Board of Directors

Debbie Ghillino

President

Debbie is the Founder & Chairman of The Incentive Company, has been in the Incentive Industry for 30 years. Debbie was the first African to attend an IMA Summit and has worked in the industry in the UK and predominantly within South Africa. Debbie is a co-founder of WiiN and is on the board of the current IMA MEAPAC chapter. Debbie was the 2023 winner of the IMA Europe Presidents' Award and a holds a 2023 Service award for service on the IMA MEAPAC board. Debbie's company are winners of three Incentive Awards from IMA Europe for Technology and Travel during 2020, 2021 & 2023. Debbie is passionate about rewarding great work with aspiring rewards. She is based in Cape Town, South Africa.

Julie Barbier-Leblan

Immediate Past President

Julie is the founder & CEO of Merit Incentives, a global engagement and rewards technology company headquartered in Dubai and operating with 7 offices across the MENA region, APAC and Europe. She is Forbes' top 20 Women Behind Middle Eastern Tech Brands in 2022 and co-founder of Women in Incentives Network. Julie serves on the IMA Board and is an active member of IMA Europe, IGCC and IESP. She is based between Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Adeshola Jaiyeola

Board Member

Adeshola has been the Country Director for Uwin Iwin Incentives for 11 years. She is responsible for business planning & sales strategy development, designing and implementing Incentive Programs for Employees, Sales, and Distribution channels as well as business innovations and relations within Africa. She is based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Mark McCowan

Board Member

Mark is Synchro’s Managing Director, consults for major companies, designing and delivering Incentive, Loyalty and Employee Engagement Programs. Industries include Finance, Automotive, Hospitality, Healthcare, Sport, Media and Telecommunications. Programs have earned Awards from the Australian Marketing Institute, the Incentive Marketing Association, the Australian HR Awards and the Australian Psychological Society. He lives in Sydney, Australia.

Lianne Booth

Board Member

Lianne Booth, Strategic Projects Director at Achievement Awards Group (Based In South Africa), leading strategic initiatives, Total Rewards, and EVP programs in the Office of Strategy Management. With over 20 years’ experience across client services, planning, and
recognition, she combines strategic expertise with a passion for engagement and is pursuing her GRP® certification.

Mahendra Rathod

Board Member

Mahendra Rathod, COO & Founder of The Reward Store (a Vananam company), (Based In India), which partners with corporates to design & deliver impactful employee, channel, & consumer reward strategies. With over 18 years of entrepreneurial and corporate leadership experience, Mahendra holds an MBA from IIM Bangalore, a Master of Law from NLSIU, & a Bachelor of Engineering from MSU. His career spans building large-scale loyalty platforms & advising leading organizations on incentive and recognition strategies, and he is eager to bring this expertise to support IMA’s mission & growth in the MEAPAC region.

Rick Matthews

Board Member

Rick Matthews, Vice President, Global Procurement Operations (Global Reward Solutions), Based in Australia), began in consumer goods, later spending 6 years with CarltonOne. Following a period of entrepreneurial ventures, he rejoined Carlton in 2007 to lead client services as Carlton focused on B2B loyalty. Rick has held leadership roles across client services, partner development, and most recently procurement & operations throughout Australasia.

Steve Toth

Board Member

Steve Toth, Head of APAC and Director, Tillo Pty (Based In Australia), with 35+ years building seamless online–offline retail. Ex-Vodafone, Amaysim, Truphone, Airtasker, Kayo Sports. Helped launch amaysim in five months, built Airtasker’s B2B arm, turned around Blackhawk Network. NLP-trained coach who simplifies, aligns teams and drives outcomes.

Viktor Atanasov

Board Member

Viktor Atanasov, Co-founder of Shelly Group PLC (ex-Allterco), now listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Founder & CEO of WOGI (Based In Singapore), Asia’s leading digital rewards & payouts platform. With 20 years in fintech, loyalty, & digital innovation, He has expanded WOGI to 8 offices across 48 markets, connecting enterprises, brands, & payment networks.