MEET THE TEAM
Meet our executive team.
BALLY SINGH
Founder & Chairman
Bally Singh is a successful British-born businessman and entrepreneur. He is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Rich List Management.
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Amongst his many businesses and brands, Bally is the founder of the famous Rich List Group and Hoko Agency which commands the attention of an international following. Running his multi-million-pound businesses with offices in the UAE, London and Marbella, Bally has been developing and staging large-scale entertainment events and experiential marketing campaigns around the world for the past 25 years.
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​Bally’s high profile events include the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations with Queen Elizabeth II and the MTV Music Video Awards. Bally has worked with brands such as McLaren, Esquire, Dom Perignon, Crystal, Armand de Brignac, Rolls Royce, Mercedes Benz, Aston Martin, Michael Kors, F1, Etihad, The Marriott Group amongst many others.
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Bally has handled all U.K. brand management and presented artists in concert including David Guetta, Busta Rhymes, Tiesto, Pharrell Williams, Rick Ross, DMX, Sting, 50 Cent, The Game, Craig David, Trey Songz and Tyrese Gibson.
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​As an entrepreneur, Bally has started, grown and sold several businesses and also held senior management positions at companies including Zero Mobile, Tiger Telematics and Rockstar Marketing. He has negotiated and orchestrated deals with brands such as Verizon, Microsoft, Nike and MTV.
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​Bally continues to launch new brands and works with clients to develop and produce compelling, one-of-a-kind events, branding and marketing campaigns that attract international attention.
MAX PALETHORPE
Founder & CEO
​Dubai based Max Alexander Palethorpe is the Founder & CEO of Hoko Agency as well as Managing Director of the Rich List Group.
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​Max has over 25 years’ experience in the sport and entertainment industries having worked in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and USA. Before Max set up his own agency he had worked for major global agencies for over a decade including World Sport Group and Creative Artists Agency (CAA).
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​With Max’s business acumen, he expanded and commercialized the Rich List F1 events into new international markets. He has been instrumental in creating and taking equity stakes in various projects that include The International Influencer Convention (TICC), The Rich List, Urban Polo and various F&B brands.
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​With his commercial expertise, Max has concluded multi-million dollar deals with Emirates Airlines, Marriott Group, Pernod Ricard, Moet Hennessy, McLaren, Red Bull, Samsung, Tag Heuer and Heineken to name a few. Max is the lead on the globally retained client MoneyGram, for their International Cricket Council (ICC) platform that includes running all their programmes at ICC World Cups and talent acquisition for their marketing campaigns globally. He was also instrumental in creating and delivering their grassroots football programme “MoneyGram Goal” in varying Asian markets.
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​Max is experienced in developing and establishing sponsorship strategies and leveraging their investments into sport and entertainment. He has a wide range of knowledge around broadcast having completed deals with BeIN Sports, OSN, Dubai Sports, Star Sports and MBC over his career.
Max is an accomplished commercial leader in the sports and entertainment industries and Hoko has won Awards for various initiatives which he created and delivered.
ANA SANTOS
​Founder & General Manager
Ana Santos Matas is an international fashion model turned serial eco-entrepreneur. Ana is a successful self-made businesswoman, a graduate in Psychology with a master’s degree in HR.
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With her business acumen, Ana became the co-owner of the HOKO Agency and Creative Director of The Rich List Groups international events arm. Being business savvy, Ana was able to propel the global VIP events company to become a multi-million-pound business with international prominence and success. While working for the Hoko Agency Ana has conceptualized numerous brands for international clients in over 8 countries worldwide.
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​In 2018, Ana founded the famous Rosas Café in Marbella, voted the “most Instagrammable Café in the world”. The cafe is frequently visited by numerous international movie stars, Michelin starred chefs, content creators and fashionistas. The boutique cafe is renowned for its bespoke cakes leading to numerous haute couture brands including Dior, Channel, and La Perla booking Rosas Cafe for product launches and official collaborations. Rosas cafe combines elegance with modern luxury which reflects Ana’s passion for style. The uniqueness of Rosa’s cafe includes the first-ever menu for dogs in Spain following the mantra “A family that eats together, stays together” with dogs being considered very much a member of the family. The menu helps fundraise and donate money to animal sanctuaries around Spain.
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​Ana is a highly sought after and successful model who began her modelling career at nineteen. Travelling the globe and gracing the covers of glossy magazines, Ana has modelled for some of the most prestigious international fashion brands including Dolce & Gabbana, Maybelline, Sephora and Chopard.
JAMES COLLISHAW
Chief Commercial Officer
James served for 5 years as a commissioned infantry officer in the British Army before transitioning into commercial aviation as an A380 pilot.
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James worked for 10 years with Etihad as a commercial pilot, project managing commercial aircraft into service, undertaking evidenced-based project management, managing training strategy and ultimately heading the Business Development team for Etihad Aviation Training where he increased revenue by 2,000 % in just under 3 years.
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The airline industry is dynamic and this provided James with the opportunity to build, lead and manage a team of 20+ pax which effectively grew the company and ensured its financial strength and operating efficiency whilst giving James the opportunity to enhance his strategic thinking, decision-making, strategic partner relationship, and influencing skills.
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James has now turned his attention to non-aviation-related matters as well as fulfilling a number of consultancy roles within the aviation training theatre. As a partner and managing director of Optimal, a successful physiotherapy and fitness center of excellence in Dubai, he is now expanding on the existing business starting with award of the Creekside Golf Club and Hyatt Gym operational contracts.
JOHNNY ASHENHURST
Director of Operations
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Johnny Ashenhurst is our Head of Operations across our business. Johnny is a 15-year experienced events manager and operations expert.
He started his career in London running corporate events within Deloitte’s global team, especially focusing on client hospitality at Wimbledon & Rugby Internationals at Twickenham.
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From London he moved to Asia where he has been pivotal to the launch of the best loved events in Singapore including the Singapore Comedy Festival, the Singapore Urban Polo and the global expansion of The Rich List F1 Events in Singapore & Vietnam, as well as delivering a host of other global events for our client MoneyGram International ranging from grassroots sports tournaments around Asia to the ICC World Cup’s across the Globe.
Adonia D’Souza
Events Director
Adonia began her career in the post-production industry as a Production Manager after obtaining her bachelor's degree in Mass Media. Later, she moved to Dubai and joined a branding and advertising agency, where she developed her skills and discovered her passion for events. Adonia possesses extensive experience in team management across a spectrum of international events, spanning small, medium, and large-scale events. Her profound technical expertise is a testament to her capability in orchestrating, implementing, and seamlessly delivering events not only within the United Arab Emirates but also across various regions in the GCC. Her multifaceted portfolio encompasses a wide array of live events, including concerts, corporate functions, and private social gatherings, making her a highly valuable asset to any team.
Simon Wilson
Urban Polo Founder & Director
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As the founder of the Urban Polo series Simon has been instrumental in creating the most successful polo events throughout New Zealand, combing sport and music in an urban setting.
He has held roles as the Executive Director of the New Zealand Open. Simon built up the Clevedon Event and spent over 9 years rebuilding the Club’s brand for the future of the sport. Simon is a successful business entrepreneur with experience in national and international business ventures, having completed a successful capital raise for Urban Events in 2018 commenced the expansion internationally with the first successful Singapore Event in 2019. We are looking to expand this across multiple markets from 2021 as this successful brand grows globally.
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Simon has a strong background in both Corporate and Private enterprise with successful high growth business.
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Simon is currently leading our F&B Sector at Hoko with his in depth knowledge and connections throughout New Zealand as we take the quality products that they create onto a global stage through our distribution channels.
Hayley Jane Griffin
Executive Assistant to Bally Singh
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Hayley is a professional, self-motivated and high qualified C-Level Executive Assistant, with over twelve years of experience assisting high-level executives and clients in financial and legal institutions. Hayley was born and raised in London, where she studied and began her career and later moved to Dubai in her early twenties to work at the prestigious HSBC Bank for nine years. During her tenure at HSBC, she embarked on a journey of professional growth and development working within Corporate and Global Banking where she then transitioned into Brand Partnerships and Marketing and Events. This experience ultimately shaped her into a seasoned and highly skilled individual in the world of finance and management.
Hayley is a confident, enthusiastic team player who is passionate in helping people reach their goals. She has a record of achievement and success within various high profiles and fast-paced environments. Hayley is a powerful force in the workplace and uses her positive attitude and tireless energy to encourage others to work hard and succeed.
Magdalena De Santos
Head of Sales
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Graduated in Hospitality Management in Seville. Magda started her career in Dubai running events for the Royal Family, focusing on VIP clients at NAS. Couple of years later she moved back to Spain to pursue her interest in the football industry as an operations manager, amongst other duties she managed the day to day activities and operational requirements for professional football teams from the best leagues across the world.
As Almería FC progressed on to the La Liga 1* division, she had the opportunity to join their legal team, assisting the players and their families with contractual agreements and any other requirements at Almeria.
Magda has joined the AIOKA team to share her sales expertise and exceed clients expectations.
Mireya Barajas
Social Media Executive
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Mireya Barajas graduated in Marketing and Market Research at the University of Sevilla. During her last years of university, she gathered experience as a communication assistant at FNAC and event marketing assistant at FIBES Among her other responsibilities she organized cultural events, collaborated with artists, and handled the overall PR of the event.
Post-graduation, Mireya joined the Marketing department of UD Almeria, a first-division Spanish football team, where she handled the entire mix of marketing including all their social media platforms. With more than three years of experience in the football industry, she has not only excelled as a social media manager but has also assisted in organizing high-profile events, including galas, music festivals, and press conferences.
