Kavita Maharaj - Conference moderator After a decade working as a producer, reporter and anchorwoman for some of the world’s most respected television news organizations, Kavita Maharaj has recently joined the London based financial communications firm MERLIN as Associate Director. For the last two years, Kavita has consulted on media projects for the some of Europe’s most influential CEOs.
Prior to this, she was the anchor/editor of two of CNBC’s European prime-time programs providing in-depth analysis, opinion and perspective on the day’s major financial and economic issues. She has interviewed some of the world’s most powerful decision makers, including a variety of politicians and CEOs. Before joining CNBC in 2003, Kavita worked as a reporter and anchorwoman for both ITV and BLOOMGERG TELEVISION. Stuart Bull Global ITR Consultant, Mars Inc
After 27 years with Mars in various Sales and Marketing roles around the world Bull left the company in 1996 to set up Stuart Bull Associates, an international marketing consultancy based in London.
Invited back to advise Mars in 1997 on the ITR market SBA’s role has developed and broadened as the Mars Inc’s (later to become Masterfoods’) ITR business has grown year after year.
The particular geographical speciality of SBA is the Middle East, Africa and the Indian sub-continent, where he has been doing business for nearly thirty years in both Duty Free and Domestic markets.
Sanjeev Chowdhury Associate Director – Client Service, International research, ACNielsen India
Mr. Sanjeev Chowdhury joined ACNielsen in 2006, heading the international research.
Based in Mumbai, His experience spans 16 years in FMCG, Retail audits, B2B, and Automotive segments in India. Mr. Chowdhury is specialized in project management and quality control.
Prior to joining ACN, he was with IMRB International (WPP group) as Director Operations & head - project management. He was also associated with The Gallup Organization and was responsible for Indian operations. Valérie Dagand Chief Commercial Communication and e-business Officer, Aéroports de Paris
She joined the Commercial Communications team under Pascal Bourgue as head of the Publishing, Multimedia and Internet department in January 2005, moving into her current position in February this year.
She began her career at Monoprix (department stores) as Project manager in new technologies, where she worked from 1994 to 1998 and launched the store’s first loyalty programme and initiated Monoprix’s first e-retail experiences on the internet.
In 1988, she moved to Havas / Euro RSCG as Senior Brand Manager working on brands such as Dior Parfum, Givenchy, Le Bon Marché, Gault et Millau. She designed the off and on-line strategies of these brands and worked on relationship marketing solutions (CRM). Parwez Dewan Parwez Dewan joined the India Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) as Chairman and Managing Director in 2006. Throughout his professional career, as a member of the senior civil service, he has been Commissioner (executive head of provincial administration) of Kashmîr and Ladâkh; and Deputy Commissioner of Jammû (executive head of district administration). He has twice been the Tourism Commissioner and Secretary of the north Indian state of Jammû and Kashmîr.
Dewan is also an author with ten books published to date, covering tourism and religion with books on Hiñduism, Islam and his latest on Himâlayan Buddhism. Richard Ferne Area Director for South East Asia, Camus Cognac
After starting out his career with the police in the UK and Hong Kong and then Japanese computer game manufacturer Taito Corp., Richard first became involved in the duty free industry in 1985 working with White & Mackay Distillers. He has since held several management positions with duty free liquor brands including Allied Distillers where he was first Asia Pacific Director, then Global Duty Free Director, I.D.V. as Asia Pacific Duty Free Director and Brown Forman as Duty Free Director where he spent six years before joining Camus in 2005.
He was a TFWA board and management committee member for 13 years until 2004 and as been a board member of APTRA since 2006. Anouska Forte Deputy Editor, of The Travel Retail Business magazine
She graduated with an honours degree in Law in 1997, working for a firm of solicitors until deciding upon a change of career and joining what was then The
Duty Free Business magazine. Following the management buyout in 2004, she moved towards the editorial side of the business, eventually becoming Deputy Editor as well as maintaining responsibility for all production. She is also one of the founding members of WiT (Women in Travel).
Peter Harbison Peter Harbison is Executive Chairman of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA).
He is a prominent commentator on Asia Pacific aviation affairs. The Centre produces industry research and analysis, along with numerous newsletters.
Peter’s career in aviation comprises more than 30 years, with extensive experience in government regulation, airport management and privatisation, and airline startup and strategy.
He has conducted more than 200 consultancy projects either as project manager or senior advisor, from the Middle East, India, China and most parts of Asia to the South Pacific. Colvyn J Harris CEO, JWT India
Colvyn J Harris is Chief Executive of JWT, India’s largest and most admired advertising agency with an impressive roster of India’s finest and the world’s best brands.
Armed with a wealth of strategic knowledge and business acumen, Colvyn has championed the kind of creative thinking that breaks boxes, pushes envelopes, propels brands and drives the world. Under his leadership, JWT India is today the fastest growing, most successful agency group, having built a formidable reputation on its professional capabilities across a diverse spectrum of marcom services. His mantra is simple: ‘Creativity is a marketing tool’. Erik Juul-Mortensen Erik Juul-Mortensen is President, Maxxium Global Travel Retail.
He is also President of Tax Free World Association. Erik has served the industry with distinction since joining Danish Distillers in 1987 as Vice-President of the newly-established export and duty free division, later being promoted to Senior Vice-President and Export Director and in 1996 International Director. Kapil Kaul CEO - Indian Subcontinent & Middle East, Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA)
Kapil is based in the New Delhi office of CAPA, which was established in 2003. He has 20 years experience in commercial and corporate management areas of the aviation and hospitality industry, with extensive knowledge of airline operations, marketing and management in India. Kapil has led teams to develop business and financial plans for a number of carriers. He is responsible for the delivery of all India- based consulting and research projects.
Kapil’s previous roles include Product Manager with ITC-Welcomgroup, Vice President for East West Airlines, Chief General Manager of Air Sahara, Vice President for Crown Air, Project Advisor of Kuoni Travel Holdings and a consultant with Aviation Resources Group. Jerry Kok Loon CEO , iCo-op.net Pte Ltd
Dr. Jerry is an academic, researcher, civil servant and entrepreneur. He was the managing director/executive director at Ultro Technologies Ltd before starting iCo-op. He taught engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) for 7 years where he was a member of the NTU Council and Academic Board. He headed the Technology Development at Singapore Institution of Standards & Industrial Research for 2 years before joining Ultro Technologies. Cindy Lam Inflight Sales and Logistics Manager, Cathay Pacific Airways
Cindy is the Inflight Sales and Logistics Manager of Cathay Pacific Airways. She looks after inflight retail for all routes, overseeing the entire operation from product sourcing, magazine production, stock/equipment logistics and crew training. She has been with the airline for nearly 6 years and before joining the Inflight Sales team, she had experiences in other areas of the airline business, including revenue management, agency sales and port management.
An avid shopper and traveller, Cindy is able to draw inspiration from her personal experiences to assist her with the Cathay inflight retail programme.
Doug Newhouse Doug Newhouse is the Editorial Director of The Travel Retail Business, the leading monthly trade magazine serving the duty free and travel retail industry.
He has written about these sectors for the past 28 years and contributed to numerous other publications and film media, including: International Herald Tribune; Financial Times; Marketing; The Economist; BBC; ACI Communiqué Airport Business; and of course, TFWA Voice. He has also moderated and spoken at various industry conferences over the years, including several organised by TFWA, ACI Europe and ACI World.
Frank O'Connell Frank O’Connell, Director-Retail, AerRiantaRetail part of the Dublin Airport Authority, holds a Masters degree in Business Administration from the University of Stirling and is a graduate of the Marketing Institute of Ireland. He has acquired over 15 years of experience in the advertising business while holding several Art and Creative Director positions before joining Aer Rianta in 1979. Mr O’Connell is a member of the Board of Aer Rianta International and of the Supervisory Board of Flughafen Düsseldorf GmbH. Mr O’Connell is President of the Paris based European Travel Retail Council (ETRC) and represents Europe on the Duty Free World Council, is co-author of the book “European Airport Retailing, Growth Strategies for the next Millennium” and has written extensively on airport retailing. Pat Osborne Sales Director, Alpha Flight Services
Sydney based Pat has worked for Alpha Flight Services in Australia for 3 years during which time they were awarded a 6 year contract with Qantas to manage their on board duty free service.
Over the past 18 months the Qantas duty free revenue has enjoyed a 35% increase in revenue, achieved through strong cooperative crew initiatives, retail focused catalogues and a product range matched to customer profiles. In addition the basic foundations of tight stock control and effective cash reconciliation have helped contribute to the success.
In 2000 Pat was the Group account Manager for the Swiss based Duty Free division of British American Tobacco, based in UK for 3 years and responsible for all UK sectors of Airport Shops, Airlines, Ferries, Shipping and Armed Forces.
In that time in the UK Pat worked very closely with Airport retailers Alpha Flight Services, World Duty Free and Nuance to develop revenue enhancing initiatives. Dr. Grace Pan Senior Manager, Leisure & Travel Research, ACNielsen China, The Nielsen Company
Dr.Grace Pan joined ACNielsen in 2006, heading up the development of leisure and travel research services.
Based in Shanghai, she is responsible for the research and services in relation to Tourism, Travel, Business travel, Travel Retail, Sports / Sports Marketing, Entertainment and Luxury Goods
Prior to joining Nielsen, Grace has been actively involved in China outbound research for the past nine years. The major projects she has conducted include business partnerships in the Sino-Australian travel trade, Chinese incentive travel to Australia, and Chinese consumers’ travel intentions to overseas destinations.
Dr. Pan also has the honorable title of Adjunct Professor at Griffith University (Australia).
Armen Ara Sahagian Transportation Security Administration Representative, United States Department of Homeland Security
In February 2005, Armen A. Sahagian arrived in Singapore to serve as the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Representative based in the U.S. Embassy Singapore.
He holds regional responsibility in working with nine countries on matters of security for various modes of transportation such as aviation, rail, mass transit, pipelines, and maritime. The countries include the following: Afghanistan; Bangladesh; Brunei; India; Indonesia; Malaysia; Pakistan, Papua New Guinea; and Singapore.
During Mr. Sahagian’s 23 years of service in the U.S. Federal Government, he initially spent 6 years on national defense matters pertaining to tactical command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence equipment for the U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR), followed by 17 years specializing in transportation security matters on both a domestic and international level, working first for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and later the U.S. TSA. Shriram Sanjeevi Manager - Commercial Centre, Bangalore International Airport
S.Sanjeevi is responsible for the Retail and Food & Beverage concessions at the New Bangalore International Airport. Bangalore International Airport is the first and largest Greenfield project in India and will be opened in April 2008. Shriram was instrumental in tendering the major Retail, Duty Free and Food and Beverage concessions at Bangalore, which resulted in the selection of The Nuance Group, HMSHost, Shopper’s Stop and Café Coffee Day as the key commercial partners of the future Airport. Shriram is also conducting currently the process of selection of the smaller retail and food & beverage outlets as well as other services such as Foreign Exchange at the Airport. Ravi Thakran Group Director for India, LVMH
President & CEO, LVMH Group Watches & Jewelry Div. Asia Pacific
Ravi Thakran has recently been appointed as LVMH Group Director for India. He is also President & CEO of LVMH Group (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton) Watches & Jewelry Division for Asia Pacific. In addition to leading the division’s business across the region, he is personally spearheading LVMH watch & jewellery brands' entry into two of Asia's largest emerging markets, i.e. China and India. In his new role as Group Director for India Ravi will coordinate all LVMH group activities in India, a major focus market for the group going forward. His knowledge of the Indian market, combined with his recent achievements especially at TAG Heuer, were the key success factors behind this move. Tom Thomas President, Duty Free Security Company, & Owner, Gateway Duty Free
Tom Thomas is Managing Director of Gateway Duty Free, which he founded in 1980. He started out in the industry in 1968 when he joined Trusthouse Forte’s (now Alpha) newly formed shipping division. He then went on to become Duty-free manager on board a number of cruise ships for Fred Olsen Lines and Chandris Lines up until the mid 70s. In 1977 he became State Manager for James Richardson Duty Free at Perth Airport where he remained until founding Gateway.
Tom has been a board member for ADFA (Australian Duty Free Association) since 1996 and has been President since 2003. He is also a member of APTRA.
He is married with two children and enjoys photography, sailing and traveling.
Paul Topping Managing Director, Alpha Airport Group Plc, Asia
Operating out from Alpha Asia head quarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Paul oversees the Duty Free operations in the region namely in India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal.
Paul has over 20 years experience in travel retail and has been active in the industry lobbying on behalf of tobacco and other retail areas. He is also a board member of APTRA (Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association). Sunil Tuli Managing Director, Kingpower Hong Kong
Before joining Kingpower in April 2003, he spent over twelve years with the Weitnauer Group (now Dufry) as Chief Operating Officer Asia Pacific and Middle East, Managing Director for Wietnauer Singapore and General Manager for Scotts Weitnauer, Travellers Duty Free and Sincere Watch Duty Free.
Between 1984 and 1990 Sunil was General Manager Duty Free at the Indian Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC)
He is a board member of companies in Singapore, UK, France and New Zealand and serves as on the board of Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA).
David Young General Manager Inflight Services, Qantas
David Young has over 20 years experience consulting to and working in the hospitality and travel industries. In previous roles he has worked in the Tourism Practice of Ernst & Young in Sydney and London as well as for Ansett Airlines and Air New Zealand in both finance and Inflight Services roles in Australia and New Zealand.
In his current role as General Manager Inflight Services for Qantas, David has responsibility for all on board services including Food & Beverage, Equipment, Inflight Entertainment and Duty Free.
David holds post graduate qualifications in Tourism Operations and Hospitality Management and is the current President of the International Travel Catering Association ( ITCA).
Read the 2007 programme | 
