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.

Jessica Spence is President of Brands at Beam Suntory, a world leader in premium spirits. In her role, Jessica’s focus is primarily in leading end-to-end the brand strategy, development and performance, including P&L accountability, for the company’s global iconic brands of Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Courvoisier and more. Her responsibilities also encompass global innovation, research and development, as well as the global expansion of the ready-to-drink category. Spence works closely with the region presidents and chief supply chain officer to drive the company’s long-term global premiumization agenda.

Spence joined Beam Suntory in 2019 from Carlsberg Group, where she served as Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer, overseeing the company’s global marketing, sales, insights, R&D and innovation functions. She previously served as Carlsberg’s Senior Vice President Commercial based in Copenhagen, and in senior commercial and marketing roles for Carlsberg Asia based in Hong Kong. Prior to joining Carlsberg in 2012, Spence held marketing roles of increasing responsibility for SABMiller in Russia, Slovakia and Poland, as well as in business development based in London and also has prior experience with global advertising agencies Leo Burnett and J Walter Thompson.

Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer is the Chief Operating Officer of Hamad International Airport (HIA), Doha, Qatar since he took up the post in June 2014.

With more than 10 years of experience in construction and project management, Engr. Al-Meer is responsible for the running of the entity that leads and manages the day-to-day operations of one of the world’s latest state-of-the-art airport hubs. He has been instrumental in achieving HIA’s ambition to redefine passenger travel experience and provide a world class service.

Ms Chan assumed the role of CEO at AirAsia.com in January this year, having previously been Group Chief Commercial Officer at the airline. Ms Chan is charged with transforming AirAsia into the fastest-growing travel tech and lifestyle platform in ASEAN, one that offers a frictionless and personalised experience to consumers across discovery, ticketing, activities, hotel booking and holiday packages, powered by a unified payment and loyalty solution.

She has over 20 years of experience in digital and retail consulting. Prior to joining AirAsia, Ms Chang was the SVP of Digital for C&J Clark APMEA and Chief Digital Officer for Pizza Hut APAC, championing efforts in omnichannel retailing, digitalisation of brick-and-mortar stores, customer relationship management and headless ecommerce.

A renowned change agent and business and brand transformation leader, Sandeep Seth is currently Chief Executive Officer of Global SK-II, Procter and Gamble’s multi-billion-dollar prestige beauty business. With his wealth of omnichannel experience leading local, regional and global organisations across 11 countries in APAC, Greater China, India and the US and a deep expertise in the beauty and prestige industry, he has transformed SK-II to become a human brand that is a force for good and a force for growth in the world today.

Under his leadership, SK-II has been globally recognised for its thought leadership in brand-building with award-winning campaigns such as #ChangeDestiny with the multi-Cannes Lion award winning viral film ‘Marriage Market’. Prior to this, Sandeep’s career was at Procter & Gamble within New Business Development and White Space Expansions, having led the launch of the Olay business across the region (Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines and India) since 2001.

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.

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 a newly-appointed Independent Director at North Queensland Airports

Previously Barker was responsible for Auckland Airport’s retailing businesses, including duty free, specialty retail, and food and beverage. He is also responsible for passenger experience and car-parking.

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.

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 business, 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.

Adrian Pittaway is the Head of Retail for MSC Cruises.  Based in Geneva, Adrian heads the largest in-house cruise retail operation in the world. With one of the most modern cruise ship fleets in the world, MSC Cruises’ global retail team operate as part of the larger MSC Group, the world’s largest privately-owned shipping company, with over 160 boutiques on 16 luxury cruise ships. A further 130+ boutiques are in the pipeline on 13 additional ships.

With over 20 years of experience in retail management and over 12 years now in travel retail, Adrian is responsible for leading all aspects of the MSC retail business covering buying, operations, logistics and business development for nearly 200 premium brands. Prior to joining MSC Cruises in July 2015, Adrian worked for over 7 years with Nuance / Dufry.

Olivier Jager is a seasoned travel technology entrepreneur. He launched ForwardKeys in 2010 and drives the company’s vision, strategy and growth as it provides solutions for companies operating in the travel ecosystem to better anticipate future demand by knowing who’s travelling tomorrow. Before launching ForwardKeys, Olivier built his knowledge with companies including AOL, Amadeus, PhoCusWright, Market Metrix and TravelCLICK.

As a strategic thinker with a passion for innovation and solving problems, Olivier’s expertise has focused on marketing and distribution, management and business development. Olivier is a frequent speaker on the international circuit on subjects related to how travellers are responding their behaviours in a global and volatile marketplace.

Ollie Palmer

Ollie Palmer, who has worked at Diageo for nearly ten years, is currently Head of Customer Marketing for the Global Travel division.

With a passion for challenge, adventure and the outdoors, he was responsible for pulling together a team of four friends to take part in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic challenge in the 2019/20 race. The team subsequently went on to win the race by 48 hours, setting a world record in the process and raising over £300,000 for their partner charity.

As the only member of the crew who was sub 6ft and without a military background, he was determined to show that anyone can achieve anything with the right mindset.

Tom Foley

Having spent over eight years in the Royal Navy as a Mine Clearance Diving Officer, Tom Foley shares a thirst for adventure and challenge. As one of Ollie’s oldest and closest friends, he was first on the team sheet for the Atlantic row.

Tom believes that careful preparation, teamwork, dedication and optimism are foundations for the team’s success. He now splits his time between planning the next challenge and retraining as a surveyor, having recently left the military.