Dr. Thourn Sinan

Dr. Thourn Sinan’s commitment to community service took practical shape in 1999, when he founded and began leading the Cambodian Children Orphanage for Living and Training (CCOLT). Through 2015, he helped provide resident children with food, shelter, education and the care he would give his own children. Beyond residential care, CCOLT supported more than 1,000 students each year from different communities in the Stung Meanchey area of Phnom Penh, extending opportunities for learning and practical preparation for adult life. This sustained responsibility for the welfare and development of others remains central to his approach to leadership.

His professional journey extends across more than three decades in tourism and hospitality, alongside entrepreneurship, international cooperation and spiritual practice. From hotel operations and travel services to industry representation and corporate advisory work, he has developed a perspective shaped by direct experience with employees, communities, business owners and international partners.

Today, Dr. Sinan serves as Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia Chapter, President of IM Capital Holding Group, Founder and Chairman of B2B Cambodia, and Senior Adviser to AZ Group. He is also Co-Founder and First-Mandate President of the Cambodia Tourism Federation, where he currently serves as Vice President and a member of the Board of Directors.

As Founder and Chairman of the Samatha Vipassanādhura Dhammācariya Brahma Kesa Centers, he maintains a parallel commitment to meditation teaching and spiritual development. His work reflects a belief that professional competence and ethical responsibility should develop together, and that progress should improve the lives of the people who make it possible.

Dr. Sinan began his hotel career in 1994. Over the period to 2009, he progressed from frontline hotel service into sales and marketing leadership. Working within hospitality gave him an understanding of service delivery, guest relationships, commercial performance and the importance of a well-trained workforce.

These foundations continue to inform his management work. He places emphasis on clear responsibilities, practical operating procedures, staff development and accountability. His experience across Southeast Asian and European business relationships also informs his approach to cross-cultural communication and international partnerships.

B2B Cambodia

As Founder and Chairman of B2B Cambodia, established in 2007, Dr. Sinan provides strategic direction and international relationship development for a Cambodian destination management and travel business. Its activities include inbound travel, tailored itineraries and meetings, incentives, conferences and events services, with regional cooperation extending into neighbouring Southeast Asian destinations.

His contribution centres on connecting Cambodian tourism products with overseas markets, developing partnerships and helping translate local knowledge into travel programmes that meet international expectations. This work encompasses cultural travel, business events and specialised experiences, including meditation and spiritual tourism.

Through B2B Cambodia, his approach combines commercial opportunity with attention to the destination itself: the quality of the visitor experience, the capability of local service providers and the benefits that responsible tourism can bring to communities.

PATA Cambodia Chapter

Dr. Sinan has served as Chairman of the Pacific Asia Travel Association Cambodia Chapter (PATACC) since 2011. His responsibilities involve industry cooperation, international engagement and advocacy for the development of Cambodia’s tourism sector. He works with tourism businesses, public institutions and regional partners to improve market access and strengthen the country’s international presence.

His industry work addresses practical issues affecting competitiveness, including air and regional connectivity, service quality, workforce skills, destination information and international confidence. He advocates coordinated action that links promotion with improvements in the visitor experience and business environment.

Among his current initiatives is Cambodia Travel Match, a programme that connects international travel buyers directly with Cambodian suppliers. It reflects his emphasis on sustained business relationships and measurable commercial opportunities for the tourism sector.

Cambodia Tourism Federation

Dr. Sinan is Co-Founder of the Cambodia Tourism Federation (CTF) and served as President during its first mandate, from 2015 to 2017. He currently serves as Vice President and a member of its Board of Directors. His continuing leadership supports private-sector cooperation and a stronger collective voice on the priorities facing Cambodian tourism.

An outspoken advocate for Cambodia’s tourism community, Dr. Sinan speaks publicly on issues affecting tourism businesses, workers and communities. His commentary appears frequently across Cambodian and international media, addressing destination reputation, competitiveness and the livelihoods that depend on tourism. He uses this public platform to press for practical improvements and to protect the interests of Cambodia’s tourism community.

IM Capital Holding Group

As President of IM Capital Holding Group, Dr. Sinan contributes to the leadership of its Cambodian operations and the development of its hospitality activities. His work brings together organisational management, institutional relationships and operational coordination within the Group’s Cambodian business environment.

The Group’s portfolio includes Apsara Resort and Port Yves Palace on Koh Rong. Within this context, his contribution draws on his experience in tourism markets, hotel operations and stakeholder engagement. He supports the development of management structures and working practices suited to the long-term operation of hospitality businesses.

His wider work on Koh Rong also considers the conditions needed for a successful island destination: capable staff, reliable services, environmental protection, community participation and a clear sense of place. His development recommendations approach the island’s future as a continuing responsibility to residents, investors and future generations.

AZ Group

At AZ Group, Dr. Sinan serves as Senior Adviser, supporting stronger governance, professional management and organisational development. His advisory work focuses on clearer responsibilities, financial accountability, operational coordination and the disciplined review of business performance.

He encourages management practices that connect decisions with reliable information and follow-through. This includes greater clarity in reporting, approval responsibilities and the relationship between strategic objectives and daily operations. His approach is practical, with attention to the people and systems needed to improve organisational performance.

Entrepreneurship and business development

Dr. Sinan is also Founder and Chairman of IMCT Co., Ltd. and Chairman of Temple Paint Co., Ltd. These interests extend his business experience beyond travel services and demonstrate his continuing involvement in enterprise development and professional management.

Across his business responsibilities, he places value on clearly defined partnerships, transparent operating arrangements and the development of capable teams. His strategic work draws on long-standing relationships while recognising the need for formal systems as organisations grow.

International engagement

His international experience includes trade and tourism liaison work with the National Trading House of Hungary’s Cambodia office from 2015 to 2018. His continuing relationships across Cambodia, Southeast Asia and Europe support dialogue between tourism businesses, investors and institutional partners.

This work requires an understanding of different business cultures and expectations. He seeks to make cooperation practical by clarifying shared objectives, identifying local requirements and maintaining relationships beyond an initial introduction or agreement.

Meditation and Dhamma teaching

Dr. Sinan was a Buddhist monk from 1987 to 1994. His early monastic training remains an important foundation for his spiritual practice and his understanding of discipline, service and personal responsibility.

He is Founder and Chairman of the Samatha Vipassanādhura Dhammācariya Brahma Kesa Centers, where his work supports meditation practice and Dhamma learning in the tradition of Grand Master Dhammācariya Brahma Kesa. His practice and teaching include samatha, vipassanā, mindfulness and the development of concentration through Jhāna meditation. In 2025, he led and taught a Jhāna meditation gathering in Stung Treng Province, Cambodia, attended by 8,000 practitioners, a significant milestone in his meditation sharing.

His writing and teaching explore how ethical conduct, mindfulness and a clearer understanding of the mind can inform everyday decisions. Sharing Jhāna meditation and mindfulness is an integral part of his own spiritual journey. He seeks to offer compassion, hope and practical support to people experiencing profound emotional distress, including those living with depression or mental health difficulties. His sharing is spiritual and educational; it does not replace professional mental health care.

Spiritual tourism

Dr. Sinan’s work in spiritual tourism brings together his professional experience and his commitment to meditation. He advocates thoughtfully prepared programmes that allow participants to learn, practise and engage respectfully with Cambodian spiritual traditions.

His approach welcomes international participants from different backgrounds. It emphasises the integrity of the teachings, appropriate preparation and respect for the communities and places hosting the experience. The purpose is to create opportunities for learning that participants can carry into daily life.

Community opportunity and future generations

The concern for education that shaped his orphanage work continues through his interest in youth skills, community capacity and responsible tourism development. He supports stronger links between learning and employment, including practical preparation for tourism and hospitality careers.

During 2023–2024, he provided free training to more than 179 tourism, fishing and environmental communities across Cambodia’s coastal zone. This work extended his commitment to learning into communities whose livelihoods depend on local tourism, fisheries and the environment. His approach recognises the importance of capable local organisations, transparent administration and sustainable sources of income.

Dr. Sinan holds a Doctor of Business Administration in Tourism, jointly awarded through Alfred Nobel Open Business School in Hong Kong and King Sigismund College in Hungary, and a Master’s degree in International Tourism from the Professional Institute of Budapest.

PATA Award — 2011 PATA Award — 2013 PATA Award — 2015 Best CEO Award — Malaysia, 2023

Cambodia Tourism Federation — Co-Founder and First-Mandate President 2015–2017; current Vice President and member of the Board of Directors

IMCT Co., Ltd. — Founder and Chairman

Temple Paint Co., Ltd. — Chairman

Cambodian Children Orphanage for Living and Training — Founder and leader 1999–2015

Community training — Free training for over 179 coastal tourism, fishing and environmental communities in 2023–2024. AWARDS AND RECOGNITION PATA Awards — 2011, 2013 and 2015 Best CEO Award — Malaysia, 2023