Respected travel retail executive Gary Leong has been appointed Marketing Director at Singapore-owned omni-channel retailer One World Duty Free (ODF), TRBusiness can report.

The former Global Travel Retail Director of Swedish beauty tech firm Foreo began in his new post on 2 January.

He is responsible for all aspects of marketing, public relations and communications and reports directly to ODF Founder & CEO Keira Zhang.

Speaking to TRBusiness today (9 January), Leong commented on “the new challenge and very exciting opportunity”.

Leong is familiar to many in the industry as the driving force behind Foreo’s powerful ascent in global travel retail, opening new doors for the Stockholm-founded company across multiple duty free points of sale, including at airports, downtown shops, onboard airlines and border crossings.

ODF gains a shrewd retail operator with more than 22 years’ experience having worked with a swathe of retail brands, including many in the luxury segment.

He departed Foreo last year, having spent more than seven years spearheading sales of its beauty and wellness devices, a mainstay of duty free aisles across the world.

ODF’s ‘next-level’ aspirations

Before joining Foreo, Leong spent several years at Swiss fashion house Akris as Director, Business Development and Communications, Greater China.

A meeting and conversation with ODF Founder & CEO Keira Zhang opened the channels of communication, with Zhang keen to enlist Leong’s services as ODF tracks a sustained course of growth.

“Keira is a visionary; very determined and ambitious to take ODF to the next level as we expand into many markets,” explained Leong.

As reported, ODF struck an agreement last year with Port City Colombo – a public-private partnership involving the Government of Sri Lanka and CHEC Port City Colombo – to develop and operate a 1,250sq m duty free shop at the impressive 7,000sq m Port City Duty Free Mall.

Sri Lanka’s first-ever downtown duty free store will appear at Port City Colombo courtesy of One World Duty Free.

More recently, Sri Lanka authorised visa-free entry to tourists from a tranche of countries such as China, India, Malaysia, Japan and Indonesia.

ODF’s omni-channel platform is built on leading technology and innovation and enjoys a reach across Asia, according to the firm’s website.

“We provide unparalleled solutions that drive seamless one-of-a-kind shopping experiences,” it states. “Our international stores feature a curated range of product categories at value prices across spirits & wines, fashion, sunglasses eyewear, confectionary, and beauty from some of the world’s largest brands.”