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Maurice Burke (pictured with fellow recipient Ylva Persson winning a Frontier Award in Cannes): “A tremendous contribution to the development of Bahrain Duty Free” |
MIDDLE EAST. Aer Rianta International-Middle East (ARI-ME) today unveiled important management changes that take effect on 6 January 2008.
Maurice Burke, one of ARI-ME’s longest-serving and popular executives, retires as General Manager of Bahrain Duty Free from that date. He will join the ARI-ME head office in Bahrain in a Project Management capacity.
His place will be taken by Stephen O’Connor, currently General Manager of Muscat Duty Free in Oman.
O’Connor has a wealth of experience within the group, having previously worked in Russia for Aer Rianta International, as well as a number of operations in the Middle East most recently in Oman.
Replacing Stephen O’Connor as General Manager in Muscat is Tom Byrne, who has worked with the group in Ireland and at various locations overseas for more than 15 years. He re-joins ARI-ME after a period as General Manager of Belgrade Duty Free. Byrne is replaced at Dufry-operated Belgrade Duty Free by Iain Forrest, who was previously General Manager of ARI Kosovo.
ARI-ME Managing Director John Sutcliffe said: “Maurice has made a tremendous contribution to the development of Bahrain Duty Free since he started in 1991.
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A big promotion for Muscat Duty Free General Manager Stephen O’Connor (left), shown accepting the Mars International Travel Retail award for Gulf Duty Free Retailer of the year from the confectionery house’s Stuart Bull earlier this year |
“Since that time the operation has been recognised as one of the best duty free facilities in the world on several occasions, as well as receiving many other accolades, something which Maurice has been very instrumental in achieving.
“With Maurice’s experience he will be invaluable in a number of projects currently being developed by us. With the forthcoming major expansion of the terminal at Bahrain International Airport, Stephen O’Connor’s energy, enthusiasm and experience will be invaluable. Similarly at Muscat Duty Free, Tom Byrne has many challenges and opportunities ahead arising from the Government of Oman’s announcements regarding airport expansions.”
COMMENT: Maurice Burke has indeed been a great servant of Aer Rianta International-Middle East and of the duty free channel in general. He joined Shannon Airport’s Sales & Catering Organisation in 1969 and has spent his whole career since with Aer Rianta International.
He was part of the Irish company’s pioneering taskforce that flew to Dubai in 1983 to consult on what was to grow into one of the world’s greatest duty free operations over the ensuing two decades. As he recalled recently in an interview for “˜The World Rovers*’: “I remember the culture shock of arriving there and the chaos in that initial phase. Things quietened down after the opening: they went from 120 miles per hour to 119 miles per hour.”
He arrived in Bahrain in 1991 where he found a great commonality of spirit with his own style. “The cultures are very similar,” he said. “The Bahrainis like to do business, they want to make money, but they don’t want to do it quickly or on the cheap. They believe in the longer term, in investing and in making friends while they do it.”
Maurice Burke has made many friends himself down the years and The Moodie Report joins all of them in wishing him well for the future. It’s nice to know that his wit – as dry as the best Martini – and his knowledge won’t be lost to the trade. [To contact Maurice, e-mail Maurice@bdutyfree.com
* To read the interview with Maurice Burke in The World Rovers (published by The Moodie Report in 2006) click here and scroll to the second page.
