SILA 2026 Loyalty Leaders Summit
The South East Asia & India Loyalty Association (SILA) has officially launched, uniting a variety of leading brands, loyalty experts, and technology partners from the region to enhance loyalty, customer engagement, and insights across South East Asia and India. To mark its launch, SILA announced it will host its inaugural 2026 Loyalty Leaders Summit on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, at the Sofitel Singapore City Centre.
With evolving customer expectations, loyalty has become a crucial strategic capability for organizations in sectors such as retail, grocery, financial services, travel, hospitality, telecommunications, and digital commerce. Consumers now demand personalized, seamless, and rewarding experiences, making loyalty programs vital for customer retention, advocacy, and long-term business growth.
South East Asia and India are among the world's fastest-growing loyalty markets, driven by digital-first consumers, rapid mobile adoption, and increasing investment in AI-powered customer engagement. SILA was created to support this growth by connecting industry leaders, sharing global best practices, and building capabilities across the region.
Recent research shows that the loyalty market in the APAC region experienced robust growth from 2021 to 2025, with a CAGR of 17.2%. This growth is expected to continue, with the market projected to grow at a CAGR of 13.1% from 2026 to 2030. By 2030, the loyalty market is expected to expand from its 2025 value of USD$75.1 billion to approximately USD$141.8 billion.
The Association is part of Loyalty Group APAC, alongside the Australian Loyalty Association and the New Zealand Loyalty Association, forming the largest and most representative loyalty community in the Asia-Pacific region.
Sarah Richardson, CEO of SILA, stated:
"South East Asia and India are among the most exciting regions for loyalty innovation. Organizations are heavily investing in AI, personalization, and customer engagement, yet there was no industry body dedicated to uniting loyalty professionals. Our vision is to create a collaborative community that connects industry leaders, shares global best practices, and helps organizations build stronger, more meaningful customer relationships."
First Major Initiative: Loyalty Leaders Summit Singapore
SILA's first major initiative is the 2026 Loyalty Leaders Summit, scheduled for Wednesday, 23 September 2026, at the Sofitel Singapore City Centre.
Targeted at senior executives in loyalty, CRM, customer experience, digital, data, and marketing, the Summit will gather over 200 industry leaders from South East Asia and India to discuss the latest trends, strategies, and innovations in customer loyalty.
A key highlight will be the exclusive launch of the 2026 Asia Loyalty Program Research Report, offering the first comprehensive benchmark of leading loyalty programs across major Asian markets. The research will provide delegates with valuable regional benchmarks, emerging trends, and practical recommendations to enhance program performance.
The Summit will feature senior client-side case studies, executive panel discussions, interactive roundtables, VIP Loyalty Connections, facilitated networking, and exclusive industry insights, offering a unique forum for leaders to exchange ideas, build strategic relationships, and learn from the region's most innovative loyalty practitioners.
Connecting the Industry
2026 Loyalty Leaders Summit, in Singapore builds on the success of the recent Asia Pacific Loyalty Conference, now recognized as the region's premier conference dedicated to loyalty, customer engagement, and customer insights.
The 2026 conference welcomed a record 474 delegates, making it the largest Asia Pacific Loyalty Conference ever held. The event achieved a 98% attendance rate, and speaker sessions received an outstanding average rating of 4.8 out of 5.
These results reflect the growing demand for high-quality education, networking, and collaboration across the loyalty industry in the Asia Pacific.
Founding Advisory Board
SILA launches with an Advisory Board comprising senior leaders from many of the region's leading brands and technology organizations.
Brand Leaders
● Emilie Couton – Chief Executive Officer, Accor Plus
● Emily Ong – Director, Loyalty & CRM, Far East Hospitality
● Henry Christian – Head of Loyalty, Marketing & Partnerships, Metro Singapore
● Chen Peng – Chief Executive Officer, Minden.ai
Technology & Industry Leaders
● Melinda Zhang, Vice President, Consumer Acquisition & Engagement, Mastercard Singapore
● Aaron Crowe – Head of Revenue APAC, Eagle Eye
● Laurent Billieres – VP APAC, Talon.One
● Brendan Murphy – GM, Zeta
● Mark Ross-Smith - CEO, Loyalty Status Co.
The Advisory Board provides expertise across retail, hospitality, financial services, AI, payments, and loyalty technology, ensuring SILA offers practical, regionally relevant leadership, education, and industry collaboration.
Recognising Excellence
SILA will continue to support participation in the Asia Pacific Loyalty Awards, the region's leading awards program celebrating excellence in loyalty, customer engagement, and customer experience.
This year's finalists showcased outstanding innovation from South East Asia and the broader region, including:
● Treasured by Metro – Metro Singapore Department Stores
● Ascott Star Rewards – The Ascott Limited
● ALL – Accor Live Limitless – Accor
● Beyond Business – Qatar Airways
● Emirates Skywards – Emirates
● Mastercard Priceless Planet Coalition – Mastercard
The Awards celebrate excellence in loyalty strategy, customer experience, technology, partnerships, AI, program design, and commercial outcomes, providing an important benchmark for organizations across the Asia-Pacific region. Submissions for 2027 open next week.
Developing Capability
Professional education is central to SILA's mission. Building on the core Loyalty Foundation and Advanced Loyalty Education Series, SILA will continue to expand executive education programs designed to equip loyalty professionals with the commercial, strategic, and technical skills needed to lead world-class loyalty programs.
Current executive masterclasses include:
● Loyalty Economics
● Artificial Intelligence
● Behavioural Science
These practical programs combine proven frameworks, international case studies, and hands-on learning, allowing participants to immediately apply new skills within their organizations. Due to strong demand for the initial programs, additional advanced courses are being planned.
Informing the Industry
SILA is committed to helping organizations make better loyalty decisions through research, benchmarking, and thought leadership.
The Association will continue to invest in regional loyalty research and market insights, providing members with practical intelligence to benchmark program performance, understand changing consumer expectations, and identify emerging trends shaping the future of customer engagement.
Register for the Loyalty Leaders Summit
Registrations are now open for the 2026 Loyalty Leaders Summit on Wednesday, 23 September 2026 at the Sofitel Singapore City Centre.
To view the agenda and learn more:
To register and purchase tickets:
For information about SILA, membership opportunities and upcoming events, visit:
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