Dr. James Mabey
Professor of Practice of Hotel Development and Strategy,
School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dr. James Mabey is Managing Director Middle East and Asia at Standard International. He is responsible for all the Standard International’s business in Asia and the Middle East. He is a Non-executive Director on the Board of Selong Selo. Additionally, Dr. Mabey serves as chairman of YPO’s South East Asia Angels chapter and is Professor of Hotel Strategy and Development at Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management.
Throughout his 20-year career, he has led teams based in Beijing, Bangkok, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Dubai and Singapore. His ability to build sustained relationships across the entire supply chain within the hospitality and real estate industry, has led him to successfully spearhead projects in 13 countries.
Dr. Mabey holds degrees from the United States, Thailand, Dubai, and China including an MBA, Law Degree, and a Doctorate Degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He speaks Mandarin, Thai, Laotian and Spanish. Prior to joining Standard International, Dr. Mabey held key positions as, Chief Operating Officer Antaeus Group (Hospitality and Real Estate), Interim Chief Development Officer and Senior Vice President of Development – Asia Pacific, for Jumeirah Group, Senior Director of Development for Wharf Hotels, and Director of Development for Jumeirah Private Island, Phuket, as well as China Operations and Development Manager for the International Resort Development Group. He also served as Economic and Tourism Development Advisor to the Thailand Ministry of the Interior, and Phuket Governor’s Office from 2005 to 2011.
Dr. Mabey is a frequent speaker at industry and academic conferences, and guest lecturer at universities throughout Asia Pacific. Dr. Mabey is also an Non-executive Director on the Board of the Iswara Dewata Group. He is the Vice-Chairman of the Industry Advisory Committee of Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s School of Hotel and Tourism Management and Advisory Board Member of the Hospitality and Tourism Research Center, as well as the Director of Industry Services of ApacCHRIE. He was the recipient of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Face of the Future 2013 award. In 2018, at the ALIS Wall Street Journal roundtable, he was named by Hotels Magazine one of the top 20 global hotel executives under 40.