Women's Forum Biographies

Mary Power

Executive Director
Human Resource Certification Institute

Mary Power is currently the Executive Director of the Human Resource Certification Institute(HRCI) The Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) is the leading independent, internationally recognized certifying body for the HR profession. HRCI certifications require professionals to demonstrate their expertise in the core principles of HR practice and the application of those principles. At present over 80,000 HR professionals carry one of the HRCI professional designations. Power is responsible for developing and implementing the strategic direction of the organization and overseeing the global expansion of their certification program.

Prior to joining HRCI Mary was the  President and CEO of the Convention Industry Council (CIC) for seven years.  She was responsible for the strategic direction and implementation of CIC’s various programs, including the Global Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) program, the Accepted Practices Exchange (APEX) initiative and the Hall of Leaders program

Power has more than 20 years of experience in the hospitality industry and in association volunteer leadership. She has held leadership positions at the chapter level of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) and American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).  She recently finished her term on the ASAE Center for Association Leadership Board of Directors and currently serves on the Michigan State University School of Hospitality Business Alumni Board.

Most recently, Mary Power was selected by Meeting News magazine as one of the 25 most influential people in the meetings industry in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007. She was selected by Tradeshow Week Magazine as one of the 25 most influential women to know in the meetings industry in 2003 and in 2005. In 2005 she was selected by NYSAE as one of the top five outstanding women industry executives and Business Travel News chose her as one of the

25 most influential executives in the business travel industry.

Avinash Chandarana

Group Director of Learning and Development

MCI – HQ Office

Avinash Chandarana holds a degree in Business with a specialisation in International Marketing. His career began with marketing posts with US and South African industrial multinational firms based in the United Kingdom.

He then relocated to North America for an international non-profit educational organisation, UWP. As the External Relations Manager, he managed constituent relations, fundraising, project development and media relations before taking the post of European Recruitment Manager, providing an opportunity to relocate to Oslo, Norway.  Under this role, Avinash expanded the company’s recruitment outreach in several European countries an spearheaded the organisation's awareness campaign to recruit top talent.

Such diverse and international experiences led to MCI, the foremost global Association, Communications and Event Management group, where as the Director of Talent and Development for the past 8 years, he has developed and managed MCI Brussels’ Human Resource function. His latest mission has been to support MCI's global Human Resources strategy and implementation across 500 staff in 17 offices in 12 countries.

Avinash represents diversity through his personal and professional life experience. Indian by culture, born in Africa , and raised and educated in the United Kingdom, his personal diversity is complemented with international posts based in England, North America, Norway and Belgium.

His professional affiliations include various training committees and membership of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) and the UK Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Michael Gates

Group Managing Director

Richard Lewis Communications

Michael Gates is Group Managing Director for Richard Lewis Communications - a UK-based international organisation in the field of cross-cultural training, chaired by Richard D Lewis, the world-renowned cross-culturalist. Prior to his group role, he was Nordic Director. Michael took his M.A. at Oxford  University, where he was a Scholar of St. Catherine's College. Before establishing the Finnish branch of Richard Lewis Communications in 1990, he had worked in radio production with some of the top names in British entertainment.
 
He has been involved in cross-culture for the last 20 years, supporting dozens of blue-chip companies world-wide. Richard Lewis and he developed the concept of cultural profiling in Finland, as part of the preparations for their successful EU Presidency in 1999. His presentation of the CultureActive tool for cultural profiling won the award for the 'most innovative technology' panel at the CIBER Global Interdependence conference at the University   of North Carolina in March 2002. He has taught the cross-cultural module to new MBA students at Duke Fuqua business school, North Carolina, and other US clients have included Microsoft and the World Bank. He has published jointly with Richard Lewis, including some observations on Finnish leadership. He is a board member of the Finnish-British Trade Association.

Michael Gates is of mixed British/Austrian parentage, re-located to Finland in 1987, is married to a Finn, and has five children.

Herta Hieslmair

Senior Director of Field Sales

Europe, Africa, Middle East (EAME)

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Herta Hieslmair is Senior Director of Field Sales for the Europe, Africa and Middle East division of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., which currently operates more than 260 hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton and Four Points by Sheraton.

In this function, Herta supports over 1.000 property sales associates across nearly 60 countries by developing and implementing Starwood specific sales programs and trainings in collaboration with her divisional counterparts in North America, Asia Pacific and Latin America.

Herta looks back on a 20-year career in sales & marketing in various locations with international hotel companies in Salzburg, Prague, Vienna and Brussels. In 2001, she joined Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Austria where she was responsible for the sales & marketing initiatives in this area.

She obtained an executive MBA in 2005. Her master thesis on how to attract and retain female executives in the industry was awarded ‘best master thesis’.

Mr. Aloysius Arlando

Assistant Chief Executive

Business Travel & MICE Group, Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore

Aloysius heads the Business Travel & Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, Exhibitions (BTMICE) Group, also known as the Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB), at the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) since September 2004. He leads the Board’s efforts in driving Singapore's BTMICE industry and marketing Singapore as a leading MICE destination in the world.

Aloysius started his career with the STB as an Administrative Services Officer in 1993. He has since held various executive positions in the Board, including Assistant Manager (ASEAN) and Manager Regional Tourism (South East Asia & Oceania) where he was involved in joint tourism initiatives and tourism investment facilitation. In 1998, he was seconded to Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower for two and a half years, and was responsible for the promotion of lifelong learning and workforce development programmes.

Upon his return to the STB, Aloysius was appointed Regional Director of ASEAN markets from 2001 to 2004 where he oversaw the Board's Marketing & PR operations in key ASEAN markets and successfully launched marketing and twin-destination promotion intiatives. As Assistant Chief Executive of the BTMICE Group, he was instrumental in developing Singapore's BTMICE strategy, including re-organising the BTMICE functions of the STB, with the aim of growing BTMICE into a strong pillar for the tourism industry. 

Aloysius holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) degree in Economics from the National University of Singapore. He has also attended various marketing and leadership programmes such as those from the University of Hawaii at Manoa; the US Centre for Creative Leadership and INSEAD. He was awarded the Public Administration Award (Bronze) at the National Day Awards 2004.

Aloysius is married with two children.