Business Advisors

Amrita Bhalla is an experienced global HR executive with a distinguished career spanning over two decades. As the Founder and Managing Director of A.B. Consulting, established in 2015, Amrita leads a thriving consultancy that specializes in HR advisory services. Her expertise lies in empowering organizations to enhance performance, drive employee engagement, and boost profitability. A.B. Consulting has made a significant global impact, catering to a diverse clientele across various sectors, with a particular focus on workforce development and leadership initiatives in the Caribbean region (www.a-bconsulting.com).

Amrita's remarkable journey in the luxury hospitality industry has seen her holding executive HR roles with renowned companies such as Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, Oberoi Hotels and Resorts, and Belmond Hotels. Throughout her career, she has traversed the globe, living and working in Canada, Bermuda, United Kingdom, Thailand, and India, gaining invaluable global insights.

A firm believer in strategic leadership and effective governance, Amrita actively serves on several boards, contributing her expertise to shape the success of various organizations. Notable board positions she currently holds include the role of Board President for the Rosedale Moore Park Association (RMPA) in Toronto, Canada. She is also a Board Member for the Caribbean Hospitality and Tourism Association Education Fund (CHTAEF), and Advisory Board Member for Women in Tourism and Hospitality Canada (With.org).

Amrita also shares her knowledge and passion for the industry with future leaders. Since 2015, she has been a valuable faculty member at the Ted Rogers School of Hospitality and Tourism, Toronto Metropolitan University, teaching Human Resources Management, Strategic Management and Organizational Behaviour.

Amrita's academic qualifications complement her extensive professional experience. She holds a Masters in Industrial Relations (MIR) and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Queens University, Canada.

Doug Casey is a world-renowned investor and author of six books; his “Crisis Investing” was on the New York Times bestseller list for 29 weeks, including 11 weeks at #1. His third book, Strategic Investing, reached #7 on the NYT list. His most recent books are “Totally Incorrect” and “Right on the Money.” He’s currently completing a series of six novels; the first, “Speculator” is soon to be released.

He has been a featured guest on hundreds of radio and TV shows, including David Letterman, Merv Griffin, Charlie Rose, Phil Donahue, Regis Philbin, Maury Povich, NBC News and CNN, and has been the topic of numerous features in periodicals such as Time, Forbes, People and the Washington Post. He is also the founder of the Eris Society, a non-profit organization that for 30 years brought together hundreds of the world’s leading thinkers on a wide range of eclectic topics related to the arts, sciences, technology, finance and medicine. His firm, Casey Research, LLC, publishes a variety of publications and web sites with a combined weekly audience in excess of 300,000 individuals, largely high-net-worth investors with an interest in resource-development and international real estate. He can be reached at caseyresearch.com or internationalman.com.

Mr. Casey has visited over 145 countries, most of them several times, and has lived in ten. He has been active in polo, skydiving, martial arts, scuba, auto racing and competitive shooting. He lives mainly in Cafayate Argentina, Punta del Este Uruguay, and Aspen Colorado.

Mr. Cecchetto is a professional sommelier and wine consultant, who was born into the family wine business producing Valdobbiadene – Conegliano Prosecco in the North of Italy. He has served as Sommelier and Assistant Beverage Manager at Jumeirah Emirates Towers (2014 Business Traveler Award for Best Business Hotel in the Middle East) of the Jumeirah Group, a leader of Hospitality Businesses in the Middle East. His entrepreneurial spirit led him to collaborate, develop and launch the wine brand M&M Valdobbiadene Prosecco in his home country of Italy for the consumer markets of Italy, Europe, Africa and Russia. He also served as Corporate Sommelier for the beverage importer and exporter Villa Trading & Purchasing Company and their proprietary Villa Hotels in the Maldive Islands, where he was able to hone his skills in the hospitality business. He began his career at Bortolomiol S.P.A, an Italian winery and leader in the Prosecco market, where he spent over a decade having served in every department until his final position as Wine Tourism Business Developer. Mr. Cecchetto received his Professional Sommelier diploma from the Italian Sommelier Association, AIS (Associazione Italiana Sommelier) and his diploma in Tourist Management from ITST G. Mazzotti, and he continues to improve his knowledge daily by staying well-informed of market trends and developments. He is a contributor at www.wineatwine.com, and maintains the personal wine blog www.asacluster.wordpress.com. Sports, art, books and good wine along with music, are the passions of his life.

Stephen Falk, M.D. is a board certified obstetrician/gynecologist with over 44 years in active private practice.  He founded, and is president of, a seven-member Ob/Gyn practice group in the greater Houston, Texas area.  He served as a major in the United States Air Force, overseeing a three-doctor group at Luke Air Force Base from 1970-1972.  He has served as chief of Ob/Gyn at both of the major hospitals in his practice area.  Dr. Falk is a distinguished Fellow of the American College of Ob/Gyn, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, and a member of the American Fertility Society, American Society of Gynecological Laparoscopy, Texas Association of Ob/Gyn, Houston Gynecological and Obstetrical Society and the Harris County Medical Society.  Dr. Falk earned his medical degree at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons where he won the Ob/Gyn prize, and completed his 5-year internship and residency and chief residency at the Mount Sinai Hospital Medical Center and medical school in New York City.  He received his Bachelor of Arts and graduated from Princeton University where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.  Dr. Falk spent a fellowship in GI research at the University of California, San Francisco, where he was exposed to the then fledgling California wine industry in 1962.  He has since maintained an active interest in oenology and has actively pursued and tasted wines in his travels throughout the world, most recently at Algodon Wine Estates in San Rafael, Mendoza, and Algodon Mansion in Buenos Aires.  He is an avid art, rare illustrated book, and watch collector, and plays the piano and travels the world over to enjoy music and opera.  He has two sons- an attorney in Houston, and a musician, budding scotch distiller in Jerusalem, Israel.

Kye Hellmers has over 36 years in the financial services industry. He was previously employed by the NASD (n/k/a FINRA) where he worked in various capacities in the self regulatory agency’s New York and Washington DC offices including positions as Supervisor and Assistant Director. Mr. Hellmers was eventually promoted to District Director of the Los Angeles District Office and later promoted to Vice President. He also served on the Direct Participation Programs Committee of the Board of Governors of the NASD, and he is currently a Member of the NASD Board of Arbitrators. Mr. Hellmers served as the Vice-Chairman and a limited partner of The Boston Group, L.P., a registered broker-dealer engaged in the investment banking and securities business, and also served as a member of the Advisory Board of InvestPrivate.com, Inc. He has held the following securities licenses: Registered Principal, Registered Representative, Financial and Operations Principal, Municipal Securities Principal and Options Principal. As a result of his extensive experience in the financial industry, Mr. Hellmers has been a frequent public speaker and has addressed meetings sponsored by such organizations as the SEC, NASD, SIA, NASAA, NRS, the Securities Industry Management Association, the Association of Western Securities Managers and the Security Traders Association of Los Angeles. He is a past member of the Security Traders Association of Los Angeles, the SIA, the California Association of Independent Broker-Dealers, the University Club of Los Angeles and the Stock Exchange Club of Los Angeles. He has also served as President, CEO and member of the Board of Directors for The Federation of Financial Services Inc. and concurrently served as Chairman, President and CEO of Centrum Services, Inc. He is currently the Chairman of the Board, CEO and one of the Founders of H2O Strategies, Inc, a company engaged in the development, manufacture and distribution of products used in water conservation, and also serves as Vice-Chairman of the Board of TORQD Holdings, Inc. Mr. Hellmers is a graduate of New York University and he and his family reside in Manhattan Beach, California.

Michael Koh, as the Founder and President & CEO of BuySell BA, leads a private real estate consulting company that has proudly assisted hundreds of individuals and corporations in realizing their dream of owning property in Buenos Aires, Argentina. With over 21 years of experience in the local market, he possesses extensive knowledge of the legal, regulatory, and economic aspects of real estate transactions in Argentina. He has a proven track record of company growth and acquisitions, having founded, managed, and sold several successful start-up companies in the past.

His mission is to make the entire process of purchasing real estate in Buenos Aires and ALL of Latin America not only completely safe but also enjoyable. He leverages his expertise, network, and technology to provide personalized and professional services to his clients, catering to residential, commercial, or investment property needs. Passionate about Argentina and its culture, he enjoys sharing insights and predictions about the real estate industry and the economy. Michael Koh has been featured in several prominent media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, and the Economist, and has received multiple awards and honors, such as the Webby Award and San Diego Magazine's 25 Big Ideas.

Mr. Laschever has been associated with the world of travel and luxury for most of his career. Mr. Laschever served as the Vice President and Group Publisher of ForbesLife, the luxury travel and lifestyle magazine for Forbes' subscribers, and ForbesLife Executive Woman. He was one of the founders of a luxury travel and lifestyle magazine; European Travel & Life, and spent nearly ten years at American Express publishing where he served as Associate Publisher of Travel & Leisure, and as Vice President Group Publisher overseeing Departures Magazine and Skyguide. Mr. Laschever has served as Publisher of GQ and as President of the Miller Sports Group, and was also responsible for Tennis Magazine, as well as Sailing World and Cruising World. He is a graduate of Harvard University. Jack and his wife Sonali enjoy time with their young children Benjamin and Tara. He considers himself a passionate- albeit struggling- tennis player and golfer, and is known to enjoy a glass of wine (preferably Argentine) from time to time.

Javier Medin is a partner at Alfaro-Abogados law firm (offices in New York, London, Madrid and Buenos Aires and correspondents worldwide), and has served as Advisor to a number of multinational corporations in contracts, entertainment and sports.  As a member of the International Bar Association (IBA), he currently serves as Regional Representative of South America at Leisure Industries, and the Chair of Sports Law Section, as well as the Regional Director representing Argentina for the Association of South American Football Lawyers, based in Sao Paulo, Brazil.  Prior to his current partnership position, he was a partner at Remaggi, Pico, Jessen & Asociados, and he served as an associate at M&M Bomchil.  Mr. Medin specializes in Corporate, M&A, Project Finance, and Sports law, and is a member of the Argentina Bar Association.  He holds a Degree in Law and a Masters in Restructuring from Buenos Aires University.

Dr. Pecorini is the President and CEO of Life Episteme Group, a biotech company based in Geneva and sits in the Advisory Board of BHC - Investment and merchant bank of NYC; he is a Board Member of WHT srl in Rome, medical devices for women's health; he also served as the COO of Fondazione Parco Biomedico San Raffaele of Rome, one of the most outstanding medical and life science research institutions in Europe as well as the President of Inveni Engineering Group. Previous positions include Management and Senior Management roles at L’Arcoss SpA, Ismes SpA of Enel Group, and Saatchi & Saatchi. Dr. Pecorini has been published in the following editorial journals and periodicals: Europa 984, La Voce Repubblicana, The European Journal of International Affairs, Forum, and Credit Cheque Magazine. He received his degree and PhD in Political Sciences and International Economics from Libera Universita’ Internazionale degli Studi Sociali- LUISS – Viale Pola 12, Rome, and has completed advanced courses at; the United Nations Department of Technical Cooperation to Development, New York; and The World Bank, Washington D.C.; and the Istituto Universitario di Studi Europei – Turin, Via Sacchi.

Adventuring at a young age to over 120 countries Nicholas quickly discovered a passion for real estate. Starting his career in property gave him the opportunity to learn through mentorship and guidance from some of the very best in the industry. Nicholas has a deep understanding of international property markets, notably the UAE, UK, and USA and has worked with both Residential and Commercial real estate investment since 2005 holding senior management roles in several companies. Nicholas is fluent in five languages, has influential skills at all levels of management and holds an MA (Hons) in Interpreting and Translating from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. Nicholas served as Tennis team captain of Heriot-Watt between 2002-2005. In the USA, Nicholas has acquired several multi-family properties and currently serves on the board of the Homeowners Association (HOA) at these developments. Nicholas' real estate portfolio spans the UAE, UK, Brazil, Argentina and USA. Nicholas has extensive experience working closely with HNWI and family offices in structuring real estate deals to invest in emerging markets and managing mixed use developments. In central London, he has worked with the UK’s largest PLC developers to increase and drive sales volume from the GCC and Far East for both retail sales and bulk acquisitions.  During his free time Nicholas enjoys football, tennis, athletics and travel.

Mr. van Duuren is owner and managing director of Van Duuren Districenters BV, a European road-based transportation management company in the Netherlands. His company manages major European distribution centers for NSK, Yanmar, Diesel Jeans, Cisco, Proctor & Gamble, and many others. Prior to this he was the owner and managing director of Van Duuren International B.V.; Nederlandse Pakket Dienst Amsterdam B.V.; and Van Duuren Warehousing B.V. In 2000 these companies were sold to Royal Mail and Mr. van Duuren was appointed Director of Logistics Division of the Royal Mail subsidiaries. Mr. van Duuren has extensive experience and expertise in the real estate sector with a focus in the commercial real estate area, and with major development projects including a golf course in Spain, and private residences in Antigua. He holds a Bachelor in Economics and Business Administration from the HEAO in Alkmaar, Netherlands. He currently resides in the Netherlands with his wife and three children.

Mr. Jeroen van Duuren is co-owner and managing director of Van Duuren Districenters BV, a European road-based transportation management company in the Netherlands. His company manages major European Distribution Centers for NSK, Yanmar, Diesel Jeans, Cisco, Proctor & Gamble, Foot Locker Europe and many others. Prior to this he was the owner and managing director of Van Duuren International B.V.; Nederlandse Pakket Dienst Amsterdam B.V.; and Van Duuren Warehousing B.V. In 2000 these companies were sold to Royal Mail and Mr. Jeroen van Duuren was appointed Director Sales & Marketing of GLS Netherlands (1400 employees) daughter company of the Royal Mail. Mr. van Duuren has over 25 years of experience and expertise in sales and marketing and his ability to fluently speak five languages has proven very useful in creating entrepreneurial opportunities. He currently resides in the Netherlands with his wife and two children. When he is not spending time with his family, he enjoys cycling and playing golf. www.vanduuren.com