Santiago Alvarez General Manager, Puig Middle East
Santiago Alvarez, Spaniard, started working for the Puig Beauty and Fashion group back in 1999, after finishing his MBA studies, with a previous 4 years experience in retail in the Continent hypermarkets.
At the Puig group, he held different responsibilities always related with the development of the brands of the group in different geographical areas (Central Eastern Europe, Mediterranean and Africa), before taking over his current responsibilities as General Manager of Puig Middle East since 2004.
Puig Middle East is a JV between the Puig and the Chalhoub groups that oversees the development of the Puig prestige and mastige brands both on the local markets and the duty free operations across the Middle East. Haitham Al Majali Managing Director, Jordanian Duty Free Shops Co
An electrical engineer by trade, Mr. Al Majali helped to found the Jordanian Duty Free Shops Co. in 1996, the largest duty free border shop operator in the Middle East. In 1997 he was appointed a member of the board and the managing director of this thriving, publicly traded company. In his early career, Mr. Majali was Partner and Director of Future Technology System, Maidenhead UK, Partner and Director in (WECARE) Services Hospital Management Co. (1983) and Partner and Director in Computer Software House, Computech (1984). HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum President of Department of Civil Aviation, Dubai, UAE Chairman of Emirates Group
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum is the younger brother of the late Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Denver, Colorado, USA.
Sheikh Ahmed is the President of the Department of Civil Aviation and Chief Executive and Chairman of Emirates Group. He embarked on his journey in the aviation industry in 1985 when he was appointed President of DCA. Emirates the national carrier was launched at the same time and he was appointed Chairman. Khalifa Suhail Al Zaffin Director of Engineering & Projects
Department of Civil Aviation
Government of Dubai
Khalifa Suhail Al Zaffin, a UAE national, is a senior executive with the Government of Dubai’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA). As the Director of Engineering & Projects, Al Zaffin has been instrumental in converting Dubai’s aviation dreams into reality.
A graduate from the Arizona State University with a BSc. Degree in Chemical Engineering, Al Zaffin started his career with Dubai Aluminium Company (Dubal) in 1984 where he worked as Senior Project Engineer for five years honing his management skills. Sarah Branquinho Chairman, UK Travel Retail Foundation
Ms. Branquinho has worked in many pan-industry roles as Commercial Director of TFWA, secretary general of the European Travel Research Foundation where she managed the lobby's ambitious research projects, and co-ordinating the Save Duty-Free, consumer mobilisation programme, during the duty- and tax-free industry's campaign to flight the abolition of intra-EU duty-and tax-free sales. Since October 1998 she has worked with BAA and its travel retail company World Duty Free, championing the development of closer business partnerships. She is chairman of the UK Travel Retail Foundation, a member of the Supervisory Board of ETRC, and has been at the heart of the defence of the duty-free and travel retail industry's interests since the August 10th airport security alert.
Dan Cappell General Manager Operations, Aer Rianta International Middle East
Dan Cappell has experience on both sides of the table having spent 22 years with Nestle SA the last ten as General Manager of Nestle International Travel Retail before moving to the Middle East in 2002 as Deputy Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Duty Free & In Flight catering.
Dan joined Aer Rianta International Middle East in June this year as General Manager Operations and is responsible for Group procurement, commercial strategy and development across the region. Dan cites playing golf badly, cooking and reading as his main forms of relaxation.
Ramesh Cidambi Mr. Ramesh Cidambi is responsible for Information Technology and Logistics at Dubai Duty Free. He has been heading the I.T. department since 1987, and was given the additional responsibility for Logistics from January 1st of 2004. He has helped implement systems ranging from legacy applications to the Oracle 11i e-business suite, and also implemented new technologies at the Point of Sale and other areas of the business. He is currently involved in the design and construction of the new automated Distribution Centre opening in 2007, and is also involved in the on-going improvements to the retail areas in Concourse 1, and in the new retail developments in Concourse 2 and Terminal 3. Eamon Foley Director General, Aer Rianta International (ARI)
ARI manages duty free and travel retail shops at airports in Eastern Europe, Middle East and North America. It is responsible for managing sales, through subsidiaries, joint ventures and managed business, in excess of $600m per year. ARI also holds equity investments in Birmingham International Airport, Düsseldorf and Hamburg Airports and is involved in airport consultancy. Robbie Gill Co- founder and Managing Director, The Design Solution.
Robbie Gill is a qualified architect and has been responsible for the airports’ consulting and transportation projects for the last 16 years.
The Design Solution was formed in 1984 and is a UK based company of architects and designers that specialise in the retail sector. Its experience covers all aspects of retail commercial design, from shopping centres and airport retailing to department stores and speciality retailing through to food courts, restaurants and bars. Over the last 20 years The Design Solution has worked throughout the world with on-going projects in Europe, Australia, North America, the Middle and Far East. John Hume Partner, Hume Brophy Communications
John Hume is a Partner in Hume Brophy Communications, a communications, lobbying and public relations agency that specialises in airports and aviation. Hume Brophy has offices in Brussels, London & Dublin.
Hume Brophy currently advises many of the major airport groups on their communications and political strategies. Hume Brophy also works with a number of major suppliers to the airports industry helping them build market share.
John Hume has over twelve years of experience working at a senior international level with the airports and duty free industries. From 1999-2005, John served in Brussels as Deputy Director General of Airports Council International Europe, the representative body for the European airports industry. Neil Lovett CEO, British American Tobacco International Limited
Neil started his working career with Dunlop in 1975, working initially in the Middle East, including a fledgling city called Dubai. In 1979 he joined a Middle Eastern marketing consultancy company, prior to joining British American Tobacco Group in 1983, since when he has lived in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and now Switzerland. During his entire career at BAT, he has always maintained some responsibility for, and therefore close links with, the duty free industry, in addition to any domestic market responsibilities. Colm McLoughlin Managing Director, Dubai Duty Free
Born in 1943, Irishman Colm Mcloughlin began his retail career with Woolworths, a well-known chain of department stores, in London in the early 1960's. Returning to Ireland in 1969, he joined Shannon airport duty free and went on to become general manager.
In 1983 he was a member of the consultancy team from AerRianta International contracted to launch the new duty free operation. He remained in Dubai as General Manager of the new operation, later becoming Managing Director, and has been instrumental in helping to build one of the most successful duty free operations in the world which is currently ranked No. 3 in terms of turnover (based on 2004 figures of US$500 million). Paul Marks Managing Partner, Retail Management Solutions (RMS), Dubai
As Managing Partner of the Dubai based consultancy, Retail Management Solutions (RMS), Paul spends much of his time advising airports and potential operators on the unique challenges facing both in India today. RMS's client list includes Airports Authority of India, ITDC, and a number of Indian and International companies involved in the country's current airport privatisation process. Piyush Mathur Regional Managing Director, Middle East, North Africa, Pakistan (MENAP)
Piyush has spent over 12 years with ACNielsen across the Indian sub-continent as well as the Middle East and North Africa. Prior to UAE, he has been involved in several senior level positions with ACNielsen as the head of the Customised Unit in Egypt, Country Manager in the Indian sub-continent and as a Research Director heading Media and Internet studies. In these roles, he was instrumental in the success of several brands and supervised many research programmes across industries including FMCG, Telecommunications, Finance, Automotive, Real Estate, Media, and Internet. Martin Moodie Editor and Publisher, The Moodie Report
Martin Moodie is the founder and Managing Director of Moodie International, a UK-based media company which he created in 2002. He is also the Editor and Publisher of The Moodie Report, the acclaimed travel retail intelligence service published in web, e-newsletter and print form. Since its launch in September 2002 The Moodie Report has become the industry’s most widely-read and respected media – and its fastest-growing commercially. A New Zealander, Martin emigrated to England in 1987 and worked for 13 years at prominent print publisher Raven Fox as Editor of DFNI – and from 1996 to 2002 as Managing Director.
Tracy Ross Projects & Design Manager, AerRianta International Middle East
Tracy Ross was appointed as Projects & Design Manager for AerRianta Middle East in 2004, heading a team of Architects who now form the in-house “Projects & Design” team, who are presently working on several design & refurbishment projects around the region.
Prior to joining ARIME, Tracy had 7 years Design & Project Management experience in the Gulf, working on various retail projects through-out the region since 1997. Keith Stonestreet Keith graduated with a degree in Business & Transport studies from the City of London Polytechnic in 1978. Following graduation he joined the commercial aircraft arm of British Aerospace / BAE Systems, initially at Hatfield, working on the BAe 146 programme.
Following an extended career in sales and marketing of the various BAE Systems’ regional aircraft programmes, he was appointed director of airline analysis in the Avro division in 1994. Enrique Urioste President and CEO, InterBaires
InterBaires is Argentina’s leading travel retailer and one of the industry’s most progressive companies. Enrique is steeped in duty free – before joining InterBaires in 2002 he was CEO of International Operation & Services Company, the prominent purchaser and distributor of goods for South Americanduty free retailers.
From 1996 to 2000 he was Secretary-General of South American duty free association ASUTIL. Earlier he was President and CEO of Uruguayan foreign trade firm Tinwor Business Co and was also a legal advisor to the InterAmerican Development Bank (Argentina). Susan Whelan Deputy Managing Director of King Power Group
Susan Whelan is the Deputy Managing Director of King Power International Group (Thailand). King Power is the master concessionaire at the new Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International airport. The company is responsible for the management of the 273 commercial and retail outlets at the airport, totaling 37,000 square meters. The company is also the exclusive Duty Free operator at the international airports in Thailand. | 
