Ramesh Cidambi to take over from George Horan

By Doug Newhouse |

V.top Ramesh Cidambi SVP - IT & LogisticsRamesh Cidambi has been named as the new Chief Operating Officer at Dubai Duty Free (DDF) and will take over from the long serving President George Horan when he retires after 33 years of dedicated service at the end of this month.

 

Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO made the formal announcement today that Cidami is being promoted from his current position of Senior Vice President Logistics and IT and will report directly to him.

 

At the same time, the retailer added that Cidambi has played ‘a vital long-term role in heading up key back-room functions’ for DDF and will report directly to Colm McLoughlin.

 

George Horan, President, DDF

George Horan has made a tremendous contribution to DDF over 33 years.

TWO NEW EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENTS

Other promotions include the dual appointments of Salah Tahlak (currently Senior Vice President – Corporate Communications) and Nic Bruwer (Vice President, Human Resources) as Executive Vice Presidents under Cidambi.

 

DDF management added that their responsibilities will be announced in a further announcement and will ‘will cover all aspects of the retailer’s operations, including Dubai Duty Free Leisure’.

 

The company says that all of these changes will become effective 1 June ‘when further management restructuring will also be announced’.

 

Ramesh Cidambi SVP - IT & Logistics

Ramesh Cidambi is an extremely knowledgeable DDF executive.

 

HUGE CONTRIBUTION

The departure of George Horan after 33 years will doubtless be celebrated in a suitably appreciative manner. He originally came to Dubai from Ireland as part of the Aer Rianta consultancy team that first set up Dubai Duty Free in 1983.

 

At the end of his consultancy contract, he was asked to join DDF’s management team, headed by Colm McLoughlin, formerly DDF’s Managing Director and now Executive Vice Chairman since July 2011.

 

After several years working in shop floor management, Horan was appointed General Manager of the operation and later promoted to Deputy Managing Director in 2003 and President in July 2011.

 

Salah Tahlak and Nic Bruwer

Promoted: Salah Tahlak and Nic Bruwer.

Some of the major projects he has helped oversee include the design, construction and opening of DDF’s operations in Terminal 1 in 2000, Emirates Terminal 3 (Concourse B ) in 2008 and Concourse A in January 2013.

 

He has also overseen DDF’s development of the retail offer at Promoted: Al Maktoum International Airport and the retail offer in Concourse D, which opened in February 2016.

 

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