Tony Smyth, I Free Group, Hong Kong, SAR China

Tony Smyth hails from County Cork in Ireland and has lived in Hong Kong for 30 years.

Tony is Senior Vice President with iFREE GROUP in charge of business development, corporate communications and establishing worldwide partnerships for this global consortium providing cutting-edge connectivity solutions.

iFREE GROUP investments span across sectors, including Travel & Leisure, Telecommunications, Smart Technologies, Health & Medical Technologies, Biotech, Healthcare & Well-being, Real Estate, Robotics, Entertainment, Financial Services, Retail & eCommerce, Security and Education.

Tony works with the group’s international divisions and partners on the group’s core technological capabilities of Edge Computing, Internet of Things, 5G & Connectivity, Artificial intelligence and Facial Recognition. He also leads a team developing Ebbly, a next-generation, app-based Online Travel Portal integrating AI capabilities.

Tony is the Co-Founder of MCI Group of Companies with business interests in Asia, India, and Africa. He was the founder and publisher of the acclaimed HA+D/Hospitality Architecture + Design magazine. Tony is also a regular contributor to The Peninsula Hotels Magazine.

He is a popular conference moderator around the world on a wide variety of subjects but specializes in travel, environment, mobile technology and connectivity. Tony was Group Publisher, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East for The Nielsen Company, a US$12bn global media and analytics company, charged with creating new markets in China, S.E. Asia, and the Middle East for hospitality management and travel publications and events.

Prior to entering the wild world of publishing in 1996, he owned companies involved in property and golf course development, fast food franchising and finance based in Hong Kong, China, the Philippines, and Singapore. He is extremely experienced in forming unique and focused networking platforms.