Costas is a Director with Deloitte’s consulting practice based in Dubai.  He specializes in assisting clients in the real estate and hospitality sectors. Since joining Deloitte in 2006, Costas has project managed several large-scale real estate and hospitality consulting assignments across the UAE and the GCC region.

His areas of specialization include strategic planning, real estate development planning; development feasibility; hotel operator selection, and hotel operational/performance improvement reviews. Costas holds a PhD from the University of Strathclyde, UK on hotel feasibilities and valuations and has served, in various capacities, the hospitality and real estate real estate industries for over 18 years.

Rami Madi joined the Chalhoub Group 12 years ago managing the regional perfumes division. Rami brought with him 8 years of experience in the perfume industry in the Middle East region. Rami then moved to the luxury watches, accessories and writing instruments division within the Chalhoub Group managing the local market and duty free shops accounts in the Middle East.

Five years ago Rami was given an assignment and challenging position as General Manager for Traveller Ltd, the Chalhoub Group’s specialized airlines in-flight duty free company adding his 15 years of experience in luxury brands to the in-flight duty free sector with airlines across the Middle East region and has grown the company by 400% in the years under his leadership up until 2011.

David has over 20 years’ airport travel retail experience. After qualifying as a chartered accountant, his innate entrepreneurial spirit lured him into a fledgling travel retail business called Tigers Eye.
He played a leading role in growing the business from a marginally profitable chain of four outlets to its current position as the destination retail market leader in Southern Africa with 65 outlets in Southern Africa and a further 12 in the Caribbean.

Being part of Tourvest, a multi channelled integrated tourism group, David has exposure to most aspects of tourism, however his core experience is destination retail. Whilst many retailers talk about “sense of place”, he believes the real challenge is to create retail experiences that hold “pride of place”!

He is a firm believer in trying to break the step and repeat “cookie cutter” approach to retail. Tourvest’s award winning “Out of Africa” destination outlets are clear examples of how history, imagination, focus and retail passion can differentiate airport malls, adding interest and value to the overall customer experience and significant revenue to airport operators.

Ghanem Mohammed Obaid Al Hajri’s professional career in aviation took off in 1980, when he joined Sharjah Airport Authority, as Manager Administration. He was promoted to General Manager of Sharjah Airport Authority, in 1983. After completion of fourteen successful years he was designated as Director General in 1997.

He earned his B.Sc. degree in Management from Woodbury University, Los Angeles, California, USA in 1979. He obtained his Master’s degree in Airport Planning and Management from Loughborough University of Technology in February 1990.

He enrolled for Doctor of Philosophy in Air Transport with Cranfield College of Aeronautics and successfully attained the same in August 1997 on the subject ‘Sea-Air Cargo Transportation.

Besides holding several other respectable positions, Dr Ghanem Al Hajri is presently a board member in Air Arabia Board of Directors, Immediate Past President & Chairman of the Nominating Committee of Airports Council International (ACI) and holds honorary positions in various international organizations whilst In 2012 February, Dr Ghanem promoted to Chairman – Sharjah Airport Authority & Member of Sharjah Executive council.