“Senior level, vastly experienced, multi-lingual tourism marketing and operations professional with wide international background”

PARTICULARS Jean Christophe Robles Espinosa Born in Versailles, France Fluent in English, French, Spanish, Italian French Citizen

CURRICULUM VITAE

PERSONAL Of Peruvian and French parentage (Peruvian father, University lecturer in Sociology and Political Economy and French mother, French Language teacher), raised in France, England and Peru.

LANGUAGE SKILLS English, French, Spanish and Italian fluently spoken, read and written. Conversational level of Malay, some notions of Portuguese, German and Thai.

EDUCATION Secondary education, Certificate sanctioning course in International Commerce and Foreign Languages at the C.E.C.E.L.E. (Centre d'Études du Commerce Extérieur et des Langues Étrangères) in Paris, France.

Attended schools both in France and Peru, including the prestigious Colegio Franco - Peruano international school in Lima, Peru and the Lycée Hoche in Versailles, France.

BACKGROUND

Director of Marketing and Promotion for Brunei Tourism, the Tourism Development Department of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources in Brunei Darussalam.

In charge of assisting in the development of marketing strategies to position Brunei as a tourist destination and to develop the market potential of the destination, as well as to make recommendations on product development, prepare marketing projects and otherwise assist in any other required tasks related to market and product development.

LATEST POSITION

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES preparation and implementation of the annual marketing plan and budget (about US$3.5 million), resulting in a year-on-year 12% average growth in tourist arrivals by air to Brunei since 2003

preparation and presentation of reports, board papers, marketing papers, position papers, marketing presentations and analytical evaluations of tourism issues in Brunei

writing of pointers and background material for speeches, press statements and interviews by the CEO, Chairman of the Tourism Board and Minister in charge of tourism

conceptualization of website and electronic materials, coordination and supervision of online activities and Internet marketing

LATEST POSITION

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (Cont’d…) compilation and analysis of yearly tourist arrival figures and trends

coordination of public relations and media activities, writing of press releases and press materials

coordination of marketing activities with the Brunei private sector

preparation and attendance for local and international trade fairs, tourism events and official meetings and conferences

coordination and correspondence with industry partners in source markets

preparation, planning and implementation of familiarization tours for the media and industry

LATEST POSITION

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES (Cont’d…) writing, editing and supervising the production and design of promotional and advertisement materials

assigning duties to staff under supervision (5 officers, 1 assistant officer and 2 project supervisors)

day to day management of the Marketing Division

general assistance and advisory roles on tourism matters and issues to the Tourism Development Department

LATEST POSITION

PREVIOUS POSITION

Director of Marketing and Promotion with the Sarawak Tourism Board in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, reporting directly to the Chief Executive Officer, and with responsibilities similar to those held in the latest position.

Joined the Sarawak Tourism Board from its first day of operations and was influential in setting the long term vision of the Board's objectives, as well as the structures necessary for the proper marketing of the destination.

Creative and with an eye for detail and perfection, played an important role in the “quality control” of most of the Board’s output, helping shape the distinctive "working style” of this well respected and multiple award winning regional tourism organization.

Was instrumental in the organization, implementation and creation of the winning formula for the acclaimed Rainforest World Music Festival.

BORNEO DAYS On 16th September 2003, joined Brunei Tourism in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, as a contracted Tourism Expert for product and market development. Contract renewed in 2006 and 2009 as Director of Marketing and Promotion.

From 1st July 1995 to 30th June 2003, joined the newly formed Sarawak Tourism Board in Kuching, Malaysia, as the marketing executive in charge of the European markets, promoted in July 1998 to marketing manager reporting directly to the CEO, and appointed in July 2000 as Director of Marketing and Promotion, overseeing a staff of seven and a budget of about US$2 million.

From October 1993 to June 1995, worked for Sarawak (Malaysia) based tour operator Interworld Travel, overseeing and planning their marketing activities as well as assisting in operations, production of brochures and management of client data base.

EXPERIENCE TIMELINE

FREELANCE DAYS From October 1989 to September 1993 worked in Malaysia as a freelance tourist guide and interpreter, first in the Island of Penang, and then in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Besides freelancing for the major Malaysian inbound operators (such as Asian Overland Services, Reliance, Mayflower, Mandarin Tours, Kalao Voyages, Greenline, etc), assisted local operator Everise Tours to start their marketing activities for the European markets, and in 1992 and 1993 regularly guided the CLUB MED series groups throughout Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Singapore.

From September 1985 to September 1989, worked in Hong Kong as a freelance tourist guide and interpreter with several prominent inbound Hong Kong Tour Operators and Destination Management Companies (such as Jetway Express, Speedway Travel, Treasure Tours, Reliance, etc).

EXPERIENCE TIMELINE

CLUB MED DAYS From February 1982 to August 1985, joined the Tour Department of the Paris based CLUB MED organization and was posted for periods ranging from 4 months to 7 months in the resorts of Djerba la Douce, on the Island of Jerba (Tunisia), Cancun in Cancun (Mexico), Les Almadies in Dakar (Senegal), Malabata in Tangiers (Morocco), Magic Haiti in Saint Marc (Haiti), Skanes in Monastir (Tunisia), Ixtapa in Zihuatanejo (Mexico) and Kamarina in Sicily (Italy).

EXPERIENCE TIMELINE

CLUB MED DAYS (Cont’d…) Main duties within the organization consisted in leading and guiding tours from the various resort villages where posted. Other duties consisted of preparing and presenting audio-visual presentations, conferences, slide shows and pre-tour briefings, assisting the tour manager in the ground operations, preparation of reports and sales of tours to the resort's guest, plus other public relations and animation duties expected from CLUB MED staff, such as welcoming guests, performing on stage and otherwise assisting and entertaining the resort's guests.

EXPERIENCE TIMELINE

EARLY PROJECT From July 1979 to July 1980, created and managed Archeo-Tours, based in Lima, Peru. This small pioneering specialized operation, consisted of bringing adventurous tourists with an interest in archaeology, by 4 wheel drive and on horse back, to remote and little known archaeological sites high in the Andes near Lima, staying in villagers‘ homes with minimum comfort. Unfortunately, at that time the market for such products was very small, and the project was not economically viable (it has however been kept dormant and recently revived by my former partner in the venture, though it is still a very niche product).

EXPERIENCE TIMELINE

OTHER EXPERIENCES From November 1987 to February 1988, took a break from Hong Kong to work in the Dominican Republic as a tour representative for Canadian tour operator Mirabelle Tours, at their operations base in the resort of Punta Cana.

From April to September 1981, worked as a hotel receptionist for the summer season at the family run Hotel Treviso, in Jesolo Lido near Venice, Italy.

Between August 1980 and January 1982, worked in several temporary positions in direct sales and telemarketing, in France, Italy and the Canary Islands in Spain.

From March to May 1979, after graduating from the C.E.C.E.L.E., went for practical training in tourism at the offices of the CTV - CEDRI Incentive House and Tour Operator, learning about ticketing, tour operations, programming, brochure writing, etc, in Paris, France.

EXPERIENCE TIMELINE

RECOGNITIONS Creative inspiration for the multi award winning Sarawak Pavilion used by the Sarawak Tourism Board at major tourism trade fairs.

Winner of the 2006 IMEX Academy Award for the Asia – Pacific region.

ACHIEVEMENTS

WRITINGS Writing of several brochures and leaflets, mainly the tour brochures for Everise Tours and Interworld Travel, the first Sarawak Destination Brochure for the Sarawak Tourism Board

and the Tourist Information Guide for Brunei Tourism.

Writing of several tourism related articles, mainly in the Sarawak Tourism Network magazine, and of many press

releases and destination features that have appeared in several print and online publications .

ACHIEVEMENTS

NEW MEDIA Heavily involved in the development of the architecture and text for the Sarawak Tourism Board’s 1st and 2nd websites, with STB being

the first tourism marketing organization in South East Asia to launch a website in 1995.

Similarly involved with the new Brunei Tourism website launched in 2005, making it the first tourism website in South East Asia to register a .travel top level domain.

Advocated for larger involvement in e-marketing through online trade newsletters, setting up of a new online photo library and for considering outsourcing to professional outlets the development of social media platforms.

ACHIEVEMENTS

PROJECTS Presentation in 1994 to the Sarawak Ministry of Tourism and Environment of a project paper and report on adventure tourism possibilities in the Lawas region of Northern Sarawak.

Coordination for the first BIMP - EAGA Tourism Fair held in 1995 in Kuching, Sarawak.

Head of the TRAVEX Sub-Committee for the ASEAN Tourism Forum (ATF) 2010 held in Jerudong, Brunei.

ACHIEVEMENTS

POSITIONS Chairman of the Organizing Committee for

the 4th Rainforest World Music Festival held in

Sarawak in 2001 (and Chairman of the Selection Committee from 1998 to 2003).

Deputy Chairman of the Strategic Planning Committee for Sarawak's Tourism Board Strategic Plan (2002 - 2003).

Secretary of the Sarawak Tourism Board Marketing and Promotion Committee.

ACHIEVEMENTS

VIDEO

http://youtu.be/FrgK62sB6Ag (from 0:32 to 1:56)

PRESS (international)

MEDIA EXPOSURE

www.asianewsnet.net/home/news.php?id=22523&sec=1

www.zoominfo.com (search for : Jean C. Espinosa)

www.ttnonline.com/arcarticles.aspx?id=895&artid=8796&issueid=267

www.guidaviaggi.it/detail.lasso?id=9120

www.guidaviaggi.it/notizie/9235/sarawak-tourism-board-ttg-incontri/

PRESS (local)

MEDIA EXPOSURE

www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2012/03/18/berambang-needs-more-facilities

http://news.brunei.fm/2010/04/02/shanghai-expo-to-spur-brunei-tourist-arrivals/

www.bt.com.bn/travel/2009/03/10/tour_guides_go_for_accreditation

www.bt.com.bn/search/apachesolr_search/Jean%20Christophe%20Robles%20Espinosa

TRAINING AND SEMINARS Certificate of Participation in the 5th UNWTO Asia Pacific Executive Training Program on Tourism Policy and Strategy (UNWTO) Part I & Part II Train the Trainer Course Certificate of Completion (World Federation of Tourist Guide Associations) Microsoft Access 7.0 - Intermediate Certificate (New Horizons Computer learning Center) Community Participation in Tourism Planning (School of Travel Industry Management, University of Hawaii) Workshop on Iban Traditional Music, Dance, Costume and Song (Sarawak Museum and Dayak Cultural Foundation) Seminar on Product Development and Destination Marketing (Ministry of Tourism, Sarawak, with University of Hawaii) Basic First Aid certificate (Malaysian Red Crescent Society) Various quality related seminars to attain ISO and IMS standards for the Sarawak Tourism Board Various work improvement and team building seminars

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

COUNTRIES BRIEFLY OR EXTENSIVELY VISITED For professional and sometimes leisure purposes :

France, United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain, Gibraltar, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, Gambia, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Colombia, Haiti, Santo Domingo, Hong Kong, Macao, China, India, Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Australia, Japan

For purely leisure purposes :

USA (Hawaii, mainly), Venezuela, Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica, Nepal, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Vatican, Vietnam

WORLD TRAVELS

PERSONAL INTERESTS Travel, geography and history (lived and worked in fourteen countries on four continents, visited another thirty four countries and territories around the world, familiar with all parts of the planet and the historical background of most countries, civilizations and religions)

Motorbike riding (20 bikes in 35 years, currently owning a Yamaha V-Max 1200cc)

Reading literature, news and scientific magazines and surfing the Internet to keep abreast of what goes around the world

PERSONAL

PERSONAL INTERESTS (Cont’d...) Good food (Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Peruvian, Italian, French and Moroccan among my favourites)

Movies and music (owning large collections of movies and music, including many from all around the world)

Exploring new horizons and cultural experiences

Swimming, hiking

PERSONAL

VISION

To contribute with all my capabilities to the development of tourism as a means to achieve greater understanding among peoples and cultures.

PERSONAL

ENDORSEMENTS

“It was a pleasure working with Jean Christophe. I enjoyed exchanging professional views with him; his deep cultural insight and strong creative intuition contributed to the success of all our campaigns and actions. I can only recommend him as a valuable asset to any tourism or hospitality company.”

- Gabrielle Alam, Managing Director, Eyes2market UK Ltd

“Jean-Christophe had a vision to recreate the vision of Brand Brunei. We worked together five years ago to create a campaign which still reflects the country and its multi-dimensional attributes”

- David Keen, Chief Executive, QUO

“Jean Christophe is a highly dedicated and skilled Director of Marketing. He created very effective and targeted marketing campaigns working with relevant stakeholders such as The Empire Hotel & Country Club.”

- Anne Busfield, General Manager, The Empire Hotel & Country Club

ENDORSEMENTS

“Working with Jean Christophe Robles on the Brunei Map project was extremely valuable. Chris’ high level of expertise span from understanding detailed tourism logistics to the many mechanisms that boost tourism figures, his passion for tourism and providing high quality informative information to travellers will benefit any tourism related organization.”

- Rurik Nyström, CEO / Founder, redBANG International

“Jean Christophe is a very serious and professional partner. We have had a very good business cooperation while he was working at the Sarawak Tourism Board. He speaks a very fluent Italian and this was also very helpful for us.”

- Barbara Rebora, Advertising Manager, TTG Italia

“JCR is a long term contact who is very professional in all that he does. I can thoroughly recommend him .”

- Paul Flackett, Managing Director, IMEX

CONTACT DETAILS

Jean Christophe ROBLES ESPINOSA

Kg Subok , Bandar Seri Begawan BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

+ 673 226 29 56

+ 673 864 63 81

chris.robles50

chrisrobles.pro@gmail.com / chrisrobles@hotmail.com ( )

www.linkedin.com/in/jeanchristopherobles

www.facebook.com/JeanChristophe.Robles

THANK YOU !

Thank you for your time in going through my full CV. If you are looking for an asset in your organization who is :

Vastly experienced, widely traveled, well read, knowledgeable Dedicated, passionate, committed Hard working, yet likes to enjoy life Trustworthy, loyal, responsible, honest Creative, in tune with trends, technologically savvy Meticulous, with a keen eye for detail, and a skilled writer Result driven, with an eye on objective realization Multilingual, multicultural, open minded, tolerant and highly adaptable Friendly, good natured, with a good disposition, amiable with everyone An out of the box thinker, who likes to question and understand A problem solver, a team player, a contributor, a prompter of ideas A great communicator, spontaneous, always ready with answers A leader and a mentor who charts directions and shares experience A dreamer and visionary, yet grounded in reality

Then I believe I could be such an asset to your organization, and look forward to hear from you …