Thought Leader Roundtable

Francisco Alonzo has over 30 years of experience in the aviation industry. His experience includes leadership roles in airport concessions, airport real estate, aviation development, and business aviation. During his tenure in aviation, Francisco has led the development and redevelopment of 100’s of retail and dining spaces, the opening of new aviation campuses, and has directed over $1 billion in commercial development projects. Currently, Francisco Alonzo serves as the Managing Director of Customer and Concessions Development for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), where he is responsible for directing revenue programs and business growth at Reagan National Airport and Dulles International Airport. Before joining MWAA, he served in various leadership roles at Denver International Airport and Sheltair Aviation, where he also directed revenue programs and business growth, including retail, dining, hotel, advertisement, and business aviation.

Elliot Baum is a seasoned executive and entrepreneur with 25+ years of experience driving growth, innovation, and operational excellence in real estate. Through his firm, E Solutions Strategy, he advises developers and operators on strategy, asset repositioning, and technology integration. He is the creator of Automate Retail.ai, a model that transforms spaces into frictionless, tech-enabled retail environments—featuring micro-stores, digital food halls, and automated solutions. His work blends AI, PropTech, and immersive technologies to enhance consumer experiences and unlock new revenue streams.

Mustafa Khanwala, Founder & CEO of MishiPay, launched the company in 2015 to eliminate retail queues. Since the first retailer launch in 2018, MishiPay has scaled to thousands of stores globally, processing over $500M in transactions for major retailers like Flying Tiger Copenhagen. A Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Mustafa has led the firm to over $20M in revenue and $20M in funding from investors including American Express and Nauta Capital.

Andrew Martineau is the Co-Founder and CEO of Zero Empty Spaces, a national vacancy activation company that transforms vacant commercial real estate into thriving creative workspaces and entrepreneurial hubs. Since co-founding the organization in 2019, he has helped develop a scalable model that provides temporarily vacant spaces to artists while delivering value to property owners, developers, municipalities, and local economies. His work bridges commercial real estate, economic development, entrepreneurship, and the creative sector, demonstrating how underutilized properties can become catalysts for community engagement and business growth. A recognized speaker on vacancy activation, creative placemaking, and downtown revitalization, Martineau collaborates with cities, developers, and industry leaders to advance innovative approaches to adaptive reuse.

Sharon Peyer currently serves on the Board of Directors of the National Automatic Merchandising Association (NAMA). She is the Founder and CEO of Catalyst Converge, a strategic advisory firm serving operators, manufacturers, brands, investors, and technology companies across the automated retail and convenience services industries. With more than two decades of experience spanning investment banking, venture capital, entrepreneurship, and executive leadership, she has helped commercialize and scale innovative technologies supporting more than $1 billion in annual consumer transactions. Prior to founding Catalyst Converge, Sharon led Crane Payment Innovations' global Convenience Services business, encompassing connected self-service technologies, digital out-of-home (DOOH) media, and technology-enabled merchandising solutions. Earlier in her career, she co-founded venture-backed companies in digital media and e-commerce.