Andrew Cowan

Managing Director, Diageo Global Travel

Andrew Cowan is the Managing Director of Diageo Global Travel. Andrew oversees the strategic direction and leads the team that directs Diageo’s brands into the world of travel retail, across airports, cruiseliners and more.

Prior to moving to Global Travel, Andrew led the African Emerging Markets division of the African region, directing business operations across Ghana, Ethiopia, Cameroon, Indian Ocean, Angola and several other WACA countries. His experience of emerging markets within Africa includes his time as Group Managing Director and CEO at East African Breweries (EABL), overseeing the Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania businesses.

Andrew joined Diageo in May 2008 as General Manager, Diageo Northern Ireland and was appointed to the role of Commercial Director, Diageo Island of Ireland for two years before moving in 2011 to lead the Diageo GB business until his appointment to EABL.

Andrew’s experience straddles corporate leadership, strategy development, operational management as well as sales and marketing. An established business leader, with a wide range of strategic and commercial expertise garnered over 20 years in the FMCG sector.

He specialises in building multi-year consumer-led strategies and has a passion for commercial execution. His previous roles have seen him grow market share across key categories and countries, while also growing employee engagement and developing diverse and high-performing leadership teams.

Vinoop Goel

Asia-Pacific Regional Director of Airports & External Relations, International Air Transport Association

Vinoop Goel is the Asia-Pacific Regional Director of Airports & External Relations for the International Air Transport Association (IATA). He is based at their Asia-Pacific regional office in Singapore.

Vinoop leads a team that is responsible for all IATA’s activities in the Asia-Pacific region relating to Airports including Infrastructure development, Passenger Facilitation, Cargo and Security. In addition to this, Vinoop also heads the External Affairs and Sustainability department for the region that is responsible for Environment, Sustainability, Government Regulations and other Aviation policy matters.

He has more than three decades of aviation industry experience including a 14-year stint in Japan and has been with IATA since 2005.

Séverine Lanthier

Chief Strategy and Development Officer, Chief Operating Officer for Asia and member of the Global Executive Committee, Lagardère Travel Retail

Séverine Lanthier is a member of Lagardère Travel Retail’s global Executive Committee. As Chief Strategy and Development Officer for the group and Chief Operating Officer for Asia, she has responsibility for the group’s strategy, global business development and external communications, in addition to overseeing operations across Asia.

Séverine joined Lagardère Travel Retail in April 2020, from global luxury group Kering, where she had been Gucci Worldwide Travel Retail Director, and Kering Group Global Head of Travel Retail since 2015.

Between 2004 and 2015, Séverine had already worked for Lagardère Travel Retail, where she launched operations in China and became Country CEO until 2008. She then managed several business development initiatives in Europe which led to the acquisition of Aeroporti di Roma’s duty free activities in 2012, which she ran as CEO until 2015, successfully managing the integration in Lagardère Travel Retail.

Jaya Singh

Managing Director, Mondelez World Travel Retail

A passionate believer in the potential of the global travel retail business, Jaya Singh is the Managing Director of the channel’s number one confectionery supplier, Mondelez World Travel Retail. He is also in charge of the European Export business unit of Mondelez International.

Jaya has experience in almost every region of the world, in both domestic and travel retail environments. He previously served as Global Sales Director WTR, Head of Global Key Accounts and before that Region Director Middle East, Indian Sub-continent, Asia Pacific and Oceania WTR.

Prior to this, Jaya ran his own business which focused on training and personal development. He is a firm believer that the potential success of any organisation and the realisation of opportunities lies in identifying, developing and unleashing the potential of people in the commercial environments in which they operate. Carrying this credo from business to other domains, Jaya does a lot of private work in his spare time helping people identify, release and realise their own potential.

Jaya served as President of the TFWA Management Committee in 2021. He previously sat on the board of the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA) from 2009 until 2018, and held the position of President of APTRA between 2013 and 2017. He also sat on the board of the Duty Free World Council from 2013 to 2017.

Phillip Nguyen

CEO, IPP Travel Retail

Phillip Nguyen is the Vice President – Business Development at Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPPG), a diversified conglomerate that controls a majority of the Vietnamese market in distributing luxury and mid-tier fashion brands such as Salvatore Ferragamo, Burberry, Dolce & Gabbana, Rolex, Cartier, Nike, Gap and Cotton On.

IPPG has invested in other different sectors, such as Air Cargo, Logistics, F&B Franchising, Shopping Mall Investment and Management, Free Trade Zone development, Terminal Infrastructure (Cam Ranh International Terminal) and Non Aviation Service Business such as duty free, airport retail, F&B and commercial advertising at the airport.

Phillip leads the Duty Free and Travel Retail divisions and is co-founder of Pulse Active. Previously, he was the Country Manager for Nike Vietnam. Phillip is now responsible for identifying opportunities and implementing strategic investments to grow the portfolio and create employment for the local economy. He is an alumnus of Australia – Viet Nam Leadership dialogue.