CDFG and Lagardère TR leaders head strong Virtual Travel Week Knowledge Hub programme

INTERNATIONAL. China Duty Free Group (CDFG) President Charles Chen and Lagardère Travel Retail Chairman & CEO Dag Rasmussen top the bill as the speaking line-up for the Virtual Travel Retail Week Knowledge Hub programme takes shape. Further names will be revealed in coming days.

The Moodie Davitt Report Virtual Travel Retail Week, a revamped successor to the Virtual Travel Retail Expo held in 2020 and 2021, will be held on Wednesday-Friday 7-9 September (retail focused) and Monday-Tuesday 12-13 September (food & beverage).

The week will be anchored by an extensive Knowledge Hub programme, offering an unrivalled line-up of thought leaders across the whole travel ecosystem.

As with the 2020 and 2021 Virtual Travel Retail Expos, supporting partners will also be able to host immersive Engagement Lounge sessions to complement the Knowledge Hub programme. No exhibition element is currently planned.

President Charles Chen has led China Duty Free Group, now the world’s largest travel retailer by sales, with great aplomb since assuming the role in late 2016
Dag Rasmussen has driven Lagardère Travel Retail’s impressive resilience and subsequent accelerating recovery through the toughest and most sustained crisis in sector history

Uniquely, the five-day programme will embrace multiple aspects of the travel retail and wider travel ecosystems, including travel-related shopping across all land, sea and air channels, including a key focus on China; food & beverage; airport advertising; digital communication & commerce.

“The 2021 Knowledge Hub, spread across five days, set a new benchmark for a travel retail sector conference or forum,” said The Moodie Davitt Report Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie. “We promise to raise the bar even higher this year with a diverse, inclusive and powerful programme and no less than three major award programmes.”

*Note: As with the Virtual Travel Retail Expo of 2021, the event will feature the people-focused Travel Retail Superstars and FAB Superstars Awards, and a much-extended version of The Moodies Travel Journey Awards, the industry’s only digital communication and commerce awards platform, now in its ninth year.

Once more there will be a heavy ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) emphasis and in line with its tradition The Moodie Davitt Report will again be donating a significant portion of revenues to appropriate causes.

Contact: For speaking details please contact Martin Moodie at Martin@MoodieDavittReport.com and for sponsorship and other commercial opportunities Irene Revilla at Irene@MoodieDavittReport.com or Sarah Genest at Sarah@MoodieDavittReport.com

‘LEAD, INSPIRE, TRANSFORM’ – HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2021 KNOWLEDGE HUB

LEAD: ‘View From The Top’

Charles Chen, President, China Duty Free Group

SPECIAL ADDRESS

Han Shengjian, Director General of Hainan Provincial Bureau of International Economic Development (Hainan IEDB)

LEAD: ‘Maintaining Commitment to Travel Retail’

Masahiko Uotani, President, CEO & Executive Officer, Shiseido

INSPIRE: ‘Standing Up for the Displaced’

Amb. Tegla Loroupe SS. OGW, President / Founder, Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation & Chef de Mission for the Olympic Refugee Team in Tokyo

INSPIRE: ‘Turning Crisis into Opportunity’

Benjamin Vuchot, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, DFS Group

TRANSFORM: ‘Envisioning the Airport Experience of the Future – A Consumer-Centric View’

Stephen Hay, Global Strategy Director, Airport Dimensions
Eugene Barry, Executive Vice President – Commercial, Dubai Airports
Pierre Abignano Director, Commercial, VINCI Airports

TRANSFORM: ‘View From The Top’

His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, Group Chief Executive Officer, Qatar Airways Group

The APAC Dialogue, in association with the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA)

APTRA President Sunil Tuli
Lagardère Travel Retail North Asia CEO Eudes Fabre
Heinemann Australia Managing Director Richard Goodman
Lucy Thomas, Head of Retail at Auckland Airport
Susan Gray, Managing Director of Concession Planning International
Ivo Favotto, Founder & CEO of The Mercurius Group
Neil Stollznow, Quantitative Director of StollzNow Research & Insights Advisory

LEAD: ‘Fast Forward Once More for Dubai Duty Free’

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, Dubai Duty Free

TRANSFORM: ‘The Trinity Initiative and the Digitalisation Dynamic’

Led by Marc-André Kamel, Global Head of the Retail Practice and leading member of Bain’s Full Potential Transformation Practice, joined by Mauro Anastasi, Partner, Bain & Company Italy and Jack MacGowan, Director, Castlepole Consulting

INSPIRE: ‘Redressing the Workplace Imbalance’

Silvia Camarota, Expedia Group Senior Director North American Market Management & Lodging and Founder of Women in Travel Thrive (WITT); Mary Wyse, Aer Rianta International, Retail Analytics Manager and member of WITT.

LEAD: ‘Long Term Vision Over Short Term Reaction’

Alexandre Ricard, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Pernod Ricard


TRANSFORM: ‘Leading Vietnam Out of Crisis into a New Age of Opportunity’

Phillip Nguyễn, Chief Executive Officer at IPP Travel Retail and Vice President Business Development Imex Pan Pacific Group, Vietnam
Nitin Kapoor, Chairman and General Director, AstraZeneca Vietnam & Asia Area Frontier Markets
Luke Treloar, Partner, Head of Strategy, National Head of Healthcare and Life Sciences, KPMG

INSPIRE: ‘Finding the Keys to Unlocking a Prosperous Travel Retail Future’

Michael Schriver, President North Asia, Louis Vuitton

TRANSFORM: ‘Pinpointing the New Drivers of Growth’

Stewart Dryburgh, General Manager, Nestlé International Travel Retail

SPECIAL SESSION: #CHANGEDESTINY

Markus Strobel, President, P&G Global Skin & Personal Care

LEAD: ‘Redrawing a Vibrant Travel Retail Business’

Fraser Brown, Heathrow Airport Retail & Property Director

LEAD: ‘Driving Travel Retail’s Drinks Category Towards a Better, More Sustainable Future’

Sam Fischer, President, Diageo Asia Pacific and Global Travel

CRUISE SESSION: ‘Towards a New Experience in Cruise Retail & Hospitality’

Rachelle Peterson, Global Commercial Distribution Director, CNN International, WarnerMedia

CRUISE SESSION: ‘Resilience and Renewal as the Cruise Business Returns’

Adrian Pittaway, Head of Retail, MSC Cruises
Lisa Bauer, President & CEO, Starboard Cruise Services
Carol Cabezas, President, Azamara
Matthew Hodges, Chief Commercial Officer, Harding

INSPIRE: ‘Putting Sustainability, Diversity and Inclusion at the Top of the Corporate Agenda’

Kim Marotta, VP – Global Environmental Sustainability
Victoria Russell, Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer, Beam Suntory

‘LEAD, INSPIRE, TRANSFORM’ – HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE KNOWLEDGE HUB 2021

TRANSFORM: ‘New Formulas, New Thinking, New Platforms’

Ray Gaul, CEO and Co-founder at Retail Cities – ‘The Contactless Paradox in Travel Retail’
Heidi Köpple, Head Commercial Centers, Zürich Airport
Max Berger, Chief Commercial Officer, Highsnobiety
Chris Pok, CEO, KrisShop

INSPIRE: ‘From Insights to Actions, Shaping the Future of Retail’

Anuj Roy, Insights Director, Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail
Simon van Moppes, General Manager, Pernod Ricard Travel Retail Asia Pacific
Vanessa Wright, Chief Sustainability Officer, Pernod Ricard
Daniel Worboys, Head of Retail Design, Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail
Simon Evans, Sustainability Director, PIE Factory

LEAD: ‘Shaping a New Future’

Ray Hernan, Chief Executive Officer, Aer Rianta International

LEAD: ‘Assessing the Future of Airport Food & Beverage’

Óscar Vela, CEO, Areas

INSPIRE: ‘From Crisis to a New World of Travel Dining’

Ezio Balarini, Chief Marketing Officer, Autogrill Group
Steve Johnson, President & CEO, HMSHost
Walter Seib, CEO, HMSHost International

FAB Women 2021

Lana Cramer, VP Corporate Marketing & Communications – SSP America
Chef Cristina Bowerman
Yvonne Kam, CFO – Yung Kee Restaurant Group Limited
Chef Marcie Blaine Turney & Co-Owner Valerie Safran – Safran Turney Hospitality Group

TRANSFORM: ‘Rebuilding the Travel Food Sector Sustainably and Profitably’

Pat Murray, EVP SSP America
Mark Angela, CEO SSP Asia Pac and EEME
Jeremy Fennell, CEO SSP Continental Europe
Neil Campbell, COO SSP UK

TRANSFORM: ‘Progressive Airport Thinking and a Pathway out of Crisis’

Zenola Campbell, Vice President of Concessions, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

‘GRAND FINALS DAY’ – AWARD HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE KNOWLEDGE HUB 2021 

The Moodies Travel Journey Digital Awards 2021: The social and digital media campaigns, projects and programmes that stood out for their impact and reach during the most challenging period in the travel industry’s history.

The Travel Retail Superstars Awards, the first edition of an annual awards for travel retail employees across airport, airline, downtown store and cruise sectors, placed the spotlight on those frontline and behind the scenes heroes and heroines who helped keep our industry going throughout the crisis.

Alongside sister programme the Travel Retail Superstars Awards (above), the FAB Superstars Awards recognised the efforts and achievements of staff in the travel food & beverage sector around the world. 

The QDF Factor is an extraordinary industry competition aimed at encouraging innovation and differentiation among brand owners. The programme, a partnership between Qatar Duty Free and The Moodie Davitt Report, was held first in 2020 with the second edition in 2021. The winner (Wines of Golf Legends by Peuch & Besse in 2021) captured a six-month listing at Qatar Duty Free’s award-winning retail offer in Hamad International Airport, Doha, plus a free six-month US$50,000 multi-media advertising campaign with The Moodie Davitt Report.

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