Judging

2026 Judging


PANEL

Chris Godfrey

Co-CEO - HBA

Aldwin Ong

Senior Vice President – CCD / Cheng Chung Design

Belinda Chia

Senior Director, Interior Design, Global Design (APEC) – Marriott International

Clint Nagata

Founder & Creative Director – Blink Design Group

Hayley Mitchell

Co-Founder – Mitchell & Eades

Kesaté B. Tadesse

Managing Director – AvroKO (Bangkok)

Kesaté B. Tadesse is a principal and managing director at AvroKO's Bangkok Studio, specialising in luxury hospitality projects throughout Asia and the extended region for established and emerging brands. He oversees design, strategy and overall culture and operations of the studio to develop world-class hospitality environments for clients.

Kesaté has over 17 years of experience working on and leading architecture and interior design projects ranging from hospitality and residential to commercial and retail spaces for clients across the private and commercial sectors. Having worked on projects in the US, China, South-East Asia, and the Middle East, his designs integrate a global perspective while emphasising the unique characteristics of local environments. He's worked on large-scale architecture projects as well as community-based projects—including collaborations with local artists and design-build projects in rural areas.

Kesaté graduated with Bachelors of Architecture (B.A.) and a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) from City University of New York and has taught architecture at the university level in Thailand.

Masayuki Kinoshita

Executive Director, Chief Creative Officer & Head of Development – Trunk Hotels