UAE. Dubai Duty Free today announced that Senior Vice President – Purchasing Sharon Beecham will step down from her role with effect from tomorrow, 8 May, concluding an “exceptional” career with the organisation spanning more than 28 years.
Commenting on her departure and contribution, Dubai Duty Free Managing Director Ramesh Cidambi said: “During her nearly three decades of service to the company, Sharon has worked hard with dedication, integrity and commitment, earning the respect of colleagues across the organisation.
“She built a strong Purchasing team that will remain part of her legacy and played a key role in elevating Dubai Duty Free’s reputation among leading global brands in the travel retail industry.
“We thank her for her invaluable contribution, and she will be greatly missed by all of us after she leaves Dubai. I take this opportunity to wish her the very best in her post-Dubai Duty Free life.”
Sharon said, “After 28 incredible years with Dubai Duty Free, I’m deeply grateful for the journey and the experiences that have shaped my career.
“I look back with pride on the accomplishments and friendships forged along the way. As I retire, I’m excited for new adventures, carrying with me the lessons and memories from nearly three decades of dedication.
“Thank you to everyone who has been part of this chapter – especially the Purchasing team, my senior colleagues for their support and of course my boss, Ramesh.”
Sharon joined Dubai Duty Free in 1998 and has worked across both the Retail and Purchasing departments. She has led the Purchasing function during two different time-periods, including her current role as Senior Vice President – Purchasing, which began in September 2020.
Over the course of her tenure, she played a central role in shaping Dubai Duty Free’s retail and purchasing landscape. Her contributions span major infrastructure and retail milestones, from the opening of Concourse C in April 2000 to Concourse D in February 2016, as well as numerous shop renovations, refurbishments and the introduction of luxury boutiques across the operations {main story continues following the panel content below}.
“Don’t anchor to what was, find your new normal and build from there”Dubai-based Organico Travel Retail Co-Founders Roger and Natalie Jackson, whose business dealings with Sharon Beecham date back many years, have paid rich tribute to her. “Sharon sets the benchmark of authentic leadership and acting with integrity, internally and externally,” they said.  “A fierce believer in equality on gender, race and background – Sharon makes it consistently clear that what matters most is hard work, dedication and trust. “At Dubai Duty Free, she knows every square inch of retail space, and how the operation works. The testament to this is the continued growth and expansion of the business despite the multiple challenges faced since the pandemic. “We will personally miss her ability to cut through with a clear insight on what is needed. We often find ourselves repeating the advice she has given us to others. “Don’t anchor to what was, find your new normal and build from there,” was the advice she gave our very new business back in the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. “Brilliant advice, and a real demonstration on why Sharon is one of the most resilient characters in the trade.” |
As head of Purchasing, she held executive responsibility for sourcing across all merchandise categories within the company’s multi-billion-dollar retail operation. She was also instrumental in strengthening vendor relationships through the Vendor Support Program and elevating the company’s standing among global brands in the travel retail sector.
A key member of the Executive Management team, Beecham contributed significantly to the company’s sustained growth over nearly three decades, Dubai Duty Free noted, culminating in a record-breaking performance in 2025 that marked a full recovery from the global COVID-19 pandemic.
She began her career in travel retail in 1994 with Aer Rianta International (ARI), working in Moscow, and briefly in Hong Kong with Nuance-Watson North Asia. Prior to entering the travel retail industry, she gained experience in retail management on the UK high street.
Widely respected across the organisation and the wider industry, Sharon is recognised for her dedication, professionalism and leadership.
Comment: Dubai Duty Free’s generous lauding of Sharon Beecham’s contribution to the travel retailer’s richly storied growth into the world’s biggest travel retailer in terms of a single location – Dubai International Airport (DXB) – will be fondly echoed by many in the industry, writes Martin Moodie.
She played a pivotal role in the retailer’s hugely impressive resurgence under Managing Director Ramesh Cidambi in 2025, a revival that continued into this year until the US-Israel attack on Iran and the subsequent drawn-out conflict’s devastating impact on regional passenger traffic.
Sharon was also hugely influential in the ambitious and much acclaimed 2024-25 revamp of Dubai Duty Free’s arrivals shopping offer in DXB terminals 1, 2 and 3.
The multi-million-dollar renovation project, which began in April 2024, covered over 2,171sq m or 54% of the company’s arrivals retail space (see Episode 1 of our three-part Moodie Davitt STUDIO series on that development below).
During those renovations as well as before and since, she has put her stamp on numerous categories, taking particular pride in creating, for example, one of the best wine offers in the travel retail world.
In a fascinating episode of TRI-POD, The Moodie Davitt Report’s video podcast series in association with The SEVA Group, in 2020, Sharon talked about how she entered the duty-free industry with ARI in Moscow in the 1990s and what the combination of culture shock and ARI’s indomitable spirit taught her.
She also reflected on the close family culture of Dubai Duty Free and the leadership of key influences in her career such as the late Executive Vice Chairman & CEO Colm McLoughlin.
Sharon spoke, too, about being a woman in a still male-dominated sector, praising Dubai Duty Free in that regard but recalling how when she was appointed to the role, a leading supplier commented with much surprise: “I always knew Dubai Duty Free was a forward-thinking organisation. And now I know, as it has put a woman in charge!”
Over recent years, Sharon has overcome health issues and personal tragedy while remaining a consummate professional, a straight-talking and honest executive, and a warm, compassionate and decent human being. Dubai Duty Free won’t seem quite the same without her reassuring presence. I and we wish her much happiness in her eminently deserved retirement. ✈
