Neil Armstrong : Keynote speaker Neil Armstrong has been involved in flight all his life. He learned to fly as a young boy, flew from an aircraft carrier in the United States Navy, and spent 17 years with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as an engineer, test pilot, astronaut and administrator.
As a test pilot at NASA's Flight Research Centre at Edwards, California, Neil was a project pilot on many pioneering high speed aircraft, including the well known X-15 which flew to 6400 Kilometres per hour at an altitude of over 60 Kilometres.
Neil transferred to astronaut status in 1962. He commanded the Gemini 8 Flight in 1966 when he performed the first successful docking of two vehicles in space. Marion Buttler Regional Director-Europe, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
Her major responsibility is, in partnership with PATA's private- and public-sector members, to enhance the sustainable growth, value and quality of travel and tourism to, from and within the Asia Pacific region.
Her experience spans over 20 years in tourism in the areas of sales, marketing, public relations, destination marketing, research, conferences, forums, crisis management and many more.
Prior to joining PATA in February 2003, Marion Buttler served for 4 years as Manager Central Europe for Tourism Australia. Peter Cross Managing Partner, Yellowdoor
Peter Cross has worked in marketing communications for over 15 years. Peter is widely recognized as one of the best brand strategists in the country.
Peter started his career at Burberry in Paris in the European buying team, moving back to London to work for L’Oreal where he spent eleven years in a variety of local and international marketing positions.
In 2000 Peter took up a position with the Richemont group in charge of global communications for Alfred Dunhill.
Peter joined Yellowdoor as Managing Partner in 2004.
Peter’s expertise lies in international branding planning and strategy with a particular experience in luxury goods. Recent clients include Louis Vuitton, Thomas Pink, Mulberry, and Harry Winston. Peter also worked with Mary Portas on the BBC2 series, “Mary Queen of Shops”.
Anouska Forte Deputy Editor, 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).
Pierre Freyssinet Managing Director, Aeroboutique Inflight Retail
After graduating from Institut d’Etudes Politiques, best known as Sciences Po’ Paris, Pierre joined the airlines business and held various Sales & Marketing positions in two airlines. In 1992, he moved to the movie theatre business when French company Pathe Cinema made the first-ever attempts to introduce for the French audience the US concept of multiplexes. Multiplexes derive a large part of their profits from ancillary sales of pop-corn and soft drinks and have developed specific techniques to increase penetration and average spent per head. 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.
Since then he has held a number of positions with Danish Distillers and V&S Group, the latest as President, V&S Global Duty Free & Travel Retail. He assumed his current position with Maxxium in October 2005. 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. Mary Portas Mary Portas – Creative Director, Yellowdoor – is quite possibly one of the United Kingdom’s foremost authorities on retail and brand communication.
Mary’s foresight and unique knowledge of trends and consumer markets prompted her to launch Yellowdoor in 1997 when she saw a need for integrated and creative brand communication in the retail sector.
Mary travels regularly around the world and frequently lectures on the theme of brands, fashion, luxury and retail.
Mary’s first book “Windows –The art of retail display” published by Thames and Hudson in 5 languages, quickly became the worldwide authority on the subject. Her latest book “How to Shop” was published by BBC books in May 2007.
Mary writes a weekly column, “Shop!” in the Saturday Telegraph Magazine reviewing the retail experience and chairs the Telegraph’s “Best and worst shop in Britain” awards.
Mary also hosts her own BBC2 series “Mary Queen of Shops” in which she puts ailing fashion boutiques back on the road to recovery. A second series will air in Spring 2008.
Juan Senor Juan Senor is a leading business presenter and an established independent producer and director. Until recently he was senior London correspondent for International Herald Tribune Television.
As a presenter for CNBC, he anchored Europe Today and Market Watch. Prior to that he reported on foreign affairs for The MacNeil-Lehrer NewsHour, for American PBS. His exclusive interviews with the late Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin received an EMMY nomination. Masato Takamatsu Director & Vice President, Marketing, Japan Tourism Marketing Co.
Masato Takamatsu joined Japan Travel Bureau, Japan’s leading travel company, in 1982, immediately after his graduation from University of Tokyo. For 18 years, he experienced various positions within JTB, including sales, incentive travel, corporate planning, IT and HR.
In 2001, JTB Corp. launched Japan Tourism Marketing Co., a subsidiary company specializing in research and consulting for tourism related organizations both public and private. Takamatsu played a key role in founding the new organization. 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). | 
