Our prestigious judging panel

Abbe is a retired nurse from South Florida with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and a Master’s in Business Administration with an emphasis in Health Care. She has over 50 years’ experience and has worked in the international marketplace for 12 years designing and directing international patient programmes.

She has worked directly with governments, hospitals, health systems, travel insurance companies, assistance companies, cruise lines, third-party administrators, air ambulance companies, and medical escort companies.

Her background includes OB/GYN nursing, quality, patient safety, case management, disease management, and teaching. She has also provided consulting services for several case management and disease management programmes, both domestically and internationally. Abbe has authored numerous articles and chapters in textbooks.

With over 35 years in the humanitarian sector, Andrew has witnessed firsthand the critical importance of timely, effective responses in times of trauma, war zones, natural disasters, and personal tragedies.

This industry is deeply rooted in saving lives and alleviating suffering, often operating in complex and high-stakes environments. Throughout his career, Andrew has built a strong reputation based on integrity, dedication, and results. However, recent changes in his circumstances have inspired him to explore new models of ownership and investment that better reflect the values of transparency, shared responsibility, and community involvement.

He is committed to maintaining independence to ensure that the entities remain transparent, trustworthy, and focused solely on their core business.

Jon is the Title Editor of AirMed&Rescue magazine. He was previously Editor for Clinical Medicine and Future Healthcare Journal at the Royal College of Physicians before joining AirMed&Rescue in November 2022.

He inherited his love for aviation from his father, who was a pilot in the British Army Air Corps. Jon has a private pilot’s licence and often flies with his father out of an airfield in Hampshire. He loves reading, gaming, and cinema, as well as the more active pursuits of hiking and skiing. Jon lives in Somerset with his dog.

Mandy is a highly experienced publishing and media leader within the international travel and health insurance sector. As Director of Publishing at Voyageur Publishing & Events, she oversaw industry-leading titles including the International Travel & Health Insurance Journal (ITIJ), International Hospitals & Healthcare (IH&H), and AirMed&Rescue.

With 20 years of experience in the sector, she has developed deep expertise across travel insurance, global healthcare, medical assistance, and air medical transport, working closely with senior stakeholders worldwide.

Mandy is also an active contributor to global industry dialogue through her involvement with the ITIC conferences and thought leadership article creation, and is recognised for her authoritative insight into the evolving dynamics of international healthcare, insurance, and assistance services.

Mark has been in the travel insurance and assistance industry for nearly 35 years.
Starting with SFA Assistance (now AXA Assistance) as General Manager in 1993, Mark then joined Mondial to set up its Travel Insurance division, which is now part of Allianz Partners.

Using the knowledge and experience gained from working with two of the world’s largest insurers and assistance providers, Mark became a Co-Owner of Global Response, an independent assistance company.

Global Response grew rapidly from just seven staff to over 70 people, using technology to deliver the highest standards of case management to policyholders and management information (MI) to its insurer clients. GR soon became a respected leader as an independent assistance provider, before its acquisition by International Medical Group (IMG) in 2014. Mark stayed on as Managing Director until retiring in late 2018.

Now retired and living half his time in Spain, Mark keeps abreast of industry news and has attended several ITIC conferences in a consultancy capacity.

Milan, a national award-winning medical writer and contributor to ITIJ since our very beginnings, keeps our readers posted not only on western hemisphere travel and health economics issues, but also on the realities of expanding markets worldwide.

A dual American/Canadian citizen, Milan was the principal founder of the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada, and has lived with his family in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for many years.

Steve managed the launch of AXA Insurance into the UK travel insurance market. The account became the largest in the UK and at its peak insured over five million travellers per annum. He led the development and deployment of the early forms of artificial intelligence (AI) into the AXA travel account, bringing benefits to medical screening, risk pricing, understanding exposure to disasters,  and buying reinsurance.

Later he worked with Allianz in Munich to provide underwriting technical support to Allianz accounts around the world and training underwriters in account management.

Since retiring, he has worked as a trustee with charities such as Citizens Advice and Essex Wildlife Trust and has kept in touch with the travel market through working with companies such as ITIJ.

With over 25 years of experience in the travel insurance industry, Valentin has built a career grounded in operational excellence, client relationships, and a genuine passion for supporting travellers worldwide. Throughout his journey, he has had the privilege of meeting and collaborating with hundreds of companies across the globe, working alongside professionals who share a deep commitment to delivering high-quality travel and medical assistance services.

For over six years, Valentin served as Operations Manager at a travel and medical assistance company, where he oversaw daily operations, strengthened service delivery standards, and supported strategic growth initiatives. Prior to this role, Valentin spent many successful years as a Client Relationship Consultant within the same organisation, developing strong partnerships, enhancing client satisfaction, and contributing to long-term business growth.

Beyond insurance, Valentin has always had a strong interest in finance and financial management. After relocating abroad several years ago, he began expanding his expertise in this field, pursuing further development and broadening his professional scope. This progression ultimately led him to establish his own consultancy company, where he combines his industry experience with his growing financial expertise to provide tailored solutions for customers from different industries.