Münstermann departs as General Manager of Global Duty Free & Export to take on responsibility for the tobacco firm’s key clusters within its domestic markets.

Christian Münstermann has been appointed as Cluster General Manager for Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) at Imperial Brands.

He departs as General Manager of Global Duty Free, Export and Travel Retail to take on responsibility for the tobacco firm’s key clusters within its domestic markets.

A process to recruit his successor is underway with the Global Duty Free, Export and Travel Retail leadership team responsible for the business in the interim, a note to TRBusiness confirmed today.

Münstermann has been at the helm of the duty free division since August 2019, when it was known as ‘Global Duty Free & Export’.

He has served the global duty free arm of Imperial Brands since 2012 in various roles including as Trade Marketing Director and Sales & Marketing Operations Director Global Duty Free & Export.

Prior to Imperial Brands, Münstermann spent more than five years with consumer goods giant Reckitt Benckiser.

“Imperial Brands remains highly dedicated to the duty free channel and we remain convinced of its strategic importance,” he said. “We are pleased that the recovery of our industry is now accelerating, and looking ahead, we believe that business will grow back even stronger as many more consumers enjoy travelling again. We are committed to play an active part in driving forward the recovery with an offer of cross-category leading brands, which excite the travelling consumer.

“Duty free and travel retail are a unique retail channel full of potential and I have always enjoyed working in the travel retail industry – but what has impressed me time and time again, are its people. Especially as I look back at the years of the pandemic and the lessons we had to learn in these trying times – I am proud how we all navigated through this crisis with resilience, working together as one, and how we are now building the future of our industry.”