HOW DUBAI DUTY FREE CEO COLM MCLOUGHLIN MADE HISTORY IN DUBAI
When DDF launched we were a team of ten. Now, it employs more than 2,600. The operation has consistently raised the benchmark for airport retail.”
NColm McLoughlin | CEO, Dubai Duty Free
There is something about the UAE. How many times have you heard people say they left the UAE — only to return? And then there are some who never leave this country as the UAE turns into their second home. One happy father-son duo tells us exactly how they found success in a foreign land and why the UAE is now their home.
Meet Colm McLoughlin (77), Executive Vice-Chairman and CEO of Dubai Duty Free (DDF), and his son Niall McLoughlin (51), Senior Vice-President, DAMAC Group. Colm is a wellknown expat in the UAE. He is regarded as a pioneer who, along with a dedicated team, put Dubai on the global aviation map by launching Dubai Duty Free way back in 1983.
Landing in Dubai
It was a day before his 40th birthday on July 15, 1983, when Colm set foot in Dubai. He, along with two other Irish experts in the business of duty free — George Horan and John Sutcliffe — came to Dubai on a six-month contract to set up duty free operations in the emirate. Among the three, Sutcliffe left DDF in the 1990s to work with Aer Rianta in Bahrain, while Horan left in June 2016. Colm, as we know, continues to take giant strides at the helm of DDF operations.
“Our team arrived in July and on December 20, DDF launched its operations. We were a small team of ten. Today, DDF employs more than 2,600. The operation has consistently raised the benchmark for airport retail and it continues to grow,” said Colm.
Colm said many of his values were taught to him by his parents. “They taught all five of us to respect others. This is imbibed in me as well.” He said these values have been passed on to his children. “I regret every day of my life that I did not learn Arabic. Maybe I will learn the language now,” says Colm.