October 31 2024  |  People

In Memoriam: Colm McLoughlin, travel retail leader, role model and true gentleman

By Hibah Noor


It is with great sorrow that we mark the passing of one of the travel industry’s greatest leaders.

Colm McLoughlin, the former Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman and CEO and a man recognized throughout the industry for his strength, his statesmanship and his down to earth approach, retired from the industry in May this year. He passed away late yesterday.

Colm was known and recognized as the force behind Dubai Duty Free’s path to become a world leader in the travel retail industry. He was also known as a true gentleman, a fierce supporter of those not just around him but within the wider industry. An Irish man of his word, a visionary, a hands-on leader.

Global Travel Retail Magazine Editor in Chief Hibah Noor writes, “It is with great sadness that I struggle to come to terms with the news of Colm’s passing. So many special memories with him over the years.

“I met Colm and his wife Breeda in Jordan when I was on a business trip with my father, Aijaz Khan. I was just 18 at the time and not yet involved in the travel retail industry. Colm and Breeda were with us on a tour of Petra. They chatted, both very down to earth and welcoming, and I was quite shocked when my father pointed out that Colm – the man who had somehow taken me under his wing – was the Dubai Duty Free CEO.

“As I started to work within the industry Colm was always there for me; supportive, encouraging, he would always make time to see me. He was a kind soul, someone that never gave up, and his passing is a massive loss for me personally and for the industry.”

GTR Magazine Founder Aijaz Khan adds, “The news of Colm’s death comes as a great shock, followed by profound sadness. To say that this outstanding man, this gentleman, has supported and assisted me over the years, would be an understatement. I will forever be grateful for having known him, for having worked with him within the industry and he will be remembered as the one and only Colm McLoughlin.”

Over his 41-year tenure, Colm, as a pivotal figure in the global travel retail industry, grew Dubai Duty Free into the world’s largest single airport retailer, with sales rising from US$20 million in 1984 to well over US$2 billion last year.

When Aer Rianta, the Irish Airport Authority, was contracted by the Dubai Government to launch a duty free operation in 1983 Colm was a member of the original team. He remained in Dubai, taking on the role of General Manager and then Managing Director in 2011. Colm was later named Executive Vice Chairman and CEO, overseeing not just Dubai Duty Free but also its subsidiary businesses, which include The Irish Village restaurants, The Century Village, the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium and the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel.

Dubai Duty Free is the recipient of hundreds of awards, many of which have been attributed directory to Colm. The ‘Most Distinguished Employee Award’ presented in 2000 by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and ‘Irish Presidential Distinguished Service Award’ presented in 2014 by President Michael D. Higgins are just two of many.

This special man will be sorely missed.

Colm is survived by his wife, Breeda and their family. Our sympathy goes to them all.

Fond memories with the one and only Colm McLoughlin

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