Rob Marriott to head ARI Middle East
Rob Marriott is named Chief Executive of ARI Middle East
Aer Rianta International (ARI) has announced the appointment of Rob Marriott as Chief Executive of ARI Middle East (ARIME).
Currently CEO at Muscat Duty Free (MDF), Marriott will start his new position once a replacement is appointed and upon the departure of Richard Gray, who announced news of his retirement in late 2021.
With over 30 years’ retail experience, Marriott has a strong record in developing and delivering long-term strategy, driving global retail operational excellence, and leading teams to success, ARI said. This includes leadership roles at Morrisons and Safeway in the UK, before joining ARI in 2019 as CEO 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,” said the company. “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.”
Speaking of the appointment, ARI CEO Ray Hernan said: “We warmly welcome Rob Marriott into his new role as Chief Executive of ARIME following his successful tenure leading the team in Oman. His in-depth knowledge of the business and strong sense of leadership makes him the ideal choice. The Middle East is a core focus of the ARI business, and Rob’s expertise in building and nurturing successful partnerships and razor-sharp focus on retail standards will help ARIME continue to deliver world-class propositions.”
Marriott commented: “I am honored to take on this prestigious role and look forward to immersing myself with the teams locally. At ARI we pride ourselves on creating the best customer experience possible and with my new appointment, I hope to continue to build an unrivaled offering. I am humbled to take over the position from Richard and hope to emulate his renowned high standards of retail excellence.”
ARIME Chairman Abdulla Buhindi stated: “We look forward to welcoming Rob Marriott as he takes up his new role as ARIME Chief Executive. His success in Oman has already established Rob as an agile and dependable partner to the business, and we are confident that he will lead us to continued prosperity in ARIME.”
