UAE. From starting his working life as a Commis Chef at the Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, recently appointed Maritime & Mercantile International (MMI) & Emirates Leisure Retail (ELR) Group Chief Executive OfficerTyrone Reid has forged a stellar career over more than 20 years in the food & beverage sector.
He has represented multiple well-known brands including Threshers, Millie’s Cookies, Five Guys, and worked for Alabbar Enterprises and SSP Group. Reid also launched Shake Shack across the Middle East, Russia, UK and Turkey and brought Time Out Market to the UAE.
In July this year, he assumed the combined leadership role at MMI and ELR. The powerful Emirates Group-controlled retail to food & beverage enterprise has ambitious plans to grow its already well-established footprint in the airport retail and food & beverage space.
Based in Dubai with his wife and son, Reid speaks to The Moodie Davitt Report about his life experiences and where his love of food, wine and hospitality comes from. That passion is reflected in him being an active member of the UAE Restaurants Group Advisory Board and the Global Restaurant Investment Forum.
Tyrone Reid will be attending The Trinity Forum in Singapore on 1-2 November.
Q&A snapshots with Tyrone Reid
On growing up
I grew up in a big Irish family house in Essex, England, the youngest of eight children. I took to the kitchen at a young age, as many of my family had been involved in the industry. Hospitality was at the heart of our home. People were always in the kitchen, with food and drinks being served all the time. It was an ongoing activity so it has always been in my blood.
I gained a passion for wanting to become a chef while cooking and eating at home. Having a big family, we grew and cooked all our own food, so everything was so fresh.
On your first ‘real’ job
Having worked in various hotels while training at catering college, I left to go to Scotland to work at the Gleneagles Hotel in Perthshire aged 18. It was an opportunity to learn from the best, and understand the importance of quality, standards and consistency. These are the things I carry with me today.
On family
I am lucky to have such a close, supportive family. I am married to my wife Kerry and my son is about to turn 17 years old. We all enjoy travel, food, and drinks and we are a real foodie family.
On outside interests
Three years ago, I suffered a major injury while skiing. It was the kickstart to making health, fitness and well-being a priority.
I am an early riser, part of the 5am club. I believe in starting my day strong. I work out most mornings, fit in some paddle, boxing and a big cycle at the weekend. This is how I keep my balance. I am also a Spurs (Tottenham Hotspurs) fan, like all my brothers.
On your big career break
I took a role with Threshers wine shops in the UK, which was my first multi-site role and a valuable but steep learning curve.
But my most significant career break wasn’t a job, it was the realisation that to progress I needed to add further education. I watched my wife complete her MBA and saw the benefits of that, so she instigated my most significant career break. I decided around the time of my son’s birth to embark on an MBA; this allowed me to springboard my career from middle management into senior roles.
On previous travel retail experience
I was Operations Director at Millie’s Cookies, part of SSP. We had a fair share of travel retail operations in rail and airport locations across the UK.
I expanded Shake Shack from three stores to 30 across ten countries in three years, including one in Dubai International Airport (DXB). It was a brilliant experience to be joining the company at its inception and to see it become a successful and recognised global brand.
On what attracted you to the role as Group CEO of MMI & ELR
I am honoured and delighted to be entrusted with taking the business and team forward. MMI and ELR are such great businesses and have a massive reputation across the globe and I’m excited to see the expansion of our presence in travel retail.
We’ll soon be launching an innovative F&B and duty free experience in Zanzibar Abeid Amani Karume International Airport Terminal 3, where we’ve tried to create a unique airport customer experience. There will be lots of things coming up, so watch this space.
Describe MMI and ELR in five words
“There is something for everyone.” What I mean is that across the two subsidiaries we cater to different passenger needs – whether that’s a relaxed family dining experience with entertainment; our newly opened homegrown concept Sports Shack in DXB; or our barista coffee with Costa within ELR.
Through MMI we serve discerning passengers looking for exquisite luxury wines and spirits with Le Clos. Here we pride ourselves on our knowledgeable staff to help passengers select the right product for themselves or as a gift.
And your business motto?
This is my mantra for business and life: ‘People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel’ – the words of Maya Angelou, American poet, civil rights activist and world-famous author.
