Speaker Biograghy: Padraig heads up the North American region for World Duty Free Group; he has overall responsibility for the operational, financial and commercial management of the business in this region, with a particular focus on the strategic growth and development of World Duty Free Group in North America. Prior joining the group, Padraig worked at Marks & Spencer PLC, where he served on the executive management committee of Marks & Spencer Direct and managed the JV partnership with Amazon Inc. Immediately before Marks & Spencer, Padraig was the European Finance Director and board member of Gap Europe, which traded in four European countries with revenues in excess of US$1 billion, 122 stores and 2,500 associates. Prior to Gap, Padraig was at The Walt Disney Company with The Disney Store, where he held several Europe-based finance roles covering financial planning, analysis and taxation as well as group reporting to the corporate head office in Burbank, California. Padraig built his career at Arthur Andersen, where he worked with a large range of clients including Gucci, Estée Lauder, Cadbury, Guinness and The Sultan of Brunei.


Day 1 - 25 March
Session: Commercial Development, Retail & Media

10:20 - 10:50 - The 'wow' in retail

Audience will learn:

• Travel fosters emotional experiences in passengers, which is good for retailers
• A wowed passenger is an excited passenger – an engaged passenger loves to spend
• Every exposure to a product is an opportunity for retailers to sell
• Understanding actual product preferences makes it special for passengers
• Passengers need to eat, but are seduced by retailing