John McDonnell has launched and marketed a number of successful global spirits brands, bringing hard work and business acumen to many countries around the world. He began his career at Joseph E. Seagram & Sons, spending 18 years in domestic and global sales and marketing.
In January 2005, he joined The Patrón Spirits Company and became President, International and Chief Operating Officer, leading the company’s international and duty-free expansion. In addition to helping Patrón become the world’s #1 tequila brand in retail value, John is widely credited for having globally established the ultra-premium tequila category.
Today as Managing Director, International for Tito’s Handmade Vodka, John is highly regarded as an industry leader. He earned widespread respect for his service as Chairman of the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), the national trade association representing America’s leading distillers. John has now launched and marketed successful global brands in 150+ countries & islands worldwide.
Aimen Al Hosni led the seamless grand opening of Salalah Airport in June 2015, Muscat Airport in March 2018 and Duqm Airport in August 2018. Under his leadership, the new Muscat International Airport was awarded three World Travel Awards in 2018 and 2019, and was named the World’s Leading New Airport in 2018.
In 2018, Salalah International Airport was certified by Skytrax as the first 5-Star Regional Airport in the Middle East.
In September 2019, Muscat International Airport received the prestigious Airport Service Quality (ASQ) Award for being the most improved Airport in the Middle East based on passenger votes, resulting in Muscat Airport being ranked 14th globally in the 15-25 million passenger segment. Sheikh Aimen also became the first Omani to be elected to the role of Vice Chairman of Airports Council International in 2019.
Sheikh Aimen is successfully and effectively shaping Oman Airports to be a vital contributor to the nation’s vision of establishing a safe, modern, profitable and customer-centric aviation sector, aligned with Oman’s Vision 2040. He maintains a strong focus on investing in Omani talent to develop the future leaders of the aviation sector in the country, achieving a record breaking Omanisation rate of 95% at Oman Airports since becoming CEO in March 2015.
Prior to joining Oman Airports, Sheikh Aimen held leadership positions within numerous multinational organizations. In addition to his current role at Oman Airports, he also holds executive positions as the Vice Chairman of Airport Council International (ACI) World Board and Secretary Treasury of the ACI Asia Pacific Regional Board, HSBC Oman, Omantel Telecommunication, Oman National Investment and Engineering and Muscat Insurance Company.
Anna Marchesini is Project and Business Development Manager at m1nd-set. She works with various global key accounts across all categories in the area of duty free & travel retail, and is also involved in m1nd-set’s consultancy work and manages the company’s marketing and press activities.
Anna holds an MSc in Management, with specialization in Marketing, from the prestigious HEC Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland. She previously worked on various marketing projects for different communication agencies in Germany.
Anna is of Italian origin, and also speaks English, German and Spanish.
Dr Peter Mohn graduated as a psychologist and earned a PhD in Business Psychology. He has worked for various leading global market research agencies since 1993 and has specialized in travel retail research since 2004. The company he co-founded in early 2007, m1nd-set, works as a consultant to more than 100 global brands as well as many leading shop operators in duty free & travel retail. m1nd-set is also a research partner of most travel retail associations.
Eugene Barry joined Dubai Airports in 2009 and is responsible for leading and developing the company’s aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue portfolio, including Dubai International’s and Dubai World Central’s airport business. Eugene’s portfolio includes property management, concession management, aviation business management, cargo business management, corporate communication, consumer marketing, and CRM. He is a member of Dubai Airports’ Executive Board and a Director on the board of Emirates Flight Catering. Eugene has worked in the airport commercial industry for over 25 years, and has previously worked in travel-retail roles for Aer Rianta International, DFS/LVMH, Dufry, and Dubai Duty Free. He has also served as a board member and treasurer of MEADFA.
