The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) has elected Henry Oh, Chairman of Global Tours Ltd., as the new Chair of the Association during its Annual General Meeting held in Gyeongju, Korea, on May 12, 2026.
The announcement came during the PATA Annual Summit in Korea, where the Association also confirmed a new Vice Chair and four new Executive Board members as part of its latest leadership line-up.
Following his appointment, Oh said the Association would focus on stronger industry cooperation and partnerships across the travel sector.
“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,” said Henry Oh, Chair of PATA.
Alongside Oh, Ben Montgomery, Corporate Ambassador of Centara Hotels & Resorts, was appointed as the new Vice Chair of the Association.
PATA also ratified four new members of its Executive Board during the AGM. The new members are 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 join Dr Sharzede Salleh Askor, CEO of Sarawak Tourism Board, who remains on the PATA Executive Board.
Oh leads Global Tour Ltd., Korea’s first private travel agency and one of the earliest Asian members of PATA. Under his leadership, the company received several recognitions, including the Korean Government’s “20 Million Dollar Award” and the “Tourism Pioneer Award” from ITB Berlin.
He has also played a role in tourism development and international cooperation in Korea through partnerships with the Korean Olympic Committee and national sports federations. Oh also served on the International Relations Committee for the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics and previously held a leadership position with Skål International Korea.
Currently, Oh serves as the Immediate Past Chairman of the Korea Association of Travel Agents (KATA).
Ben Montgomery represents Centara Hotels & Resorts in several tourism and hospitality organisations across the region. She currently serves as Vice President of the Thai Hotels Association and is a Board Member of the ASEAN Hotel & Restaurant Association.
She also represents Centara at the Joint Public & Private Working Committee focused on workforce development for Thailand’s tourism and hotel industry.
Montgomery 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, she worked at PATA Headquarters as Regional Director for the Greater Mekong region and Director of Chapter Development.
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.
