Charles Chen is one of the most influential figures in the global travel retail industry. He has worked in the sector for over 30 years, having joined China Duty Free Group (CDFG) in 1987. Prior to his appointment as President, he held a number of leadership positions at CDFG, including Director of Liquor Sales and Marketing Department, Chief Representative of European Office, President of CDFG Commerce & Trade Co. Ltd, Assistant President and Vice President. He has also served as the General Manager of CDFG Boao Commerce & Trade Co. Ltd and Head of the acclaimed Haitang Bay project, featuring the magnificent CDF Mall andSanya International Duty Free City. He is also President of the powerful China International Travel Service.

Philippe Schaus joined Louis Vuitton Malletier in Paris in 2003 as President of the Europe Zone and was then appointed Senior Vice President, International, and finally Executive Vice President in 2009. Schaus joined DFS Group in Hong Kong in 2011 as Group President of Merchandising and Marketing. He was named Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DFS Group in 2012. Since 1 October 2017, he has been CEO of Moët Hennessy, the Wines and Spirits division of LVMH. He has been a member of the Executive Committee of LVMH since 2012.

Akbar Al Baker is one of the most respected and prominent personalities in the global aviation industry. The CEO of Qatar Airways has grown a small regional airline to one of the world’s leading 5-star airlines in just two decades. Today Qatar Airways flies more than 200 aircraft into over 160 destinations across the globe. Under his leadership, Qatar Airways was named ‘Airline of the Year’ in 2011, 2012, 2015 and 2017, by Skytrax, the international air transport rating organisation. His Excellency is also CEO of several divisions of Qatar’s national airline – including Qatar Executive, Hamad International Airport, Qatar Aviation Services, Qatar Aircraft Catering Company, Qatar Distribution Company, Qatar Duty Free and Internal Media Services.

Lisa Bauer is President and CEO of Starboard Cruise Services; she oversees all operations for Starboard and sister company Onboard Media. Bauer previously held the position of Vice President of Onboard Experience at Delta Airlines, responsible for creating the strategy to elevate the carrier’s onboard customer experience and improve its competitive advantage on the global stage. Prior to joining Delta, Bauer was Executive Vice President of Global Operations and Chief Operating Officer for International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. (ICE), a global travel and leisure company with a worldwide network of innovative travel alliances.

Oana Damian founded Damazo Group in January 2017, as the specialist advisory firm which goes beyond the industry-specific commercial due diligence, by considering tech innovations and the ever-changing passenger travel trends. Damian started her career in aviation at LeighFisher, where she was the lead commercial advisor and key member of on-site teams across various high-profile airport transaction projects. Since starting Damazo Group, Damian has provided commercial revenue advice on over 15 airport projects in Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia Pacific.

Mauro Anastasi is a partner based in Bain & Company’s Milan office. He is an expert in the firm’s Retail, Airlines & Transportation and Advanced Manufacturing & Services practices. He has more than 15 years of consulting experience across retail and aviation sectors within both Europe and the Middle East.

Richard Barker is responsible for Auckland Airport’s retailing businesses, including duty free, specialty retail, and food & beverage. He is also responsible for passenger experience and car parking. Richard spent over 20 years in retail, sales, pricing and operational roles for BP in New Zealand, London and Chicago. Prior to joining Auckland Airport in October 2013 he played a leading role in the original conception, development and operation of the new Z Energy retail proposition.

One of the most progressive thinkers in the airport world, Eugene Barry joined Dubai Airports in 2009 and is responsible for leading the company’s non-aeronautical revenue portfolio, including DXB’s and Dubai World Central’s airport business. Eugene’s portfolio includes property management, concession management, aviation business management, cargo business management, corporate communication, consumer marketing, and CRM.

Fraser Brown became Retail Director at Heathrow on 1 November 2018 following over four years at Heathrow Express as Managing Director and formerly Commercial Director.  Prior to this he worked at Gatwick Airport as Head of Travel Services, before moving across London to Heathrow. His roles at the UK’s busiest airport have included Head of Travel Services and Managing Director of Ultra Global PRT.

Mohit Lal has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail, and a member of the Executive Committee of Pernod Ricard since July 1, 2016. After starting his career within Nestlé India and managing Perfetti India’s finances from 1996 to 1999, in November 1999, he joined Seagram India as Financial Director. He held that role until 2006, the company having been acquired by Pernod Ricard in 2001 and renamed Pernod Ricard India in 2005. After serving as Irish Distillers’ Financial Director from 2006 to 2011, he returned to India as Managing Director of Pernod Ricard India. He was then appointed Managing Director of Pernod Ricard Travel Retail Asia in 2015 before assuming his current role.

Jack MacGowan is Director at Castlepole Consulting in Ireland and former CEO of Irish state-owned Aer Rianta International (2011-2018). He joined the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) in 2005 from Tesco plc. He held the role of Chief Commercial Officer, with responsibility for all commercial operations in Ireland including retail, car parks, marketing and property concessions. In August 2011, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Aer Rianta International, with responsibility for all retail activities globally.

Dag Rasmussen is among the most astute leaders in the global travel retail industry. A Norwegian citizen with a degree from ESSEC, one of France’s oldest schools of businessm he joined the Lagardère group in 1988 as International Financial Controller, pursuing his career in Belgium at Press Shop before being appointed Managing Director of AMP in 1996. In 1999, he became Deputy CEO of Lagardère Travel Retail. He has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lagardère Travel Retail since 2011, a company that enjoys a powerful presence across duty free, specialist retail, convenience and food & beverage.

Heidi Van Roon is a leader, a mentor, and a perennial champion of the entrepreneurial spirit. Her many ventures, which run the gamut from founding a line of luxury furnishings to her current work as the Founder and CEO of SPARK Business Services Group Inc., are all indelibly stamped by her enthusiastic personality. She is a savvy strategist with a soft heart. She sees opportunities to create mutually rewarding arrangements, positive growth, and a better world for all stakeholders, and she runs after them. Hard.

Muriel Zingraff is a Partner at Damazo Group, specialising in airport concession planning, from initial concept development through to tenders, implementation and delivery. Zingraff is the former London Heathrow Airport Retail Director, where she was responsible for developing Heathrow’s retail business in existing and new terminals. Zingraff developed the airport’s retail sales, reaching £1.9bn in 2013 from £1.7bn in 2012 and delivering EBIT growth of +7% in 2012 and +8% in 2013.

Kian Gould is one of the leading global omnichannel ecommerce and digital transformation experts within the open source space. He is a regular speaker at many global conferences, and a well-known expert in airport digitalisation. For the past 15 years, his company AOE has assisted global Fortune 1000 companies with their digital transformation and omnichannel ecommerce strategies. AOE has been a key influence in the growing digitalisation of retail at airports such as Auckland and Heathrow and the Singapore omnichannel joint venture Krisshop.

Sunil Tuli is the Group Chief Executive of Hong Kong-based King Power Group, driving the company’s duty free & travel retail activities as well as a number of its other diverse ventures.

He is a founding board member of the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA), and previously served for six years as the association’s President before once again being elected to that position in 2020. APTRA has over 100 members across the region, including suppliers, retailers, airlines, airports and regional associations.

A passionate and articulate advocate of greater collaboration between airports, retailers and brands, Sunil Tuli has been a key influence in the Trinity debate of recent years.

Since founding The Design Solution in 1984, Robbie Gill has developed the company into the world’s leading airport retail design specialists, creating some of the most commercially effective and appealing retail spaces in the industry.

That breadth of experience incorporates almost every aspect of the retail sector, giving The Design Solution a unique, holistic perception of the best way to utilise retail space and reach the target customer.

Chris Pok joined Singapore Airlines in September 2001 as a Purchasing Executive in the Commercial Supplies Department.

After a stint in the Singapore Sales Corporate Marketing Department in 2010 he was posted to Jakarta as Commercial Manager Indonesia. In March 2011 he moved to Perth, Australia to take up the position of Manager Western Australia. The following year, in November 2012, Pok was posted to Amsterdam as General Manager Benelux. In August 2014 he was promoted to General Manager China. In January 2017, Pok returned to Singapore to head the Merchandising Department, and in December 2018 he was appointed CEO of Singapore Airlines’ flagship omninchannel retail arm, KrisShop.

James Prescott is Managing Director of Harding, the Flemingo International-owned, UK-headquartered cruise retail concessionaire and a highly experienced travel retail executive. He joined Harding from Bahrain where he had played a key since 2008 as Aer Rianta International-Middle East General Manager Operations. Before then he was World Duty Free Head of Category – Liquor, Tobacco, Food, Tax Free and Luxury Goods, and earlier Whyte & Mackay Global Travel Retail Director.

José Luis Donagaray is Secretary General of South American Duty Free Association (Asociación Sudamericana de Tiendas Libres/ASUTIL) and an outstanding advocate for the travel retail sector in this vast and diverse region. ASUTIL has been an admirably proactive association over many years, something born out in recent months as it has spearheaded the campaign to introduce border shops to the Brazilian duty free business.

Shashank Nigam is a globally sought-after consultant, speaker and thought leader on airline branding and customer engagement strategy. He is the Founder and CEO of SimpliFlying, one of the world’s largest aviation marketing firms working with over 85 aviation clients in the last ten years. Nigam is also the youngest winner of the Global Brand Leadership Award and has addressed senior executives globally, from Chile to China.