Philippe Margueritte holds the position of President of Tax Free World Association since his election in December 2024.
With three decades of leadership experience in brand development, Philippe has occupied significant roles at esteemed organizations such as L’Oréal, Coty, and The Ritz Paris. His extensive professional background across the Americas, Europe, and Asia has provided him with a comprehensive global perspective and a thorough understanding of omnichannel strategies, particularly within the realm of travel retail.
Beyond his corporate experience, Philippe proudly holds the Chair of the Board Member Certificate at Sciences-Po Paris, serves on the Board of Directors of Lucta S.A., and offers strategic guidance to various innovative digital-native startups.
Graduate of Sciences-Po Paris and holding a master’s degree in international business law from the University of Panthéon-Sorbonne, Philippe is also an alumni of both IMD Lausanne and the University of California, Berkeley, where he focused on breakthrough management and digital transformation.
Abdeslam Azgoul has more than 20 years’ experience in travel food & beverage and retail. He began his career in Grupo Areas, joining Dufry in 2006 where he held roles from Head Controlling and Deputy COO Africa through to Deputy CFO for the Division EMEA. Moving on to join Servair/Gategroup as Global Director Performance and Controlling, Abdeslam spent the last four years as CFO Africa for this company, before rejoining Dufry as CEO Middle East and Africa in 2023.
Alongside a BA in Finance, Abdeslam has a postgraduate degree in International Commerce and a PMD from IESE Business School.
Rania Abou Hussein is a leader in the world of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) as the Chanel Development Head for Mars in Asia & the Middle East. With an extensive background in the industry, Rania has been an integral part of the Mars team since 2002, working across different markets including Egypt, the United Kingdom, and the Gulf region.
In her current role, Rania oversees the international travel retail business for the Middle East and Asia, showcasing her strategic mindset and strong leadership skills. Beyond her responsibilities at Mars, Rania has successfully managed private businesses in Egypt, demonstrating her entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen.
Passionate about women’s empowerment and fostering inclusivity, Rania is actively involved in initiatives aimed at developing female talent and driving positive change in the region. As a key leader in the MEA Women of Mars group, she focuses on empowering women, influencing change, and making a meaningful impact on society.
Educated at the American University in Cairo, where she studied integrated marketing communication, Rania was actively involved in student union activities and committees, showcasing her leadership abilities from a young age. Currently based in Dubai with her husband and two children, Rania finds joy in traveling, exploring different cuisines through cooking, and cherishing quality time with her family.
Being a 20-year veteran of the company, Bernard Schlafstein is Sales Director Middle East Africa at Gebr. Heinemann. He is responsible for the retail business of Unifree Duty Free and 4 other joint ventures in the region, ATU Duty Free (5 operations in 5 countries worldwide), JR Heinemann in Israel, Tourvest in Nigeria and Big Five in South Africa. Additionally, Bernard is managing Gebr. Heinemann’s wholesale business in 32 countries in the MEADFA region.
For the past three years, he has been Sales Director Near East & Turkey. Prior to that, he was responsible as a Sales Director for the EECA region, with its main markets being Russia, the Baltic States and Ukraine. During his time at Gebr. Heinemann, he has established different joint ventures and built up long-term partnerships with distribution clients.
A development economist by qualification, with research and work experience in Economic Growth and Development, Poverty Reduction and Structural Transformation | Experienced programme manager in Trade Policy, Private Sector Development, Regional Integration and Debt & Aid economics | Regulatory Affairs and Engagement strategist, focussing on enhancing conditions for doing business in an agile and conducive operating environment | Corporate Affairs and Communications specialist in Global Travel Retail.
With an extensive career in Corporate Affairs and Communications, research, policy analysis, and regulatory compliance, Milika brings to the table strategic, technical, and operational expertise and insights. In line with MEADFA’s values, goals, and mission, and in collaboration with Industry colleagues, at global and regional levels, stakeholder engagement, including dealing with government and other relevant authorities, particularly remains at the core of Milika’s day-to-day role and tasks. Given the imminent and persistent challenges facing the Duty-Free World, Milika hopes to add value towards identifying and solidifying strategic solutions in the Industry, whilst also striving to learn as much about the sector.
Isaias Diaz Garcia has more than 15 years of experience in the Travel Retail Industry (and more than 30 in the Retail Sector). He has held different management positions in Europe and USA for Aldeasa, WDFG and Dufry. Isaias graduated in Law from Universidad Complutense and MBA from IE Business School Madrid. He is currently serving as Cluster General Manager Africa, based in Casablanca (Morocco) and has 8 countries under his supervision (Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, Morocco and Madagascar)
Isaias is a manager with long experience in different areas such as planning, contract negotiations, business and JV management, company integration and customs. Customer Service and Staff Growth has also been his priority.
He has been appointed on the MEADFA Board for the term 2023-2025 to actively contribute to the success of our industry supporting stakeholders and partners throughout the Region
Rob Marriott, recently appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer at ARIME, has over 30 years’ extensive retail experience. Rob joined ARI in 2019 as CEO of Muscat Duty Free where he was responsible for delivering a world-class travel retail experience at the new Muscat International Airport.
Rob has a strong proven record in developing and delivering long-term strategy, driving global retail operational excellence, and leading teams to success. Prior to joining ARI, Rob held leadership roles at Morrisons and Safeway in the UK.
Rob is passionate about giving every colleague the opportunity to fulfill their potential, and about removing barriers to advancement. In the UK, he chaired the Women in Business forum and recently supported the Omani Women’s Day at Muscat Duty Free.
Since joining the business, Marriott has firmly embraced ARI’s ethos of collaboration, agility and determination to create a bespoke sense of place for its customers, brands and partners. Marriott is renowned for his customer-centric approach, adopting a policy of choice, superior quality, and brilliance when it comes to the travel retail experience and building successful partnerships.
Dr. Munif Mohammed is an experienced business leader with more than 30 years of corporate finance, commercial management, supply chain, and business development experience having held senior finance and CFO roles in banking, food & beverages, building products, and retail businesses. In his professional career, he has managed large finance teams in multi-stakeholder environments with complex compliance requirements, implemented new ERP systems and implemented new processes for long-term strategic development.
As CFO, Dr. Mohammed managed Legal, HR, Procurement, Property and IT Departments.
Starting his career with the Fiji Government, Dr. Mohammed has an extensive international experience working in Australia, New Zealand, USA, Denmark, Switzerland, France, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
He is currently the CEO for Lagardère Travel Retail Middle East, a fully owned subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and is based in Dubai, UAE.
Roger has worked in Travel Retail for the last 15years and has over 23years experience in the drinks industry. As the former General Manager of Diageo Global Travel he played a huge role in the commercial & brand transformation leading Diageo to their highest ever TR share.
He is now the Managing Director of Organico Travel Retail and leads the RTM distribution business across the Middle East, Indian Ocean & Africa – Organico are the exclusive Travel Retail distributors for William Grant & Son’s and Samsonite across the region.
Organico also distribute and execute on behalf of brand owners such as Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Bacardi, Beam Suntory, Whyte&Mackay across 50+ Travel Retail locations in Africa/Middle East and supply the largest Military and Diplomatic customers in the region.
Dr. Bernard Creed is a qualified Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with over 30 years of experience living and working in Ireland, Scotland, Bahrain, Dubai, the Dutch Antilles and the United States.
His career has seen him work in Textile manufacturing, Telecommunications, Private practice and the Travel retail business. Bernard has over 20 years’ experience working in the duty-free industry, having previously worked for Bahrain Duty Free (1998-2001) and for Dubai Duty Free (2001-2007). Bernard returned to Dubai Duty Free in May 2010 to head up the Finance Department as Finance Controller and was named Senior Vice President – Finance (Retail & Leisure) in July 2016.
In addition to his CPA qualification, Bernard holds a Masters degree in Business Administration, along with a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree for his work on customer behavior and purchasing patterns in an airport retail environment. Bernard is a former Chairman of The Irish Business Council in Dubai and a current Treasurer of the Middle East and Africa Duty Free Association.
