Hannah Ekberg

Head of Growth, Travelstart

Hannah Ekberg is a dynamic growth strategist and digital expert dedicated to redefining the customer journey in one of Africa’s most vibrant travel markets. As the Head of Growth at Travelstart, Hannah leads a cross-functional mission spanning product, marketing, and customer experience to ensure the brand remains a market leader. Drawing on her international background as a Lead Digital Media Planner in Stockholm, she seamlessly translates global consumer insights into scalable, performance-driven strategies that resonate on a local scale.

 

A forward-thinking leader with a sharp eye for emerging trends, Hannah thrives on building customer-first experiences that anticipate the needs of the modern traveler. She is known for her ability to combine “first-world” technical expertise with a deep understanding of market-specific behaviors, ensuring that innovation always serves the user. Her work reflects a passionate commitment to keeping Travelstart ahead of the curve, driving sustainable growth through a blend of data-led precision and a genuine desire to simplify how people explore the world.

Sessions

April 9, Thursday
Venue: Innovation City Cape Town  

 

OTAs: The Next Frontier

 

As we enter The Next 20, online travel agencies face a new frontier shaped by AI interfaces, shifting traveller trust, regional platform strength, and new paths to discovery and booking. Will OTAs become invisible infrastructure, intelligent trip partners, or powerful super-platforms? And as travellers gain more tools and control, how must intermediaries evolve to stay essential? This session brings together global and regional OTA leaders to examine where value will be created next – from product and payments to partnerships and localisation – and how competitive dynamics between global giants and homegrown champions will play out across emerging markets. Expect candid perspectives on what OTAs must reinvent, defend, and double down on in the next era of travel distribution.

 

Speakers:

Andy Hedley, CEO, Travelstart
Albert Fernando, CEO, Travelwings 

Bayo Adedeji, Group Chief Executive Officer, Wakanow

 

Moderator:

Yeoh Siew Hoon, Founder, WiT