Veteran airport retail and hospitality executive Harmeet Grover has joined research and intelligence firm tRetail Labs as Strategic Consultant, reinforcing the company’s expanding network of industry advisors and specialists.
The announcement coincided with the recently concluded Airport Food & Beverage (FAB) + Hospitality Conference & Awards 2026 in Bengaluru, where Retail Labs participated prominently alongside industry leaders.
In his new role, Grover will support research initiatives, pilot programmes and industry collaborations as the company expands its global advisory network.
The highly regarded industry executive brings more than three decades of experience across airline catering, travel retail and foodservice, having held senior leadership roles across India’s aviation and travel retail sectors.
Grover spent 13 years as COO and Business Head at Travel Retail Services, the master franchisee for Lagardère Travel Retail’s Relay concept in India.
During his tenure, he played a key role in scaling Relay’s presence to more than 30 airport locations, while driving the creation and expansion of proprietary brands including Chocobay, Motech, Smilen and Mishta, bringing the company’s portfolio to more than 50 stores across key airports nationwide.
He was also instrumental in establishing and scaling WHSmith’s first airport operations in India as Vice President – Operations at Travel News Services India.
Earlier in his career, he spent 15 years at Jet Airways, where he built the airline’s catering and international inflight dining operations, expanding the programme from four aircraft to a network serving more than 80.
His appointment comes as tRetail Labs strengthens its advisory network of senior consultants supporting the Airport F&B 2035 Initiative, in collaboration with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), and the newly formed Airport F&B Pathfinders Committee (APC).
The Airport F&B 2035 Initiative, which debuted at the CIA’s Menus of Change Leadership Summit in New York in June, has gained strong interest from airport and operator leaders at the FAB event in Bengaluru.
The initiative leverages tRetail Labs’ nrtureAI traveller experience intelligence platform, already live at Munich Airport, as well as across global cellar door experiences and hotels.
Grover said: “Airport F&B is entering a defining decade. Travellers are seeking healthier choices, greater authenticity and more meaningful experiences, while operators continue to balance commercial performance with rising operational complexity.
“What attracted me to tRetail Labs is its practical approach to innovation, bringing together behavioural intelligence, AI and industry collaboration to build solutions that can actually be implemented and measured in live operating environments.
“I look forward to working with the team, the Culinary Institute of America and industry partners to help shape a more innovative, sustainable, healthy and commercially successful future for airport F&B.”
tRetail Labs Founder and CEO Sushanta Das added, “We are actively building a coalition of senior industry thought leaders who will engage as Strategic Consultants, joining us in a shared mission to help the industry navigate this transition together.
“Harmeet’s three decades across aviation catering, airport retail and franchise operations make him a natural fit for that mission, his passion for nutrition and wellness adds to his expertise, and I am delighted to welcome him to tRetail Labs.”
tRetail Labs Strategic Advisor and former SSP Senior Leader Mark Angela commented, “Harmeet brings deep operational expertise across inflight catering, airport retail and hospitality.
“His practical, on-the-ground experience complements our work with the Culinary Institute of America well, and I look forward to working alongside him to help drive meaningful change across the airport F&B industry.” ✈
