Roy Graff

Current

Director - New Business Development at Expedia

Past

Associate at TEAM Tourism Consulting
Director at China Business Services
Partner at Great Eastern Studio

European Director at China Venture Capital and Private Equity London Forum
Managing Director at ChinaContact
Editor at China Travel Industry News
Director at Local Eyes China
Country manager - China at Octopustravel.com
E-Commerce Director China at Gullivers Travel Associates
Business Development Manager & Independent Travel - Area Manager at Gullivers Travel Associates
FIT Sales Manager at Gullivers Travel Associates
Operations executive, Far East groups at Gullivers Travel Associates
Country Representative at Israeli Tourism Office

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Education

School of Oriental and African Studies, U. of London
National Taiwan Normal University

Recommended

18 people have recommended Roy

Connections

500+ connections

Industry

Leisure, Travel & Tourism

Websites

Roy Graff’s Summary

Roy is an accomplished Business Development specialist who has covered all aspects of strategy and marketing. Possesses China business and culture expertise as well as speaking fluent Mandarin. Has demonstrated a high degree of initiative, independence and innovation in growing the Chinese arm of a multinational company and launching his own China-focusd niche market entry business.

Roy Graff’s Specialties:

e-commerce, public relations, distribution, travel and tourism, sales and marketing, China market expertise, directing events and exhibitions, new business development, China market access, sustainable development, high growth ventures, China mediation, China localization, tourism and hospitality investment, market research, public speaking, cross-cultural training

Roy Graff’s Experience

Director - New Business Development

Expedia

(Public Company; EXPE; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

September 2009 — Present (3 months)
Associate

TEAM Tourism Consulting

(Privately Held; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

December 2008 — September 2009 (10 months)

TEAM Tourism Consulting is a specialist international tourism consultancy which focusses exclusively on working for tourism destinations,
I am part of an international expert consulting team working with a large city destination in China or a new large scale heritage tourism development. My role focuses on market research and international marketing and promotion planning and execution.
http://www.team-tourism.com
Director

China Business Services

(International Trade and Development industry)

January 2008 — September 2009 (1 year 9 months)

Director of the company and Senior advisor to the board on China hospitality, tourism and events assignments.
China Business Services provides comprehensive advisory and project management services for a wide range of client requirements.
http://www.chinabusinessservices.com
Partner

Great Eastern Studio

(Professional Training & Coaching industry)

January 2008 — September 2009 (1 year 9 months)

Great Eastern Studio is a centre for China culture and business communication skills training located in the City of London. The centre offers workshops on Chinese cultural communication and business etiquette. http://www.greateasternstudio.co.uk
European Director

China Venture Capital and Private Equity London Forum

(Venture Capital & Private Equity industry)

April 2007 — September 2009 (2 years 6 months)

European organiser of China Venture Capital and Private Equity Forum, the premier event for Venture Capital and Private Equity in China.
The forum is held in China, Japan, USA and UK
Managing Director

ChinaContact

(Privately Held; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

July 2005 — September 2009 (4 years 3 months)

ChinaContact is an online portal for the global travel industry to engage with and learn about the tourism sector in China. Initially setup as a full service consultancy and market entry agency, it currently provides online resources and networking opportunities in cross cultural communications between China and the rest of the world.
http://www.chinacontact.org
Editor

China Travel Industry News

(Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

July 2005 — September 2009 (4 years 3 months)

China Travel Industry News is a comprehensive archive of China related travel and hospitality news, updates, analysis and opinion from around the world. First hand reviews of China related travel trade events are posted on a regular basis.
Director

Local Eyes China

(Privately Held; 11-50 employees; Translation and Localization industry)

June 2005 — December 2006 (1 year 7 months)

Director of Lingo24 (Lingo24.com) Chinese translation specialist Local Eyes China (www.localeyeschina.com).

- Drove new business for Chinese translation and interpretation.
- Worked with China-based project managers and translators.
- Mediated personnel and intercultural issues
Country manager - China

Octopustravel.com

(Privately Held; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

September 2004 — January 2005 (5 months)

B2C online travel site providing travel products worldwide with offices on every continent.

• Set up a new on-line travel business model in China.
• Developed a local payment solution for a reservation system to suit the domestic market.
• Negotiated favourable rates for bulk translation projects to win board approval.
• Consulted with lawyers on the legal framework for operating in China and presented the case clearly to the board of directors.
• Established a dedicated team to execute a soft launch within 4 months.
E-Commerce Director China

Gullivers Travel Associates

(Privately Held; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

February 2002 — September 2004 (2 years 8 months)

International tourism service provider for the travel industry with 31 offices worldwide and over GBP 1billion turnover annually.

• Conceived and directed the first joint industry forum between a western travel company and a Chinese government tourism administration, which provided the company with priceless PR and credibility in the market.
• Eliminated duplication of problem reporting to the help-desk through centralising the IT support for all 11 Asia offices, giving head office more time to fix problems and a clear picture of system implementation in my area.
• Coordinated the roll out of a new reservation system in Asia which was distributed successfully through local offices to company's clients.
• Facilitated a training program for local staff from 3 offices using head-office trainers which led to an improvement in performance and staff retainment.
Business Development Manager & Independent Travel - Area Manager

Gullivers Travel Associates

(Privately Held; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

February 2002 — May 2004 (2 years 4 months)

• Increased turnover by 600% in 3 years to over USD 3 million.
• Cultivated a new contact network upon arriving in China to understand the way business is done and communicated the lessons for the company's expansion plans to the board.
• Won the respect and loyalty of the local staff in the first 6 months of work in China leading to increased motivation and productivity.
• Devised clear financial targets and reporting structures to provide the board and managers a clear perspective of the business from the 3 local offices in China.
• Initiated a brainstorming weekend for senior managers with an external facilitator to prepare a plan for a major event that established the company's reputation in China.
• Introduced a set of corporate identity documents to bring uniformity of message to all local offices in China.
FIT Sales Manager

Gullivers Travel Associates

(Privately Held; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

April 1999 — January 2002 (2 years 10 months)

• Sole responsibility for sales and distribution in following markets: India, UK, Ireland, Cyprus, Greece, Austria, Turkey, Israel
• Mediated financial disputes between a major client and my company's accounts department for mutual satisfaction and final settlement.
Operations executive, Far East groups

Gullivers Travel Associates

(Privately Held; 1001-5000 employees; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

September 1997 — March 1999 (1 year 7 months)

• Coordinated Far East group itineraries to Europe, Middle East, North Africa and Russia.
Country Representative

Israeli Tourism Office

(Government Agency; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

August 1995 — June 1996 (11 months)

National Tourism Office representative in Taiwan, responsible for promoting tourism to Israel, working with industry and media.
• Increased tourist arrivals from Taiwan to Israel by 1000%.

Roy Graff’s Education

School of Oriental and African Studies, U. of London

BA , Chinese and Economics , 1994 — 1998
National Taiwan Normal University

Scholarship program , Mandarin Chinese: modern and classical , 1995 — 1996