular emphasis on ASEAN. His work has been published in high-impact Q1 journals.

Dr Nguyen (Beo) Thai, PhD, FHEA, Senior Lecturer in Marketing & Associate Head of School/ Discipline Leader (Marketing) at School of Business, Faculty of Arts, Society and Business, University of Wollongong, Australia.

With a PhD in Marketing from The University of Sydney, Dr Thai brings deep expertise and a forward-thinking approach to understanding consumer behavior. His research tackles some of the most pressing and fascinating questions in marketing today, ranging from decision-making and choice overload (the paradox of choice) to prosocial and pro-environmental behaviors. Beo’s work is published in Annals of Tourism Research, European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Psychology & Marketing, Journal of Macromarketing, Australasian Marketing Journal, Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Consumer Behavior in Tourism and Hospitality (formerly known as International Journal of Culture, Tourism and Hospitality Research), Anatolia, and Journal of Marketing Education. Dr Thai currently serves on the Editorial Review Board of the European Journal of Marketing.