Virtual Travel Retail Expo
Hailing the human touch in travel retail
In a poignant, moving ceremony at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo, The Moodie Davitt Report announced the winners of the first Travel Retail Superstars Awards. We bring you highlights in words, images and video.
The Travel Retail Superstars Awards, the first edition of an annual awards for travel retail employees across airport, airline, downtown store and cruise sectors, reached its crescendo on 15 October at the Virtual Travel Retail Expo.
The Moodie Davitt Report named the inaugural winners of the awards, which have placed an overdue spotlight on those frontline and behind the scenes heroes and heroines who have helped kept our industry going throughout the most profound and sustained crisis it has ever faced. Winners of sister programme FAB Superstars, dedicated to people in the food & beverage community, appear in the feature that follows in this edition.
The awards, hosted by Chairman Martin Moodie, were judged by Spark Group of Companies CEO & Founder Heidi Van Roon and Flash Global Logistics Global Director of People & Culture Marcus Griffin.
We asked employers to submit a written entry for each individual or team, addressing the impact made by the person or department through their actions, and how far they reached; how they measured success in terms of service or helped improve the business; and what made a particular staff member or team stand out.
Categories included Star Team, Star Individual, Star Story (Team or Individual), Innovation (Team or Individual) and Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration. Nominations were invited by region and by department: Shop Floor — Customer Facing, Logistics Warehouse, Back Office (Marketing, IT, Commercial and Procurement) to cover as broad a spectrum of staff as possible.
Moodie said, “All the nominees and their stories are exceptional, moving, exemplary. The number of entries we received was humbling and inspiring, a true celebration of the human touch that sets this industry apart.”
“These awards are so timely and appropriate,” added Van Roon. “I’m a big supporter of adding the human element into everything we do and reading these submissions have really inspired me thanks to the amazing commitment, creativity and resourcefulness of these individuals who have gone above and beyond”.
Griffin added, “Thank you for The Moodie Davitt Report for this fabulous initiative and a huge shoutout to all the nominees and the folks who nominated them. The travel retail industry is awake, it’s alive and it’s recovering and if you read these wonderful stories of colleagues giving back – it will certainly inspire you.”
STAR TEAM
Star Team Americas: Shop Floor – Customer Facing Andrezza Hotta, Head Buyer Accessories, Shopping China & Carol Escobar, Import Executive, Shopping China, Shopping China’s Border Shop, Paraguay Nominated by Victorinox
Star Team Americas: Logistics / Warehouse The Team at WTDC Nominated by Sean Gazitua, President & CEO, WTDC
Star Team Americas: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement Paradies Lagardère Marketing Team – MORE Campaign Nominated by Paradies Lagardère
Star Team Europe: Shop Floor – Customer Facing Fraser Meldrum Manager, Luggage Point, Glasgow Airport Julie Fenwick Business Manager, Luggage Point, Glasgow Airport Nominated by Luggage Point
Star Team Europe: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement ARI Sales & Marketing Team, The Taste House, The Loop Dublin Airport Nominated by Pernod Ricard
Star Team Asia Pacific Shop Floor – Customer Facing Team at ARI Auckland (The Loop Duty Free), Auckland Airport Nominated by ARI Auckland
Star Team Middle East & Africa: Shop Floor – Customer Facing DXB Dubai Duty Free Brand Ambassadors Team for Pernod Ricard, DXB Nominated by Pernod Ricard
Star Team Middle East & Africa: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement Operations and Human Resources Team, Dubai Duty Free Nominated by Dubai Duty Free
STAR INDIVIDUAL
Star Individual Americas: Shop Floor – Customer Facing Alejandro Cordella, Store Sales Executive Watch & Accessories at Dufry – Ezeiza International Airport, Buenos Aires Nominated by Victorinox
Star Individual Americas: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement Marie-Lise Manoukian, Head of Finance, ARI-North America Nominated by ARI-North America
Star Individual Asia Pacific: Shop Floor – Customer Facing Kenny Wong, Brand Consultant, Taoyuan International Airport Nominated by Pernod Ricard
Star Individual Asia Pacific: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement Sarah O’Donnell, HR Specialist, ARI Auckland (The Loop Duty Free) Nominated by ARI Auckland
Star Individual Europe – Shop Floor – Customer Facing Rosalie Kirkman, In-store Consultant, William Grant & Sons GTR, London Heathrow Nominated by William Grant and Sons
Star Individual Europe: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement Collette Heffer, Customer Service Team Leader, 3Sixty UK Nominated by 3Sixty Duty Free & More
Star Individual Middle East & Africa: Shop Floor – Customer Facing Ali Attia Ali El Sayed, Sales Assistant – Retail, DDF Nominated by Dubai Duty Free
Star Individual Middle East & Africa: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement Wendy Valenzuela Rivera, Project Manager, QDF Nominated by Qatar Duty Free
People power: Some of the Travel Retail Superstars that kept our sector going through its worst ever crisis
STAR STORY
Star Story Americas: Shop Floor – Customer Facing Crystal Channel, Retail Zone Manager, Portland International Airport Nominated by Paradies Lagardère
Star Story Americas: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement Laura Siener, Regional Retail Operations VP, 3Sixty Duty Free & More Nominated by 3Sixty Duty Free & More
Star Story Asia Pacific: Shop Floor – Customer Facing Discover Singapore Team, Lagardère Travel Retail Singapore Nominated by Lagardère Travel Retail
Star Story Asia Pacific: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement Back-Office & Merchandising Team, Maldives Nominated by Maldives Airports Company
Star Story Middle East & Africa: Shop Floor – Customer Facing Walid Rawass and Ziad Korjieh, Brand Ambassadors, Beirut Duty Free, Phoenicia-Aer Rianta Co, Lebanon Nominated by Pernod Ricard
“Kenny Wong deserves this award for bringing to life the convivial cocktail experience in store and driving team morale, building excitement with travellers and building consumer confidence within the store environment, and providing shop floor insight to the team when airside access was restricted.” – Pernod Ricard
INNOVATION
Innovation Asia Pacific: Shop Floor – Customer Facing Melanie Rutherford, Head of Operations, ARI Auckland Ltd (The Loop Duty Free) Nominated by ARI Auckland
Innovation Europe: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement All EMEA: Dufry GCM Marketing Team Georgie Rickard – Senior Marketing Dufry EMEA & Global Co-ordination Sophia Sergides – Market Activation Manager – UK Anielka Scandoval – Market Activation Manager – Americas Margarita Pchelkina – Market Manager – Russia Regina Bao – Market Activation Manager – Asia Bronwen Goodbar – Digital Manager Nominated by Pernod Ricard
Innovation Middle East & Africa: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement IT Team (Home Delivery Specials), Dubai Duty Free Nominated by Dubai Duty Free
“When faced with the choice to either accept or fight the challenges thrown at ARI Auckland in the last 12 months, Mel has always chosen to fight. She has fought for the jobs of 240 employees and for a business that she has helped to charter through some particularly rough seas… she is an inspiration to all around her.” — ARI Auckland
HUMANITY, LEADERSHIP & INSPIRATION
Logistics / Warehouse Sean Gazitua, President & CEO, WTDC Nominated by WTDC
Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Americas: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement Gregg Paradies, President & CEO, Paradies Lagardère Nominated by Paradies Lagardère
Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Asia Pacific: Shop Floor – Customer Facing CWI & Darin Brand Consultants, Jeju International Airport, South Korea Nominated by Pernod Ricard
Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Asia Pacific: Back Office – Marketing, HR, IT, Commercial, Procurement All Teams, Lagardère Travel Retail Singapore Nominated by Lagardère Travel Retail Singapore
Humanity, Leadership & Inspiration Asia Pacific – Special Judges Award Rakhita Jayawardena, President of King Power Traveler (KPT) Nominated by King Power Traveler
“The livelihood of the company and entire staff was at stake, yet Rakhita was undaunted and rallied all the staff spread across our 12 operating locations across Asia with his bold and resounding words, ‘We will survive and we will continue.’” — King Power Traveler
Partner's message
The Moodie Davitt eZine Issue 302 | 22 October 2021
The Moodie Davitt eZine is published 15 times per year by The Moodie Davitt Report (Moodie International Ltd). © All material is copyright and cannot be reproduced without the permission of the Publisher. To find out more visit www.moodiedavittreport.com and to subscribe, please e-mail sinead@moodiedavittreport.com