Photo (L/R): Top Row: New PATA Chair Henry Oh, Chairman, Global Tours Ltd., and New PATA Vice Chair Ben Montgomery, Corporate Ambassador of Centara Hotels & Resorts. Bottom Row: The members of the new Executive Board include Jackson Pek, Chief Corporate & Legal Affairs Officer, Amadeus; Maria Paz Alberto, President, Ark
Travel Express, Inc.; Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, Director-General, Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA); Shuichi Kameyama, Chief Consultant, JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co.; and Dr Sharzede Salleh Askor, CEO, Sarawak Tourism Board.
PATA appointed Henry Oh as Chair of the Association during the PATA Annual General Meeting held alongside the PATA Annual Summit 2026 in South Korea.
The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has appointed Henry Oh, Chairman of Global Tours Ltd., as the new Chair of the Association following ratification during the PATA Annual General Meeting held on May 12.
The appointment took place during the PATA Annual Summit 2026 in South Korea.
Following his election, Oh stated: “I am honoured to be elected by members of the PATA Board of Directors to take on this role. As the new Chair, I am committed to strengthening collaboration within the Association, while building partnerships across the industry, so that PATA continues to serve as a guiding force for our members and network.”
Alongside Oh, Ben Montgomery, Corporate Ambassador of Centara Hotels & Resorts, was appointed as the new Vice Chair of the Association.
New executive board members ratified
PATA also ratified four new members to its Executive Board during the AGM.
The new Executive Board members include Jackson Pek, Chief Corporate & Legal Affairs Officer at Amadeus; Maria Paz Alberto, President of Ark Travel Express, Inc.; Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, Director-General of the Designated Areas for Sustainable Tourism Administration (DASTA); and Shuichi Kameyama, Chief Consultant at JTB Tourism Research & Consulting Co..
They will join Dr Sharzede Salleh Askor, CEO of the Sarawak Tourism Board, who continues to serve on the Executive Board.
Henry Oh’s tourism industry background
Oh is Chairman of Global Tour, Ltd., recognised as South Korea’s first private travel agency and one of the earliest Asian members of PATA.
Under his leadership, the company received several tourism industry recognitions, including the Korean Government’s “20 Million Dollar Award” and the “Tourism Pioneer Award” from ITB Berlin.
Throughout his career, Oh has contributed to South Korea’s tourism development and international partnerships.
He has worked closely with the Korean Olympic Committee and national sports federations, served on the International Relations Committee for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, and held a leadership role within Skål International Korea.
He currently serves as Immediate Past Chairman of the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA).
Ben Montgomery appointed vice chair
Montgomery represents Centara Hotels & Resorts across multiple tourism industry organisations and associations.
She currently serves as Vice President of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), Board Member of the ASEAN Hotel & Restaurant Association, and participates in Thailand’s Joint Public & Private Working Committee focused on tourism workforce development.
She is also involved with the Thailand Creative Tourism Think Tank and serves on the Board of Burapa University’s Faculty of Tourism and Management.
Before joining Centara, Montgomery served as Regional Director – Greater Mekong and Director of Chapter Development at PATA Headquarters.