Nimmi Malhotra

Nimmi Malhotra brings two decades of experience across publishing and the wine and spirit industry. Based in Singapore, she writes for leading international trade and consumer publications and regularly serves as a judge at major global wine competitions including Decanter World Wine Awards. Her industry participation extends to speaking engagements and panel moderation for the Southeast Asia region, where she offers strategic insights into regional drinks culture, market trends and consumer behaviour.

Nimmi holds a master’s degree in marketing from Monash University, Australia, and earned the WSET Diploma in 2017.

Bel S. Castro

Academic Head, Hospitality department and Head of wine education - Enderun Colleges, Manila, Philippines.

Alongside her academic leadership, she also leads the college’s wine programs and serves as a certified WSET educator in wine and spirits.

Castro is actively engaged in advancing wine education and professional training in the Philippines, working closely with industry stakeholders to develop market-relevant programs and elevate standards in wine knowledge and service.

She holds a Master’s degree in Gastronomy from the University of Adelaide, in partnership with Le Cordon Bleu, and brings over 15 years of industry experience across advertising, public relations, events, and hospitality before transitioning into academia.

Lam Chi Mun

Spirits Industry Consultant in Asia, Certified WSET Spirits Educator

Lam Chi Mun is a hospitality and beverage consultant with over three decades in workforce development, spirits education, and bar capability building across Asia Pacific, Africa, the Americas, and Europe. He led the Diageo Bar Academy in Asia Pacific for over a decade, delivering scalable programmes across 20+ markets and reaching 100,000+ bar professionals annually.

A Certified WSET Level 3 Spirits Educator, Keeper of the Quaich, and holder of the IBD General Certificate in Distilling, Lam previously served as Vice Principal at SHATEC’s Institute of Wines & Spirits and as Secretary of the International Bartenders Association (IBA). He is also a founding partner of Dry Wave Cocktail Studio in Bangkok, which debuted at #5 on Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2025 as Highest New Entry.

Ronald W. Binati

President of the Sommelier Association of Malaysia and Assistant Professor at UCSI University.

Before entering academia, he held various positions in the food and beverage industry. His research focuses on wine and spirit consumption behaviour among Asian consumers, as well as sensory science and emerging beverage trends.

Under his leadership, the Sommelier Association of Malaysia has hosted two major events for the Association de la Sommellerie Internationale (ASI), including the ASI Asia-Pacific Bootcamp and the Best Sommelier of Asia Pacific 2025 competition in Kuala Lumpur.

Walter Giomi

WALTER GIOMI MAJOR DISTINCTIONS Certified Instructor WSET & Wine Scholar Guild (IWS) Diploma WSET, IWA Born and raised in Rome, Italy, Walter Giomi grew up in family that have worked in the hospitality business for generations. At the age of 13 he operated as part-time waiter during weekends. Continuing to work in different restaurants set-ups he was able to learn about customer service, gaining knowledge about quality of products and acquiring a professional attitude to interact with the public. At the age of 19 he obtained the 1st Level Wine Certification under Eccevinum Institution, which sparked his passion for wine.

Since 2013 Walter Giomi is working for a leading beverage importer in Thailand, starting as an Assistant Manager to become one of the company key-role Managers, with the focus on wine and wine accessories portfolios. In 2015 he applied for the Intermediate Level (Level 2) of Wine & Spirits Certification with Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET), then achieving in August 2023 the Diploma WSET. During the pandemic he decided to enroll the Wine Scholar Guild as Certified Instructor for Italian Wine Scholar, obtaining the certificate in 2022.

In 2025 he was able to obtain two important certifications both with WSET (Spirits Advanced Level) and Vinitaly International Academy (Italian Wine Ambassador - IWA). Walter Giomi is a Certified Instructor for WSET and WSG, sharing great passion for wines and spirits of the World, International cuisines and the combination among these two vast universes which are food & beverages. Since May 2019 Walter Giomi joined Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School in Bangkok as Wine Lecturer.