Ms. Aya Aso

Started her career in the hospitality industry in Los Angeles and later returned to Japan, she has engaged in marketing at Sheraton Grande Tokyo Bay Hotel. Left the hotel industry once, joined Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, PricewaterhouseCoopers BPO and Chuo Aoyama Audit Corporation as an accounting auditor and business process consultant. Established Agora Hospitalities after leaving corporate career in 2007. Founded the company with a vision to establish, under “A Collection of Beautiful Japan”, a portfolio of boutique hotels and traditional ryokans representing the soul of Japan. Under her tenure (2007-2017), the collection comprised 13 properties. She founded her second hotel management company in 2017, SAVVY Collective, Inc., to provide hospitality business solutions and advisory with a Luxury & Lifestyle concepts. Prior to AGORA, she was a Senior Vice President of Business Development for ISHIN Hotels Group (2003-2007) and an Executive Director of Operations at Space Design Inc. Graduated from the University of Southern California (USA) with a Bachelor of Music from Thornton School of Music, Piano Performance. She also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from University of Wales (UK). She is also a co-founder of WiT Japan & North Asia, and a founder of AXIA Ladies in Hospitality.