A New Chapter for IMA MEAPAC Begins

2026

President

Debbie Ghillino

Founder & Chairman

The Incentive Company

Personal profile

Company profile

2018-2025

Immediate Past President

Julie Barbier

CEO & Co-Founer

Merit Incentives

Personal profile

Company profile

Dear IMA MEAPAC Members,

We are delighted to announce that Debbie Ghillino, Founder & Chairman of The Incentive Company, has been elected by the IMA MEAPAC Board as the new President of our chapter, succeeding Julie Barbier, CEO & Co-Founder of Merit Incentives, who has completed her term as President.

Since the launch of IMA as a MEA chapter in 2018, Julie has played an instrumental role in expanding our footprint to the APAC region, leading us through years of growth and collaboration. Under her leadership, IMA MEAPAC was officially recognized as a full IMA chapter in 2024, and we proudly hosted our inaugural summit in Sydney in April this year — a milestone that brought together industry leaders, members, and partners from across the region.

As Julie transitions to her new role as Immediate Past President, we extend our deepest appreciation for her vision and dedication. We now look forward to an exciting new phase under Debbie’s leadership — continuing our mission to foster innovation, excellence, and community across the incentives, rewards, and loyalty industries in the MEAPAC region and hosting our second summit in April in Bangkok next year.

A Word from Our New President

“It’s an honor to continue this incredible journey. IMA MEAPAC has grown into a vibrant community of leaders and innovators, and together, we’ll keep building a chapter that inspires collaboration, celebrates success, and shapes the future of our amazing incentives industry.”

“My huge thanks to Julie for creating the vision of this amazing chapter and for laying the foundations of what is emerging as an incredibly exciting chapter. With the help of an incredible board, I look forward to building on a solid base and growing this phenomenal side of the world.” — Debbie Ghillino, President, IMA MEAPAC

Get to Know Debbie

Debbie has been an active board member of IMA MEAPAC since it’s launch in 2018, she has always been a driving force behind key initiatives that have strengthened our regional network.

About Debbie

Debbie Ghillino, is the Founder and Chairman of The Incentive Company - South Africa. She has 32 years Incentive industry experience, having worked for some of the top Incentive companies in South Africa. She also has 7 years Incentive experience in the United Kingdom where she worked for leading Performance Improvement companies. Debbie founded The Incentive Company in 2015.

Some Special Achievements are:

2025 Recipient of the IMA Europe Excellence in Incentive Travel award, marking a third consecutive win in this category and the Excellence in Merchandise
2024 Named as one of 10 most empowering business leaders in Africa
2023 Recipient of the European Presidents award for excellence
2023 Recipient of the MEA APAC Regional award for service
Co-founder of the global Women in Incentives Network NPO (WiiN)
Board member of the MEA chapter of the IMA (Incentive Marketing Association) since 2018
President of the Global Incentive Council 2013 to 2015
First African to attend the IMA for 5 consecutive years
Invited to present sessions at three of the IMA Summits on incentives from a global perspective
Has been published in numerous SA publications regarding incentive and loyalty best practice
Judge at USA and European industry awards

Please join us in extending our warmest congratulations to Debbie, and our very best wishes as she continues leading IMA MEAPAC on its journey of growth and success.