INTERNATIONAL. Bacardi Travel Retail Division yesterday presented its inaugural Bacardi Spirit for Life Award to one of the great pioneers of the duty free industry, David Bernstein.
Bernstein was one of the founders of Duty Free International (now Duty Free Americas) and a long-time President of the International Association of Airport Duty Free Stores (IAADFS), of which he remains a board member.
As reported, Bacardi Travel Retail created the annual award to acknowledge and honour “those who have notably enhanced the landscape, partnerships and innovation within travel retail”.
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Bacardi Travel Retail Americas Vice President José Chao presents the Spirit for Life Award to David Bernstein | |
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David Bernstein dons a specially commissioned Bacardi jacket to honour the occasion | |
Each recipient will be recognised for demonstrating the Bacardi Spirit for Life through four core values:
– Passion: teamwork, winning, accountability, and being a catalyst for innovation;
– Excellence: leadership, communication, problem solving and mentoring;
– Caring: responsibility, respect, and commitment;
– Trust: honesty, transparency, and unity.
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Bacardi honours an industry pioneer |
Presenting the award at the IAADFS-run Duty Free Show of the Americas in Orlando, Florida yesterday, Bacardi Travel Retail Americas Vice President José Chao told guests that David Bernstein epitomized those core values.
Chao described how Bernstein had started his professional career as a 15-year-old entrepreneur, who later moved on to founding Duty Free International before ultimately selling the company to BAA in the 1990s. “The American dream was realised,” he said.
“I would like to recognise a person who has led this industry in the Americas but also globally and has exemplified what we’re all about. [At Bacardi] we’re lucky to have shared with this great man his vision and his love for the industry.”
Bernstein was presented with the Spirit for Life Award certificate, together with a specially adorned Bacardi jacket.
An emotional Bernstein thanked his wife Pat, his fellow owners at Duty Free International and his many industry friends and colleagues. He concluded by applauding Bacardi, which he said had been a terrific supporter of the IAADFS. “They exemplify everything that’s wonderful about this industry,” he said.
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The words say it all: Passion, Excellence, Caring and Trust – core values that David Bernstein holds dear | |
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A proud David Bernstein shows off his award alongside long-time friends and industry colleagues Harry Diehl (left, a former business partner in Duty Free International), Michael Payne of the IAADFS and José Chao | |
COMMENT – A PERSONAL VIEW: Bacardi made an outstanding decision in the choice of its first recipient for the new award, writes Martin Moodie.
David Bernstein has contributed on just about every level possible to the duty free and travel retail industry. Not only was he a highly successful retailer in his own right, but he played a crucial role in gaining credibility and legislative validity for the industry in the US – something that was anything but a given in the 1980s, for example.
He has dedicated years of voluntary service to leading the IAADFS as President and later serving with distinction and commitment as a Board Member. Speak to any member of that Board, past or present, and you will find unanimity on his influence, contribution and personal qualities.
On a personal level David Bernstein has been a wise, candid and constant mentor to me down the years, and a particularly strong influence on how the voice of The Moodie Report should take shape. Like many of us, I owe him much.
