2008 Speakers

Speakers include prominent industry figures as well as personalities chosen from a variety of backgrounds, to offer conference delegates the broadest possible view on the matter at hand.

V.Suresh Babu

General Manager Commercial, Cochin International Airport Limited
Mr. Suresh Babu is in charge of the Commercial Division of Cochin International Airport, including Duty Free Retail. He is a professional with extensive experience in operations and commercial functions, in the Industrial & Airport Domains. During his illustrious career he headed the Operational Division of the Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL); India’s largest Steel Manufacturer. His expertise in the Airport Domain includes Commercial & Airport Retailing, Airport Operations & Project Management of Aircraft Ground Support Services.
As a proven strategist, focusing on bottom line profitability, his dynamic leadership saw the rise of Cochin Duty Free to India’s best Duty Free Retail. He has vast experience in Airport Commercial Revenue Generation, Planning & Resource Management.
Mr Babu is an Engineering Graduate from Nagpur University, India. He is a Guest faculty of Cochin University of Science & Technology and Goa University. He is the recipient of the prestigious Jawahar Award for his meritorious contributions. Mr Babu is also a Technical Advisor & Member in a number of safety related technical committee’s in India.

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Doug Benham

Associate Director - Macquarie Airports
Doug has been in the aviation industry now for over 30 years. He worked for BAA for 23 years, 12 of which were spent in airport retailing. He was Commercial Manager (Terminal 4 Heathrow) and BAA Retail Strategy Manager before becoming Retail Director for BAA Pacific Ltd based in Hong Kong. On returning to the UK he worked in business development for World Duty Free before leaving BAA in 1999 to join 'The Portland Group' airport consultancy group, focussing on the commercial side of the business. In 2000, the company was acquired by Macquarie to set up its airport business.
Since then he has worked at all of Macquarie Airport's assets, Sydney, Brussels, Copenhagen and Bristol, again specialising in the retail and commercial side of the business both pre and post their acquisition.

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Ian Cesa

President of Horizon Consumer Science and Director of Research, DFS Group Limited
Dr. Cesa has been involved in consumer science for more than20 years. He has been focusing on travel retail for more than 15 years and has helped various retailers and brand companies in their business strategies. Horizon Consumer Science (HCS) is a consumer science organization focusing on travel retail since the beginning of the decade. HCS has recently entered into an agreement to conduct research studies on behalf ofTFWA. Dr. Cesa holds a BA (Hons) degree in Psychology from the University of Melbourne, and MA and Ph.D. degrees in Social Psychology from the University of Southern California. He is currently President of the University of Melbourne USA Foundation. He lives in Los Angeles.

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Markham Darbyshire

Creative Head of Developments, Portland
Markham studied at The Bartlett School of Architecture, part of University College London, graduating in 1993. Prior to joining Portland, Markham worked at Fitch & Rodney Fitch respectively, gaining airport retail experience for clients such as BAA at London Stansted as well as undertaking retail planning at London Luton, Schiphol & Aeroporto Di Roma.
Markham joined Portland in 2003 as a senior designer working on the consultancy’s shopping mall and mega-retail projects in the Middle East and was promoted to Creative Head of Developments in 2007.
He has also worked on some of Portland’s key airport projects for ADP (Charles de Gaulle) and The Nuance Group (Bangalore and Hyderabad) and as the company’s most frequent flyer Markham also has intimate knowledge of some the world’s leading airports from a passenger’s perspective.
Portland has worked on many airport projects advising airport operators, retailers and supplier brands. Their work ranges from commercial planning, branding, design of public realm, retail environments to signage and wayfinding. Portland’s other work also includes domestic retail, shopping malls, mixed-use developments, convention centres and visitor attractions.

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Peter Harbison

Executive Chairman of the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA). Peter Harbison is a 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. Peter is a former Chairman of the International Air Transport Association's World Aviation Regulation Monitoring Group, an international expert body which reviewed bilateral, multilateral and regulatory developments and reports annually. He is a board member of the Australian Aviation Council, immediate past President of the Aviation Law Association of Australia and New Zealand, a former IATA Travel Agency Commissioner and a former member of the NSW Government Steering Committee examining deregulation of NSW air services.

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Robert Grove

Managing Director, Southeast Asia, Edelman.
Bob serves as the Managing Director for the Southeast Asian region. Edelman is the largest PR firm in Southeast Asia with almost 200 people. He joined Edelman to head-up the region as part of an initiative to leverage cross-market capability and knowledge on behalf of clients, as well as to spearhead the development of new media communications skills. He has 20 years experience in marketing and communications, with ten of them in Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan).
Bob has provided communications counsel including corporate social responsibility and issues management, as well as brand and go-to-market strategy, across a broad range of industries for private and public sector clients, from government-led public initiatives, business-to-business and technology marketing, to consumer campaigns, such as the promotion of mobile phones and retail banking. Having worked in consultancy and inhouse roles, Bob is a strong believer in execution being linked to achievable business results, through the proactive engagement of stakeholders. Prior to joining Edelman, Bob worked for a global business-to-business technology provider, as Asia Pacific marketing director. He was appointed Managing Director of the North Asia operations.

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Erik Juul-Mortensen

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. Following the acquisition in December 1999 of Danish Distillers by V&S Vin & Sprit, he transferred to the newly created Stockholm-based V&S International Brands as Senior Vice President and Commercial Director.
He assumed his current role in October 2001. He is a founding member of TFWA and has been a member of the Management Committee of Tax Free World Association since 1985 and was Vice-President from 1986 to 1997. The election to President followed in September 1999.

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Zhang Kunlan

Ms. Zhang Kunlan is the Managing Director of Beijing Capital Airport Commercial and Trading Corporation as well as a prominent figure in Beijing Capital International Airport.
During her career in the civil aviation related industries, Ms. Zhang has held several management positions, contributing to the development of Beijing Capital International Airport. Having served as Senior Manager of Capital Airport Holdings Group, she became an influential figure in Non-Aeronautical Revenue by assisting to set up the Beijing Airport In-flight Kitchen Ltd. As the General Manager of Human Resource Dept of CAH, she played an unsubstitutable role in building up the HR Structure in a brand new management system. Now, serving as the Managing Director of Capital Airport Commercial and Trading Co., Ltd, Ms Zhang is the head of one of the most prominent travel retailers in Asia Pacific.
Ms. Zhang has a Bachelor of Arts in Human Resources at the University of International Business and Economics, followed an MBA course at Peking University.

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Alan Lamond

Partner, Pascall+Watson architects
He is an expert in airport design and travels the world to seek out best practice. He has worked on numerous projects including those at Gatwick, Manchester and all five Terminals at Heathrowin the UK, as well as airports across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. He is currently the Project Director for the 400m Dublin Airport Terminal 2.
Alan passionately believes that there is always room for improvement in the masterplanning, architecture and interior design of airports to deliver functionality, aesthetic value and a pleasant customer experience. Alan also takes up the position of Chair of the British Aviation Group later this year.

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Kwang Soo Lee

Retail Marketing Group Director , Incheon International Airport
Mr Lee is now in charge of the entire commercial division including duty free, food & beverage, advertising, specialty shops and all other tores in IIAC. For the last two years he has been working on the commercial strategy and business plan for the next 7 years and is now totally renovating all commercial retail in IIAC.
In his previous position in 2004 as Airport Service General Manager, he established a service roadmap of IIAC which lead to Incheon winning an award for World Best Airport In Airport Service Quality for 3 consecutive years. He has been heavily involved in airport opening, strategic planning, marketing, airport operations and retail at IIAC since 1997.
He began his career in airline operations at Northwest Airline's Seoul office where he served as Service-Representative of passenger and Engineering Section.
Kwang Soo Lee holds an Aeronautical Engineering degree from Korea Aviation University and an MBA from Yonsei University, Korea.

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Yiming Li

Marketing Manager, Beijing Capital Airport Co. Ltd.
Immediately after graduating from the Civil Aviation University of China Management College in 2000, Yiming Li started his career working for Beijing Capital Airport Co., Ltd. He has constantly been involved in airport operations, planning, marketing and other departments in core management positions.
In 2002 and 2004, he continued his training, taking advanced studies in civil airport planning and operational management, working with both the United States and French Civil Aviation Management Departments and Airport Authorities.
As well as his role as Marketing Manager at Beijing Capital Airport Co., Ltd., Yiming Li has been a committee member of the International Standardization Organization (ISO) Strategic Advisory Group (TMB/SAG) since 2006.

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Peck Hoon Lim

Peck Hoon Lim is Commercial Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), which owns and operates Singapore Changi Airport.
Peck Hoon has extensive experience in airport retail and other airport operations, having worked with CAAS in various capacities for over 13 years.
She is currently responsible for revenue generation from the commercial facilities and activities at Changi Airport, including the planning and management of retail, F&B and advertising concessions, property management, aeronautical and non-aeronautical fees & charges, and marketing and promotional activities.
She recently oversaw the planning and development of the retail and F&B facilities in the newly opened Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3.
Peck Hoon has been a member of the ACI World Economics Standing Committee since 1999.

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Oliver Martin

Associate Director – Strategic Intelligence Centre, Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
Olivier Martin joined PATA's Strategic Intelligence Centre in the fall of 2007. The SIC focuses on trend analysis and market forecasting for the Asia Pacific travel and tourism industry. Prior to joining PATA, Mr Martin worked as Senior Research Associate with Toronto and London-based GlobeScan Incorporated, a firm specializing in multi-country public opinion and stakeholder research. The firm concentrates on reputation issues, specifically relating to CSR and the environment. Oliver Martin has also served as Executive Assistant to the President and CEO of the Canadian Tourism Commission and as their lead US consumer research manager. Oliver Martin studied international Politics and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University, and participated in the prestigious WUSC International Seminar at the University of Zimbabwe. He holds a graduate certificate in Strategic Marketing from York University and a MBA from University of Toronto.

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Andrew Miller

Andrew Miller is CEO of CAPA Consulting and a confidant of many aviation CEOs across the region. He is widely regarded within Asia Pacific aviation circles as the architect of the low cost carrier model in Asia with the creation of Freedom . Andrew is an experienced CEO/Managing Director of substantial organisations in both privately held companies and publicly listed organisations. His current focus as a consultant is on the development of airline and airports restructuring programmes, including the establishment of more viable and competitive structures. He has extensive knowledge of airline strategy, route systems and service development, particularly in the low cost sector. Andrew's background covers aviation, airport and high street retail and management consulting, with experience in the US, UK/Europe, Australia and New Zealand. He has been a director of over 40 companies including DFS, where he was President Oceania in the early 1990s.

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Don Peppers

Founding Partner, Peppers & Rogers Group
Recognized as one of the leading authorities on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) business strategies, Don Peppers is an author and a founding partner of Peppers & Rogers Group, the world's premier customerfocused consultancy and 1to1® Media, the award-winning publishing firm.
Don's vision, perspective and thoughtful analysis of global business practices has earned him multiple rankings by Accenture's Institute for Strategic Change among their global list of "Top 50 Business Intellectuals"and a citation by the World Technology Network as "a leader most likely to cause visionary ripple effects." Don has worked with a number of Fortune 500 executives and countless entrepreneurs seeking to identify their most valuable customers, to increase customer satisfaction, and to improve ROI.
He is a popular voice in the media, both online and in print, and is co-author, with Martha Rogers, Ph.D., of a series of international best sellers that have collectively sold well over a million copies in 17 languages. The first book, The One to One Future (1993) was named by Inc. magazine's editor, George Gendron as "one of the two or three most important business books of all time," and is considered by many as the bible of the CRM revolution. A recent book One to One B2B: Customer Development Strategies for the Business-to-Business World (2001), made the The New York Times Best Seller list within a month of publication, and provides detailed case studies on five major corporations that embrace a vision for the B2B customer relationship.

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Eric Peterson

Eric Peterson is a principal of Architectural Alliance where he has practiced airport and retail planning and design since 1989. Architectural Alliance, a 75-person architecture, planning and interior design practice has provided services for both airport authority and tenant clients at over 42 airports internationally. Eric holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Minnesota and Bachelor of Arts in Architecture from Washington University in St. Louis.

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Martin Roll

Martin Roll is the CEO of Venture Republic, a strategic advisory firm, and brings more than 15 years of management experience from the international advertising and branding industry including JJB Needham and Bates. He is a world-renowned thoughtleader on value creation through brand equity.
By focusing on building and managing successful businesses through iconic brands, Martin Roll helps boardrooms to enhance shareholder value and create sustainable competitive advantage. He advises corporate boards and marketing executives of some of the world's largest companies including many corporations in Asia.
His areas of expertise include leadership, innovation, growth, organizational excellence and how brand equity drives outstanding performance through shareholder value. Martin is also a frequent guest lecturer at INSEAD and the China European Business School. Martin Roll is the author of the global bestseller Asian Brand Strategy, a very compelling book of frameworks for Asian branding. Asian Brand Strategy was named "Best Business Books 2006" by Strategy+Business.

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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 has held 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.

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Lye Teck Tan

Deputy Director-General, of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, which owns and manages Singapore Changi Airport.
Lye Teck Tan currently oversees four Divisions in CAAS, namely the Airport Management, Commercial, Development & Engineering and Air Cargo Divisions.
The previous appointments he has held in CAAS include Director of the Air Traffic Services Division; Head of Management Information Services; Director of Air Cargo; Director of Airworthiness/Flight Operations; and Director of the Airport Management Division.
Mr Tan has participated in various activities of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, including the ICAO Council Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP). He is a member of the ICAO Facilitation Panel as well as ACI’s committee on facilitation and services.
Mr Tan holds an aeronautical engineering degree from the Ecole Nationale de l'Aviation Civile (ENAC), France, and a MSc in management from Stanford University, USA.

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Noel Toolan

Chief Marketing Officer, SSP
Noel has spent over 25 years working in international marketing across Europe. This included extensive periods focusing on product marketing, brand marketing and strategic business planning. Noel has held several senior international marketing roles in different organisations, including at Diageo, where he was head of worldwide marketing for Baileys.
He was also managing director of Metaxa International. Noel worked for Proctor and Gamble in Geneva and spent three years as head of marketing at the Irish Tourist Board in the 1990s. Noel joined the Board of SSP in December 2007.  

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Paco Underhill

Paco Underhill is Founder President and CEO of Envirosell, a New York based research and consulting firm with offices around the world. Underhill has spent more than 25 years conducting research on the different aspects of shopping behavior, earning his status as a leading expert and pioneer in the field. Paco helps companies understand what motivates the behaviors of today’s consumer. His research shows how today’s retail world is ruled by factors such as gender, “trial and touch” and human anatomy.
Underhill and Envirosell have been profiled by major publications, such as, The New Yorker, Fortune, Fast Company, Business Week and Smithsonian Magazine, and have been featured on ABC’s 20/20, and CBS’s 48 Hours. His first book, Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping has been published in 26 languages, and has sold more copies than any other retail book in history. His second book, entitled Call of the Mall: The Geography of Shopping, was released in February 2004 by Simon & Schuster.

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