November 30 2022  |  Associations

MEADFA Awards winners announced

By Jane Hobson, in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain

The industry honored Colm McLoughlin, CEO and Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free (DDF), with the Lifetime Achievement Award

The Middle East & Africa Duty Free Association (MEADFA) announced the winner of its inaugural MEADFA Awards at last night's MEADFA Conference Gala dinner in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Hosted by Bahrain Duty Free, the MEADFA Awards ceremony recognized innovative, dynamic world-class travel retail specialists in the Middle East and Africa region.

The winners are:

  • Best Retailer Award: Bahrain Duty Free
  • Best in Marketing Strategy: Nestle International Travel Retail
  • Sustainability & CSR Award (two prizes according to the size of the company): Dubai Duty Free and Bitmore Ltd.
  • Customers & Suppliers Award (two prizes according to the size of the company): Muscat Duty Free and Merlin, Soft Magic Systems Computers LLC

The industry honored Colm McLoughlin, CEO and Executive Vice Chairman of Dubai Duty Free (DDF), with the Lifetime Achievement Award. McLoughlin, not present at the event, received a standing ovation as Ramesh Cidambi, DDF COO, accepted the award on his behalf.

The Lifetime Achievement Award honors an exceptional leader who has made a remarkable contribution to duty free and travel retail, promoted strong leadership and has considerably impacted the overall strategy, culture, and development of the industry. McLoughlin has worked in duty free for more than 50 years.

The MEADFA Awards took place November 28 in the Kingdom of Bahrain during the MEADFA Conference Gala dinner

MEADFA announced the launch of the MEADFA Awards in September.

"The MEADFA awards celebrate dedication, innovation, achievement, and success. Our objective is to focus on the dynamics of the region and acknowledge those who have made a significant contribution to the development of the Travel Retail Industry in the Middle East and Africa," said MEADFA President Sherif Toulan at the time of the announcement.

The MEADFA Award Committee members include Bernard Creed, Treasurer; Isabel Zarza, Vice President; Philip Haine, Board Member; Sherif Toulan, President; and Micheline El Ammar, Operations Manager.

"The award committee encourages companies to nominate themselves and to highlight their outstanding contributions in a variety of business areas. Results will be announced during the MEADFA Conference 2022 taking place on Nov 27-29 in the Kingdom of Bahrain," said MEADFA Treasurer and Award Committee Chair, Dr. Bernard Creed in September.

See more coverage from last night's MEADFA Conference Gala dinner here.

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