Rita Chidiac joined Japan Tobacco International (JTI) in Lebanon in 2011, taking on responsibility for its corporate affairs and communications activities in the Middle East and Levant region. In 2016 she joined JTI’s Worldwide Duty Free team based in Geneva. A year later she relocated to Dubai, where she manages JTI’s corporate affairs and communications activities covering Africa, CIS and the Middle East region.
Prior to joining JTI, Rita worked as Political Analyst for the United Nations Development Program and for the Minister of State for Administrative Reform in Beirut.
In April 2019, Rita was elected to the Board of the Middle East and Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA).
Rita studied international affairs and diplomacy and holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Notre Dame University in Lebanon.
Julie Lassaigne became Secretary General of the European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC) in February 2019. In this role, she manages the day-to-day running of the organisation and represents it both externally and towards its members.
Julie first joined ETRC in 2013, taking on responsibility for managing some of the key challenges affecting the duty free and travel retail market, including the provision of product information to consumers, alcohol policy, air passenger rights and transport security.
Prior to joining ETRC, Julie gained extensive experience working for public affairs consultancies in Brussels with clients in the aviation, food and sport sectors.
A French national, Julie holds a Master’s degree in Political Science and Communication from the Institute of Political Science of Bordeaux.
Karl Marnane is Sales Director of Butlers Chocolates. He joined the company over 20 years ago and has been instrumental in driving the brand’s growth and increasing its global presence in both travel retail and domestic markets. Based in Dubai for the past eight years, Karl has an inherent understanding of the dynamics of the Middle East market and brings a wealth of experience to travel retail.
Founded in 1932, Butlers Chocolates is Ireland’s premier family-owned firm dedicated to the craft of exceptional chocolate making, and the brand has listings in over 60 airports around the globe. The company’s chocolates are created using sustainably sourced cocoa under the Cocoa Horizons Programme.
Butlers opened its first retail store in 1989 on Dublin’s prestigious Grafton Street. The shop was the foundation for the company’s very successful retail and café concept, Butlers Chocolate Café. There are now over 30 Butlers Chocolate Cafés in Ireland, including Dublin Airport, as well as franchises in Dubai and Riyadh Airport.
Karl, who currently resides in Dubai with his wife and three sons, is a graduate of University College Dublin and holds an MBA from the University of Warwick. He was recently elected to the board of APTRA.
John McDonnell has launched and marketed a number of successful global spirits brands, bringing hard work and business acumen to many countries around the world. He began his career at Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, spending 18 years in domestic and global sales and marketing.
In January 2005, he joined The Patrón Spirits Company and became President, International and Chief Operating Officer, leading the company’s international and duty-free expansion. In addition to helping Patrón become the world’s #1 tequila brand in retail value, John is widely credited for having globally established the ultra-premium tequila category.
Today as Managing Director, International for Tito’s Handmade Vodka, John is highly regarded as an industry leader. He earned widespread respect for his service as Chairman of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), the national trade association representing America’s leading distillers. John has now launched and marketed successful global brands in 150+ countries & islands worldwide.
Aimen Al Hosni led the seamless grand opening of Salalah Airport in June 2015, Muscat Airport in March 2018 and Duqm Airport in August 2018. Under his leadership, the new Muscat International Airport was awarded three World Travel Awards in 2018 and 2019, and was named the World’s Leading New Airport in 2018.
In 2018, Salalah International Airport was certified by Skytrax as the first 5-Star Regional Airport in the Middle East.
In September 2019, Muscat International Airport received the prestigious Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award for being the most improved Airport in the Middle East based on passenger votes, resulting in Muscat Airport being ranked 14th globally in the 15-25 million passenger segment. Sheikh Aimen also became the first Omani to be elected to the role of Vice Chairman of Airports Council International in 2019.
Sheikh Aimen is successfully and effectively shaping Oman Airports to be a vital contributor to the nation’s vision of establishing a safe, modern, profitable and customer-centric aviation sector, aligned with Oman’s Vision 2040. He maintains a strong focus on investing in Omani talent to develop the future leaders of the aviation sector in the country, achieving a record breaking Omanisation rate of 95% at Oman Airports since becoming CEO in March 2015.
Prior to joining Oman Airports, Sheikh Aimen held leadership positions within numerous multinational organizations. In addition to his current role at Oman Airports, he also holds executive positions as the Vice Chairman of Airport Council International (ACI) World Board and Secretary Treasury of the ACI Asia Pacific Regional Board, HSBC Oman, Omantel Telecommunication, Oman National Investment and Engineering and Muscat Insurance Company.
Anna Marchesini is Project and Business Development Manager at m1nd-set. She works with various global key accounts across all categories in the area of duty free & travel retail, and is also involved in m1nd-set’s consultancy work and manages the company’s marketing and press activities.
Anna holds an MSc in Management, with specialization in Marketing, from the prestigious HEC Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland. She previously worked on various marketing projects for different communication agencies in Germany.
Anna is of Italian origin, and also speaks English, German and Spanish.
Dr Peter Mohn graduated as a psychologist and earned a PhD in Business Psychology. He has worked for various leading global market research agencies since 1993 and has specialized in travel retail research since 2004. The company he co-founded in early 2007, m1nd-set, works as a consultant to more than 100 global brands as well as many leading shop operators in duty free & travel retail. m1nd-set is also a research partner of most travel retail associations.
Eugene Barry joined Dubai Airports in 2009 and is responsible for leading and developing the company’s aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue portfolio, including Dubai International’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. He is a member of Dubai Airports’ Executive Board and a Director on the board of Emirates Flight Catering. Eugene has worked in the airport commercial industry for over 25 years, and has previously worked in travel-retail roles for Aer Rianta International, DFS/LVMH, Dufry, and Dubai Duty Free. He has also served as a board member and treasurer of MEADFA.
Andrew Davis is renowned for helping organisations transform their business development and community activities through digital platforms. As one of the UK’s most prolific and sought-after digital/social media trainers, keynote speakers and consultants, Andrew’s has applied his unique approach to clients in multiple sectors. His high-end strategic workshops and talks show how a ‘digital lens’ can attract new business and improve relationships with existing customers, while answering the most popular question in digital right now: ‘So What?’
Andrew counts many of the UK’s most prominent corporate names among clients he has worked with, such as KPMG, Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi, Tescos, o2, MTV, Accenture and The Royal Mail. Andrew also sat on the Ofcom Advisory committee for England for 4 years, where he ensured a strong focus on innovation, technology, young people and small businesses.
Andrews digital career spans over 18 years. After working as a chatroom moderator on Pop Idol and Friends Reunited, Andrew served as producer for the digital station BBC Radio 1Xtra. As a Marketing Manager for Myspace.com, he helped launch its UK Marketing and Content division. He founded his consultancy in 2009 that launched with his visionary ‘Social Media Fundamentals’ program was the UK’s first ever social media course, designed to improve numeracy and literacy in borderline GCSE English students.
Samer A. Majali is the founder of Plane Vision, a Bahrain-based consulting firm specializing in corporate strategy and business advice. Prior to this, Samer served as Chief Executive Officer of SaudiGulf Airlines and President of Al Qahtani Aviation and Abdel Hadi Al Qahtani Group from 2013 to 2019.
Previously, Samer served as Chief Executive Officer of Gulf Air from 2009 to 2012 and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Royal Jordanian from 2001 to 2009. From 1989 to 2001 he also held various executive positions with Royal Jordanian in flight operations, corporate planning, information technology and passenger services.
An active member of various international organizations in the aviation industry and beyond, Samer is a Fellow of the Royal Aeronautical Society of the UK and Chartered Engineer of the Engineering Council. He is also a Board Member of the Central Bank of Jordan and a member of the country’s Engineers Association. He has also served as Chairman of IATA’s Board of Governors, of the Gulf Hotel Group, Arab Air Carriers Organization (AACO) and the International Flight Catering Association (IFCA).
Samer received his Master of Science degree from Cranfield Institute of Technology in the UK, where he received the prestigious Lloyds Aviation Economics Prize.
