Speakers

*ETAG Conference Host 2026*
Neil Ellis, Chair of Edinburgh Hotels Association & Group Operations Director at Place Hotels Edinburgh

Neil is a respected leader in Edinburgh’s hospitality and tourism sector, currently serving in his 7^th year as Chair of the Edinburgh Hotels Association, representing over 68 hotels across the city. With nearly three decades of experience, Neil has been instrumental in helping shape strategies that strengthen Edinburgh’s position as a world-class destination.

As Group Ops Director of Place Hotels Edinburgh, Neil oversees operations across the portfolio, ensuring exceptional guest experiences and driving commercial success.

Neil’s career spans senior leadership roles with major hotel brands and independent operators. His expertise includes digital transformation, revenue growth, and enhancing guest satisfaction across diverse markets.

In addition to his professional responsibilities, Neil plays an active role in Edinburgh’s civic and tourism landscape. He sits on the ETAG Full Group, Edinburgh’s Visitor Economy Strategy Board, is a Board Member of the Royal Scots Club, an active supporter of Crew 2000 (a harm reduction charity), and serves as Vice Chair of his local Community Council. He is also a member of Scotland’s inaugural and Edinburgh’s Visitor Levy Forum, contributing to discussions on policy and strategy that balance tourism growth with community priorities.

Away from work, Neil is a proud father of twin boys, which keeps life every bit as dynamic as the hospitality industry.

Donald Emslie, Chair of ETAG

Donald became Chair of ETAG at the beginning of 2020 just before the Covid-19 Pandemic began to have an impact and before the first lockdown. Since then, through ETAG Donald has been working to support the city’s visitor economy.

Donald is well known in Edinburgh from his previous role as Chair of The Royal Lyceum Theatre and Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and as a NED at Scottish Rugby. He also served two terms as a Non-Executive Director of Scottish Water, the public water utility for Scotland. He is currently the Chair and owner of Thorpe Hall Leisure Ltd which owns the Lifehouse Spa & Hotel near Frinton on Sea and CHMC Ltd, a consultancy involved in the hospitality sector.

Donald is committed to supporting the city’s visitor economy and advancing the delivery of the Edinburgh Tourism 2030 Strategy and its strategic aims including: Fair Work, Recruitment & Retention, Visitor Management, Towards Net Zero and Business Engagement & Support. Donald is a firm believer that the tourism industry has a positive role to play in creating economic, social and cultural benefits for everyone in Edinburgh.

Paul Lawrence, CEO, City of Edinburgh Council

Paul is the Chief Executive at the City of Edinburgh Council and is the Council’s lead officer for the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.

Paul was previously the Executive Director of Place, with responsibility for Economic Development, Environmental services, Culture, Housing, Planning & building standards, Parks and Greenspaces, Regulatory Services and Transport.

Paul joined the Council in late 2015. Prior to this, he was the Corporate Director for Place at Stockport Council – one of the ten local authorities in the Greater Manchester city region, with a similar range of responsibilities.

Paul started his working life in the cultural sector, before being appointed as Head of Cultural and Economic Development at Newcastle City Council in 2000. He later became Assistant Chief Executive with responsibility for Economic Policy, City Region Partnerships, and Corporate Communications.

Marina Di Duca, Inclusive Tourism Manager, VisitScotland

With over 40 years of experience in the tourism industry, Marina has a diverse professional background, having held roles in marketing, and corporate communications before specialising in inclusive tourism development. She is a frequent speaker and facilitator at major industry events and led significant projects, including a partnership with AccessAble to create over 300 Detailed Access Guides for venues across Scotland to help disabled travellers plan their trips with confidence.

Marina leads Scotland’s efforts to ensure that the tourism and events industry is accessible to everyone and manages the Inclusive Scotland program, which focuses on helping tourism businesses improve their accessibility for people with physical and hidden disabilities, as well as the elderly and families.

Marina is a vocal advocate for the economic value of the accessible tourism market, highlighting that inclusive travel is not just a moral imperative but a significant economic driver for Scotland.

Joshua Ryan-Saha, Director – Tourism, Travel and Festivals, Edinburgh Futures Institute, University of Edinburgh

As well as his role as Director of Tourism, Travel and Festivals at the Edinburgh Futures Institute, University of Edinburgh, Joshua established Traveltech for Scotland, supporting over £20m in inward investment to the sector. He advises industry leadership on data, AI, and technology transformation. Globally, Joshua delivers AI and innovation workshops, advising over 100 destinations as part of the AI for Opener for Destinations programme, American Hotel and Lodging Association and traveltech investors. His prior experience includes leading data science initiatives and leading innovation programmes like the Longitude Prize at Nesta, which featured on BBC Horizon’s Anniversary episode.

David Waddell, Senior Manager for Cultural Partnerships, City of Edinburgh Council

As Senior Manager for Cultural Partnerships at the City of Edinburgh Council, David’s role encompasses arts, festivals, events and filming, as well as strategy and support for the Council’s cultural partners.

For Tour de France 2027, David is Project Lead for Edinburgh and is responsible for co-ordinating the city’s role in delivering the Grand Départ.

Amanda Ferguson, Chair of Convention Edinburgh Strategy Group / Head of Business Development, University of Edinburgh Hospitality Collection

With 20+ years’ experience in Business Events, Amanda Ferguson is a well-recognised figure in the industry, having worked at a national and international level across public and private sector, and academia.  As Head of Business Development at the University of Edinburgh Hospitality Collection, she is a passionate advocate for the value of business events in generating economic impact and driving innovation and progress within the knowledge economy.

For the past 18 months she has chaired the Convention Edinburgh Strategy Group, a voluntary body of industry stakeholders who were tasked with developing a future business model for the Convention Bureau which now sits within the City of Edinburgh Council.

Sarah Boyd, CEO, Lothian Group

As CEO, Sarah leads the organisation working closely with the company’s senior team to deliver strategy, direction and leadership.   Enthused by public transport and with over 20 years in the bus industry, Sarah joined Lothian in 2013 as Head of Operations, later taking on the roles of Operations Director then Managing Director.  Following the decision to integrate Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams, Sarah was appointed Chief Executive for the Lothian Group in 2025.

Sarah believes that people are at the heart of transport and it is under her leadership that Lothian strive to deliver a world-class, sustainable public transport service for Edinburgh and the Lothians.  

She is passionate about the role that buses and trams play within the communities they serve and is proud to lead a diverse, inclusive and progressive people led culture that is at the forefront of evolving technologies and practices.

Previously 2-times Scottish Chair of the Confederation of Passenger Transport, Sarah is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport.

*Keynote Speaker*
Jane Cunningham, Director of European Engagement, Destinations International

Her expertise is based on 20 years of experience across tourism and the global meetings industry.  Over this time she has been fortunate to have gained wonderful experience and friends from working for some great hotels, a convention centre, a destination organisation, a PCO, and alliance of convention bureau before joining Destinations International in 2022 as Director of European Engagement.

In recent years she has extended her work to deliver facilitation, moderation as well as consulting projects related to meeting legacy and destination development.

She is passionate about the role of the destination organisation as a community shared value and a catalyst of community vitality. Creating places where people want to visit, live and invest in.