Marcus Spahn is General Manager Commercial Non-Aero at MATARAT Holding, a strategic holding company overseeing a portfolio of 27 airports in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including major hubs like Riyadh and Jeddah. With a career spanning three continents, Marcus has consistently driven commercial transformation, innovation and passenger experience across diverse airport environments.
Before joining MATARAT Holding, Marcus was an integral part of Munich Airport’s international team. He served as the CCO of Sofia Airport under Munich Airport’s management, where he was a key member of the Executive Board and also held the position of Executive Director of Sofia Airport Duty Free.
His significant contributions to the MENA region include several pivotal assignments, such as CCO for Munich Airport at Cairo International Airport. As Director Commercial at Hamad International Airport in Doha, he contributed to the airport’s positioning as a premier global gateway, achieving the distinction of being the first “Skytrax 5-Star Airport” in the region.
Additionally, Marcus played a vital role as Director Commercial at King Khaled International Airport in Riyadh under the management of Fraport, the operator of Frankfurt Airport. In Riyadh, he was responsible for all aero and non-aero revenue streams and pioneered the launch of Saudi Arabia’s first-ever duty free shop.
Marcus represents MATARAT Holding in MEADFA. He is also a constituent of ANARA, the non-aero sub-committee of ACI’s World Economics Standing Committee. At ANARA, he is a passionate member of the retail working group.
Alec Denby is the Global Head of Operational Excellence at Avolta AG in Switzerland. He brings over 16 years of extensive experience in the travel retail industry.
Prior to joining Avolta, Alec held prominent senior positions with Aer Rianta International in Russia, India & Egypt and served as General Manager for Flemingo Duty Free in Sri Lanka.
Since joining Avolta in 2014, Alec has spearheaded strategic group projects and integrations, consistently driving operational excellence and fostering a customer-centric approach across 73 countries and over 5,100 stores and restaurants.
Banu Ekşi is a seasoned External Affairs professional with over a decade of experience navigating complex regulatory landscapes across Turkey, the Middle East, Africa, and the global travel industry. Her expertise encompasses public policy, regulatory affairs, government relations, and stakeholder management. With a proven track record of building and maintaining strategic relationships, she has successfully managed complex regulatory environments while driving advocacy initiatives across multiple markets.
Since 2021, she has served as Global External Affairs Manager, Duty Free, at Philip Morris International, based in Dubai. Previously, from 2019 to 2020, she held the position of External Affairs Manager, Middle East and Africa, in Switzerland. Prior to these roles, Banu gained extensive experience in Turkey and Switzerland, where she held external affairs, government relations and fiscal affairs positions within Philip Morris International from 2012 to 2019.
Banu holds a master’s degree in international affairs from The New School, New York, USA, and a bachelor’s degree in international relations from Bilgi University, Turkey.
Ms. Sorlini has over 20 years of aviation industry experience and currently holds the position of Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer at Abu Dhabi Airports.
She is also a member of the board at Abu Dhabi Airports, Etihad Airways, Abu Dhabi Aviation and ADQ Aviation and Aerospace Services.
Ms. Sorlini has held executive positions globally in the wider aviation ecosystem, including Vice President of Strategic Planning at Oman Aviation Group and Director of Strategy at Copenhagen Airports. Prior to that, she was Vice President at Macquarie Airports, one of the largest private airport owners and operators, where she was responsible for the asset management activities of Rome Airports and Copenhagen Airports.
Ms. Sorlini holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, majoring in Planning and Control from Bocconi University, and a Master’s degree in Corporate Finance. She also holds an Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) from Copenhagen Business School.
Rania Abou Hussein is a leader in the world of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) as the Chanel Development Head for Mars in Asia & the Middle East. With an extensive background in the industry, Rania has been an integral part of the Mars team since 2002, working across different markets including Egypt, the United Kingdom, and the Gulf region.
In her current role, Rania oversees the international travel retail business for the Middle East and Asia, showcasing her strategic mindset and strong leadership skills. Beyond her responsibilities at Mars, Rania has successfully managed private businesses in Egypt, demonstrating her entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen.
Passionate about women’s empowerment and fostering inclusivity, Rania is actively involved in initiatives aimed at developing female talent and driving positive change in the region. As a key leader in the MEA Women of Mars group, she focuses on empowering women, influencing change, and making a meaningful impact on society.
Educated at the American University in Cairo, where she studied integrated marketing communication, Rania was actively involved in student union activities and committees, showcasing her leadership abilities from a young age. Currently based in Dubai with her husband and two children, Rania finds joy in traveling, exploring different cuisines through cooking, and cherishing quality time with her family.
With 15 years of experience in the tourism industry, I now focus on applying insights and knowledge to global luxury brands and retailers in different categories, including beauty and fashion. I have worked with some of the major players in Retail and Travel Retail, such as L’Oréal and LVMH, to help them capture the right consumers and promote their sustainable growth.
Sherif Toulan serves as the Chief Executive Officer of IDF in Egypt. In this role he oversees the company operations including its diverse subsidiaries. Mr Toulan’s combined efforts have played an integral part in diversifying the operations of IDF and growing the business vertically and laterally thereby establishing IDF as a nationwide benchmark in the industry.
During his tenure, Mr Toulan succeeded in acquiring a number of airport retail concessions for IDF. In 2010 he founded Global Brands, a subsidiary of IDF the with a focus on the local market In 2013, he established Heinemann -Egypt, of which he is currently Chairman. Heineman Egypt is a joint venture between Global Brands, Global Trading and Technology and Gebr. Heinemann who are now operating its Duty Free Shops in Sharm El Sheikh Airport.
Mr Toulan joined IDF in 1997 as Business Development Coordinator responsible for Business Development and Strategy implementation since then he has held a number of positions with increasing responsibility.
Part of the MEADFA Board since 2009, Mr Toulan served as Vice President (2019-21) before being elected President earlier this year. He also serves on a number of boards and associations. He is currently a Member of the Board of International Duty Free (IDF) and Global Trading and Technology, one of the subsidiaries of IDF with core focus in tobacco machinery and spare parts. In addition he is an active member of both the American and German chambers of commerce in Egypt.
Sherif Toulan holds a BA from the American University in Cairo and an Executive MBA from North Western University.
As President of the Duty Free World Council, Sarah Branquinho is an active advocate for the duty-free and travel retail industry and the key role it plays in enhancing transport infrastructure and the passenger experience.
Initially appointed the first Commercial Director of the industry’s trade association Tax Free World Association, the start of the duty-and tax-free industry’s campaign to fight the abolition of intra-EU duty- and tax-free sales saw her take up key advocacy roles. She served as Secretary General of the European Travel Research Foundation from 1995, managing and co-ordinating the ambitious research projects which underpinned the lobby and as secretary general of Focus 1999, coordinating the ‘Save Duty Free’ consumer mobilisation programme throughout the European Union.
Sarah subsequently joined BAA and its retail company World Duty Free, extending her remit for business relationships and external affairs to sister company Aldeasa following Autogrill’s acquisition of WDF. With the acquisition of World Duty Free Group by Dufry, she was appointed the group’s Director of External Affairs. From 2021 to 2023 Sarah served as Global Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer at Dufry, further driving the company’s commitment to ensuring its team is as diverse as its customer base and to building an inclusive and culturally sensitive workplace.
Today, Sarah continues to serve as External Affairs Advisor to Avolta (formerly Dufry).
Alongside her commercial roles, she has served as Chair of the UK Travel Retail Forum (2009 – 2018), President of the European Travel Retail Confederation (2012 – 2018), and still serves as the World Business Partner observer on the ACI Europe Board and Chair of Women in Travel Retail +, which offers networking opportunities and career support to women in the travel retail industry.
PRESENTATION
Roger Jackson is the Managing Director of Organico Solutions, one of the largest travel retail distributors in the Middle East and Africa. Roger has an extensive experience across travel retail in brand building and sales transformation. He is also an active Board Member at MEADFA and the association’s Advocacy Working Group.
Previously, Roger has held senior leadership roles from the top 10 FTSE companies such as Diageo and Coca Cola.
A seasoned international senior retail executive with extensive leadership experience across the UK, Middle East, and Europe. A proven expert in turning around underperforming businesses, driving sustainable growth, and leading large-scale operations.
Renowned for building high-performance teams, transforming culture, and delivering consistent profit growth across diverse retail models including joint ventures, full ownership, and management contracts.
Former CEO of ARI Middle East where he led the region’s largest multi-site duty-free business across six countries, from 2022 to 2025. Previously was Managing Director for Morrisons PLC in the UK which was a FTSE 100 company.
A respected industry figure and has held the position of President of the Middle East & Africa Duty-Free Association (MEADFA) which included playing a key role in global advocacy for regional retailer
