IRELAND. Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) last night hosted a fine celebration of the career of long-time Director Retail Frank O’Connell, who retired on 31 July. It was held at No. 10 Ormond Quay, a beautifully restored Georgian townhouse on the banks of the River Liffey in Dublin.
O’Connell was joined by family members, friends, colleagues and industry executives from Ireland and overseas.
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(Top) Frank O’Connell (centre) with ETRC Secretary General Keith Spinks (left) and CTC-ARI Airports General Manager Gerry Crawford; (Left) O’Connell’s successor as DAA Director Retail Paul Neeson (left) with Hume Brophy Communications Director John Hume; (Right) “Travel retail is an industry of great friendships,” O’Connell tells guests | |
O’Connell said: “I’m overwhelmed that so many of you have travelled to join me tonight. People have come from Croatia, Germany, France, the UK, the Netherlands and other places. What is really nice for me is that there are so many friends. This industry may be big in money terms, but it’s small in terms of people, and travel retail is an industry of great friendships.”
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(Top) Thom Rankin, Sarah Branquinho and Erik Juul-Mortensen were among the guests from abroad who came to salute O’Connell; (Left) Long-time colleagues of O’Connell’s at DAA, Martin Waldron and Andrew Baker, at the celebration in Dublin’s city centre; (Right) DAA’s Bill Twomey talks with HMSHost’s Walter Seib | |
He added: “I have worked full time for over 45 years [almost 30 of those with Aer Rianta, now Dublin Airport Authority -Ed] and spent 20 years heading retail, and it’s great that so many of the people I met back at the beginning of those two decades are here tonight. I have had marvellous times, made great friends and had many wonderful blessings. I can genuinely say there is nothing about these years that I would change.
“I have been privileged to travel the world and I’ve had the great experience of dealing with the political system, which has been fascinating.”
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(Left) Dubrovnik Duty Free’s Niksa Milanovic flew in to mark Frank O’Connell’s big night (left); (Right) Thom Rankin and Erik Juul-Mortensen with The Moodie Report Deputy Publisher Dermot Davitt (centre) | |
O’Connell also thanked his many colleagues at DAA for their loyalty and commitment over the years, and singled out his long-time assistant Helen Donovan for special praise.
O’Connell joined Aer Rianta in 1979. He began his career in retail marketing at Dublin Airport, eventually becoming Marketing Manager, and assuming responsibility for all retailing in 1988. He took on a group-wide role in 1992.
O’Connell remains President of the European Travel Retail Council (ETRC), and will remain a key advocate for the industry at EU level. He is also Director of European Affairs at DAA. In that capacity he will continue his work for the ETRC, as well as lobbying government on national issues that affect retailing at Ireland’s airports.
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Claus Heinemann chats with DAA executives Fiona Rainsford (centre) and Caroline Gibbons |
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