Roy Graff

Roy Graff

Director - New Business Development at Expedia

London, United Kingdom

Current
  • Director - New Business Development at Expedia
Past
  • Associate at TEAM Tourism Consulting
  • Director at China Business Services
  • Partner at Great Eastern Studio
Education
  • School of Oriental and African Studies, U. of London
  • National Taiwan Normal University
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 2009Present (3 months)

  • Associate

    TEAM Tourism Consulting

    (Privately Held; Leisure, Travel & Tourism industry)

    December 2008September 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 2008September 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 2008September 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 2007September 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 2005September 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 2005September 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 2005December 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 2004January 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 2002September 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 2002May 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 1999January 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 1997March 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 1995June 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 , 19941998

  • National Taiwan Normal University

    Scholarship program , Mandarin Chinese: modern and classical , 19951996


Additional Information

Roy Graff’s Websites:

Roy Graff’s Interests:

Travel technology, Sustainable Tourism, Eco-tourism, Travel marketing, e-commerce, emerging markets,

Roy Graff’s Groups:

Tourism Concern

  •    Travel, Tourism & Hospitality Group
  •    Hospitality & Travel
  •    Private Equity and Venture Capital Group
  •    Travel & Hospitality Media Group
  •    Travel 2.0: Interactive Travel Industry Professionals
  •    World Tourism Network
  •    Israel Entrepreneur Network (3000+)
  •    C.A.N China Advisers Network Founder Members
  •    THAT's Professional (Travel, Hospitality, Aviation & Tourism)
  •    The Tourism Society
  •    Travel Technology Experts
  •    OLD CHINA HANDS
  •    Travel & Tourism Industry Professionals Worldwide
  •    Hotel Industry Professionals Worldwide
  •    School of Oriental and African Studies, Current Students and Alumni
  •    Global Luxury Travel Network
  •    Chinese-Speaking & China-Experienced Business Executives
  •    The Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute
  •    Evalueserve Circle of Experts
  •    China India Institute
  •    ChinaContact Tourism Network
  •    China Entrepreneurs (CE)
  •    Travel Industry Entrepreneurs Group
  •    China Advisers Network subscriber group
  •    GTE
  •    Meridian Club

Roy Graff’s Profile in Other Languages:


Roy Graff’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

  • consulting offers
  • new ventures
  • job inquiries
  • expertise requests
  • business deals
  • reference requests
  • getting back in touch

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