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Emmanuel de Place: Moving to Singapore amid Lagardère Services’ drive to expand in Asia Pacific |
SINGAPORE. Lagardère Services says it is accelerating its drive to expand in Asia Pacific travel retail with the relocation of Executive Committee member Emmanuel de Place to Singapore. From this base he will manage and develop the Asian businesses and supervise the Pacific area, which will be managed and developed by Lagardère Services Asia Pacific CEO Scott Raisin.
The company said the move was a major strategic step. Lagardère Services President and COO Dag Rasmussen said: “Our group wants to accelerate its development in travel retail in Asia, especially in duty free and luxury. The decision to relocate a member of the Executive Committee to this fast developing region demonstrates our ambition in the Asia and Pacific regions, which we want to be the showcase of our expertise and excellence in travel retail activities.”
Rasmussen added: “Emmanuel has a strong track record within the group and in the travel retail organisation. He was already supervising from Paris our activities in Asia and Pacific, but also Germany and Central Europe for the past three years.
“I view Emmanuel’s experience in retail environments, as well as his team work capabilities, as a tremendous addition to the group’s successful teams in this region. This new organisation will be pivotal in bringing our Asian travel retail business to a new level, in closer collaboration with our partners.”
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Surf and lifestyle brand Billabong (pictured here at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2) is among the key names in the Lagardère Services Asia Pacific portfolio, as it seeks to enhance its presence in the Asian market | |
Emmanuel de Place added: “After North America and Central Europe, I am very excited to start this new venture in Asia. This is for sure a great and motivating challenge. This decision represents a major step toward an increased presence alongside our teams and our partners in Singapore (where we have recently been awarded the multi-brand luxury fashion concession), Hong-Kong, China and in all other countries where our group wants to grow.
“Development paths in the region are numerous. We have already proven our experience and professionalism in serving travelling customers in many major airports in Asia and Australia, as well as in Europe where Aelia is definitely a leader in duty free and luxury activities. By utilizing all the expertise of our group, I am convinced we can achieve a lot in the coming years in Asia.”
De Place, a Franco-Canadian citizen aged 37 years, joined the company in 1996. He worked in the group’s Canadian press distribution subsidiary and then led its Romanian retail division, until becoming an Executive Vice President of the group in 2007. In 2009 he added responsibility for overseeing Lagardère Services’ Asia Pacific business.
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Diva (at Changi Airport) is among the latest stores to be opened by Lagardère Services in the region | |
