Sarah Branquinho

Sarah Branquinho is President of TFWA and a leading advocate for the global duty-free and travel retail industry. She is particularly vocal in championing the sector’s role in supporting transport infrastructure and enhancing the passenger experience worldwide.

Sarah began her career in duty-free and travel retail as TFWA’s first Commercial Director. A decade later, she moved into industry advocacy, serving as Secretary General of the European Travel Research Foundation from 1995, where she played a pivotal role in the successful campaign against the abolition of intra-EU duty-free sales.

She subsequently joined BAA and its retail division, World Duty Free (now part of Avolta), as Director of External Affairs. She later served as Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Dufry and as External Affairs Advisor, with Avolta supporting her ongoing contributions to the Duty Free World Council (DFWC).

Alongside her executive roles, Sarah has held numerous senior industry positions, including Chair of the UK Travel Retail Forum (2009–2018), President of the European Travel Retail Confederation (2012–2018), and World Business Partner observer on the ACI Europe Board.

Sarah still serves as President of the Duty Free World Council (2017-present) which leads and co-ordinates the industry’s advocacy programme, and is Chair of Women in Travel Retail+, where she actively supports the development and advancement of women into leadership roles across the industry.