Andrew Ford has a thorough knowledge of the global travel industry, with particular focus on the development of luxury brands, travel retail and food & beverage outlets in airports. He has a solid general management and commercial background and a successful record of developing businesses across many markets and cultures, particularly in the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions.
He commenced his career with 12 years at Allied Domecq, marketing and selling the company’s portfolio of wine & spirit brands, and culminating as Marketing Director Asia/Pacific for the duty-free division. He then spent 7 years as CEO of Tax Free World Association, based in Paris, developing the organisation’s exhibitions in Cannes and Singapore, in addition to staging conferences in various locations around the world. In 2006 his fondness for Asia took him to Hong Kong, to become Vice President, Global Business Development with DFS Group, where he was responsible for developing new business in current and future markets.
In 2015-16, Andrew developed Paccaya Resources Ltd as a travel industry advisory firm based in Hong Kong. The growing team works primarily with airports to improve sales and yield, and to develop strategies for improved airport commercial business in the long term. Andrew also advises a few travel retailers, food & beverage companies, luxury brands, and financial institutions.
During his career Andrew has been an Executive Board member of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA), and a board member of Airports Council International (ACI) and the Middle East & Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA). In 2017, he was elected President of APTRA.